As record store clerks in Chapel Hill NC, Heather McEntire (of post-punk veterans Bellafea) and Jenks Miller (of heavy-psych/metal outfit Horseback) spent their evenings creating Mount Moriah as an outlet for their mutual interest in classic American folk and rock music. Born in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, McEntire weaves narratives into spectral tapestries imbued with the complex majesty of the South and its deep-seeded spirituality. With nods to both classic folk-rock (Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Carole King, Emmylou Harris) and their contemporaries (Gillian Welch, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes) Mount Moriah challenges existing traditional folk music forms with arrangements born from Miller's interest in minimalism and sound texture. The 2010 EP, The Letting Go, highlighted the band’s thematic range, moving from delicate acoustic narratives to a dark, fuzzed-out, soulful stomper in just three tracks. Mount Moriah’s long-awaited, self-titled debut -- featuring guest instrumentation by members of St. Vincent, Megafaun, Gayngs, Bowerbirds and many other North Carolina-based musicians -- is cut from the same cloth, offering a far-reaching and non-traditional take on classic folk themes like devotion, tribulation, redemption, and an indelible sense of place.
Praise:
“[Heather McEntire] is the god child of Dolly Parton, Bjork, Sinead, and someone I can't put my finger on - very special. The songwriting is just as good, an unusual thing; [Mount Moriah] is gifted in every way. I don't want to categorize this music because it very much defies it… so many layers…[it’s] transporting.” - Amy Ray, Indigo Girls
“Mount Moriah has some ties to heavier end of the rock spectrum��"Miller belongs to the dark, Americana-infused heavy metal outfit Horseback, while singer Heather McEntire moonlights in the long-running indie-punk trio Bellafea��"and, while you won't find much heavy riffage here, there's a certain unsettling, dark undertone to their sound.” - The Current
“There is no excess, as if everyone got together and mapped out the perfect location for each note and each melody so that no one can take away from each other. No part goes unchecked, and that's what makes it beautiful; you get to take everything in at once.” - The Inarguable
“At what point are you obsessed with a record? Is it when you only want to listen to it, and only it, for an entire week? There is something that only Heather's voice can do for me.” - Justin Vernon, Bon Iver
Praise:
“[Heather McEntire] is the god child of Dolly Parton, Bjork, Sinead, and someone I can't put my finger on - very special. The songwriting is just as good, an unusual thing; [Mount Moriah] is gifted in every way. I don't want to categorize this music because it very much defies it… so many layers…[it’s] transporting.” - Amy Ray, Indigo Girls
“Mount Moriah has some ties to heavier end of the rock spectrum��"Miller belongs to the dark, Americana-infused heavy metal outfit Horseback, while singer Heather McEntire moonlights in the long-running indie-punk trio Bellafea��"and, while you won't find much heavy riffage here, there's a certain unsettling, dark undertone to their sound.” - The Current
“There is no excess, as if everyone got together and mapped out the perfect location for each note and each melody so that no one can take away from each other. No part goes unchecked, and that's what makes it beautiful; you get to take everything in at once.” - The Inarguable
“At what point are you obsessed with a record? Is it when you only want to listen to it, and only it, for an entire week? There is something that only Heather's voice can do for me.” - Justin Vernon, Bon Iver
