By: DJ Alla
The sound of folk music is alive and well today in Haley Heynderickx. This past Friday the 31st I was lucky enough to see Haley at the Rio Theatre here in Santa Cruz. Haley is a Portland-based folk artist channeling the greats of the 60s and 70s along with jazz and brass.
The show began with a duet between Haley and friend and opener Léponds. Léponds, originally from Missouri lives and finds inspiration in Topanga Canyon, an iconic bohemian enclave of artists and creatives in Los Angeles. Iconic residents of the canyon include Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, and more. As soon as she mentioned Topanga, everything clicked. Her sound is reminiscent of the 60s and 70s while still in a world of its own. Their uniquely powerful vocals intertwined to create a beautifully haunting sound. Léponds announced Haley is breaking into the world of production and will be producing her upcoming record.
After a set from Léponds, Haley entered the stage solo for two songs before bringing up her co-headliner The Westerlies. The Brooklyn-based brass quartet supported Haley as she sang tracks from her recent album “Seed of a Seed”. The Westerlies also played some covers including the folk favorite, Way Back Then by John Prine. I first saw Haley open for Lucy Dacus at the Fox Theatre in Oakland in 2022, where she performed a short acoustic set. Seeing Haley perform now with The Westerlies feels like this was exactly how her music was meant to be heard. I love seeing folk and indie alternative artists embrace brass arrangements, something fellow artist Clairo has done recently as well. Toward the end of their set, they collaborated with the crowd to make an improv song, Santa Cruz’s titled “The Glistening Listening Bucket”. I dream of Haley and the Westerlies’ three-part harmonies, they complement each other perfectly. The show ended with a fan-favorite “Oom Sha La La” Its cynical lyrics paired with Haley and the Westerlies’ upbeat performance was wonderful.
I’d like to thank Haley, The Westerlies, Léponds, and the Rio Theatre for putting on an amazing show, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would love to see them live again soon.