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MATT HECKLER is a solo multi-instrumentalist that barely fits into any ordinary musical category. He tends to keep to the darker side of Appalachian mountain music and early bluegrass but listen long enough and you’ll soon be transported to the mountains of Eastern Europe or a dimly lit bar in Ireland where they honor those who have passed with a gently swaying a cappella ballad.

After touring almost nonstop for years in support of bands like Devil Makes Three, Lost Dog Street Band, Flogging Molly, and others, HECKLER, like the rest of us, got sidelined by the ongoing global pandemic. With the newfound time off, he set to pushing creative boundaries in his home recording studio as far as his mind would allow. Each fiddle, banjo, and guitar track carefully put in place all the while retaining the grit and energy reflected in his live shows. Paired perfectly as the sequel to After The Flood, the Blood, Water, Coal album is a defining release in his career.

Blood, Water, Coal was performed and recorded by MATT HECKLER with upright bass and backing vocals provided by Jeff Loops (Lost Dog Street Band). While recording Blood, Water, Coal, MATT HECKLER released The Magnolia Sessions outdoor live set – the maiden release for the now popular series – which made it to #9 on the Bluegrass Billboard Charts. The Magnolia Sessions was still charting upon the release of Blood, Water, Coal, which debuted at #3, leaving HECKLER with two albums running on the Billboard Charts simultaneously.

With the release of his last album, "This Town Is Killin Me", HECKLER signed off on his fourth album with a national tour. Fans filled the venues for a rowdy solo act, and he held true to the grit of his live shows reputation.

Moving forward, HECKLER has a new album in the works, which he says is his best yet. 

Clarence Gallagher Jr. is a song come to life that so many have sung but not experienced. Wearing many hats, he’s been a logger, saloon owner, busker, firefighter and has spent all his time between as an itinerant musician. Guitar and banjo picker by trade, he weaves together texture and melody that will transport you to a logging camp far off in Northeastern Washington, where he calls home. 

Having spent many years living the life so many only sing about, he humbly recalls such travels and longing for the road eloquently and precisely as it has shaped him and his prohibition style guitar playing. No stranger to the banjo, fiddle or stage, he has toured extensively in the US, as far reaching as Alaska. 

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for what promises to be an immersive experience into the American treasure that is Clarence Gallagher.