Heemeyer

Heemeyer formed at the very start of the American COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Joe, Scott and Pat spent the plague years making music together, and were soon joined by Maggie on vocals.

On their latest release, a cover of the 1975 Doc Watson classic “Wake Up, Little Maggie”, Heemeyer’s deep roots in heavy metal intertwine with the sound of the Appalachian Mountains to create a haunting story of heartbreak and loss. The song as Doc Watson performed it was itself inspired by an earlier tune by the name of “Darlin Cory,” the earliest records of which stem from oral tradition in North Carolina. "Darlin Cory" became the inspiration for a family of Appalachian songs referencing themes of love, moonshine, betrayal and loneliness. Among this family of songs, “Wake Up, Little Maggie” carries the most solemn tone and a sense of impending doom. Maggie Worthington, who makes her vocal debut with the group, grew up often listening to Doc Watson’s album “Memories” which the song appears on. Having grown up listening to Appalachian folk music, she was inspired by the sad and ominous tone that the song shares with doom metal. In this rendition, Maggie’s vocals lead the first movement of the song, preserving the sparse feel of Watson’s acapella, giving way to the second movement where Heemeyer holds nothing back in their colossal brutality. Despite these genres seeming so disparate, they marry perfectly in this reinvention that celebrates the cultural phenomenon of Appalachian heavy metal.