Members of the Preservation Maryland team recently had the pleasure of spending a day in the nation’s Gateway to the West. No, not the one in Missouri—the one right here in Maryland that once served as the start of the United States’ first national highway, the western terminus for the C&O Canal, and a hub for railway companies like the B&O Railroad – our very own Cumberland.
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has announced the second recipient of the State of Maryland’s Catalytic Revitalization Tax Credit, designed to rehabilitate formerly government-owned properties for economic and community development purposes. The redevelopment of Fort Ritchie in Washington County will receive a state tax credit worth up to $15 million for the comprehensive redevelopment and reuse at the historic site of the former military base.
Since 1986, Americans have been celebrating the life, work, and impact of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a federal holiday. More recently, it’s become more than a day off, but a day on — the National MLK Day of Service.
Preservation Maryland had the opportunity to sit down for a Q&A with Blaine Heinonen and Sarah Wolff, the Montgomery County, Maryland natives behind the band, Pretty Gritty, a folksy duo act that self describes as, “Americana, Country, and lots of Soul.”
Their song, “Maryland” caught the attention of our Executive Director, Nick Redding, and after learning about their love for the Old Line State we thought it would be completely appropriate to introduce our members and followers to this history-loving duo.
[BLAINE HEINONEN] Sarah and I first met in DC at a bar called the Grog and Tankard. Sarah was playing bass in a hard rock band named DBauchery. Think Zeppelin, Heart, Tool and Sabbath mixed together. My band was also playing that night. I played rhythm guitar and some occasional background screams. We were called Skindeep and were a mix of Sevendust and Deftones.
Fast forward a few years later. Both of our bands had broken up around the same time and we hadn’t really kept in touch. We had both sold our rock-n-roll gear for acoustic guitars. I started singing and recording with my friend and lead guitarist of Skindeep, Derron Blakely. He suggested contacting Sarah and seeing if she would lay some bass down. I got her number and made the call. She said she didn’t really play bass anymore and that she had been singing and playing at an open mic in VA. She told me I should come and check it out. So I did. We played a few songs for a mutual friend who was moving away (including John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Wild Nights”…which has a male and female vocal).
We learned it and our eyes lit up the second we harmonized! The rest is history. Then we started to record a demo for a promo to get into bars. Learned a bunch of covers and then eventually started to write originals.
[BH] Sarah says Alison Krauss is her favorite singer and her favorite writers are Honey Honey. I agree with her and would add Ray Lamontagne, Chris Stapleton and Shovels and Rope . . . and Ryan Adams.
[BH] I’ve never looked at it like a love letter but that is exactly what it is! Thanks for that, I’m gonna use it at the next show. It’s a mix between leaving home and leaving a girl I had dated in that time frame. I’ve lived not only in Maryland but even the same neighborhood for 32 years. I will always call Maryland home and represent the Old Line State…which is in the working title of a new song for the future.
[BH] Sarah and I both miss our friends. I still have family there and miss them very much. We both miss the fall colors of Maryland. I love that Oregon stays pretty green most of the year, but nothing like back home fall colors. I also miss lighting bugs, the sound of crickets and thunderstorms. I know it rains out here but I haven’t heard any thunder in about a year and a half.
[BH] We would like to continue to write and record more music, grow as writers and performers, make a decent living and to bump up to the next level of venues and festivals. Management and booking agencies would be nice as well. All in all we just want to create what we want and to build a lasting name for ourselves.
[BH] We are trying to plan a possible short tour back home based around a music friend of ours’ wedding in October of 2016. JB Dunn is his name and his band is the Secondhand Ramblers. You can catch them around Frederick, Maryland.
We both agree with the Harpers Ferry area. Sarah used to drive through it on the way back from work and I use to go there a lot as a kid with my parents for fun and to go back to my Mother’s home town in West Virginia.
Also we both love downtown Frederick. We have a lot of nice memories there with friends. It’s also the first area that we were able to play a lot. We really built our name and fan base there. If we had stayed in Maryland, I most likely would have moved there.
Sarah says Coppers Mill and Black Rock Mill. She went there a lot as a child all the way through high school. For me. I really loved learning about the Civil War in school and growing up in that area we have a lot of history like that. So Antietam would have to be mine.
So hard to choose! We both love Bangkok Garden in Bethesda. It is down the street from the studio where the song “Maryland” was recorded at Mark Williams’ studio, Sucker Punch. Sarah craved Thai food almost always. And only from there. We would all go there after studio sessions.
Personally, I love anywhere they have seafood back home and most certainly if they have a good cream of crab soup! If I’m at the bay, I’d go to Catamarans. Which I heard might have shut down now. [Editor’s Note: Sorry, Blaine, it is closed. When you come back, you’ll have to fall in love with a new restaurant.]
Berger Cookies. So good.
Ummmmmmm…Old Bay! All day every day! When Sarah and I moved out to Oregon, the first thing we looked for was Old Bay.