Members
Heather Newman - Vocals/Bass
Starting out in Omaha, NE, Heather has been performing professionally for the last 16 years beginning in the blues genre. With her powerful vocals she excelled in that niche, first playing rhythm guitar to accompany her vocals when performing. In 2015 she relocated to Kansas City, MO where she toured and performed full time with Nick Schnebelen of Trampled Under Foot. In 2017 she formed the Heather Newman band with Ryan Matthew, Keith Ladd, and Cole Dillingham who helped her to release her first Vizztone Label Group album. Burn Me Alive received a phenomenal welcome publicly, winning two 2018 Blues Blast Music awards, and receiving a 2019 Blues Music Award nomination. During that time and despite changes to the groups active members, her second album Rise From the Flames was written and released through Vizztone Label Group in 2019, showcasing a more modern take on Heather's style. Rise From the Flames was nominated for three separate Independent Blues Awards in the all encompassing Roots genre. In August of 2019, Go-Go Ray joined the group and their sound was set in stone but after everything came to a standstill when Covid-19 struck, the trio made some decisions to re-evaluate their blues style so as to come out of the gates swinging with a brand new groove and a more truthful sound.
Ryan Matthew - Piano/Percussion
Ryan Matthew Flemmer, exposed to music at an early age, gained appreciation for a wide variety of styles and genres, and began taking piano lessons at the age of 9. Being heavily involved in music throughout his childhood into high school, while starting lessons in drums, percussion, and voice, he attended Valparaiso University in Indiana and graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor's of Arts in Music. Since then Ryan has been involved in a wide array of musical projects, working as a collaborative pianist, jazz musician, and accompanist in Valparaiso, teaching lessons, playing with artists in the Greater Chicago area, and winning both awards and nominations as Music Director and performer in various musical theater productions. Soon after moving to Kansas City in 2016, Ryan joined an already-active Heather Newman Band before recording their first album in 2017, Burn Me Alive. Since then, Ryan has performed with Heather in venues and events across the country and abroad, participating in the 2019 International Blues Challenge in Memphis and recording the HNB follow-up album Rise From the Flames. Ryan enjoys collaborating with other musicians in the KC area, joining in on local jams, and working to improve his skills in new ways.