Heartwood by Alicia Keister

Vanessa, her sister, Whitney, and Alicia formed the band At His Feet. At His Feet spent many summers on the road in Pennsylvania performing original and cover songs. They had established quite a fan base and were able to record the album, A Place to Go.

Through their performance on a national radio show, they even sparked the interest of a record executive from Chicago. After about six years of performing, Whitney and Vanessa moved to the Czech Republic to attend school, leaving Keister at Messiah College where she focused on classical music and her education.

After college, and with a handful of songs she had written herself and with friends, Keister walked into Scott Wray Studio in New Cumberland, owned by Hybrid Ice keyboard player, Robert Scott, to record her first solo effort, The Distant Light EP.

Since the release of The Distant Light EP Keister has had the opportunity to gain exposure and experience. She has had the opportunity to showcase at the Millennium Music Conference, the Crimson Frog Coffee House, and the Kutztown Folk Festival. She has been interviewed by Paul Autry of Spotlight Magazine and Wayne Leapple of The Daily Item.

For her latest endeavor, Keister has teamed up with Jason Shaffer, house engineer of After 7 Studios in Mechanicsburg, and former bass player for Grantham Road, who co-produced the album. Heartwood is marked by ambient drum sounds, slide guitar and warm, mossy background vocals. The songs range from the intimate "The Trouble is Me" which gives insight into the beginning of a new relationship, scarred by past hurts to "I Have You," a light-hearted, country-tinged ballad that equates unconditional love to a strong, sturdy tree. "There will never be another one like you/ you were born to be the loving kind," she sings in the tender, "More to Say" which recounts the loss of a loved one.

With the release of Heartwood, Keister is a force to be reckoned with. "I know who I am. I feel free to write songs about my life and my experiences. At 26, I am no longer bound by the ideals of someone else," declares Keister. “I feel like I am growing up, and my music is growing with me."

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