Meet Peach & Quiet | Canadian performing artists and singer songwriter duo Heather Read & Jonny Miller.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Peach & Quiet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Peach &, what matters most to you?
As musical artists, we find that some of the most important things we keep coming back to are serving the music, connecting to others through the music, (both listeners and other musicians), and being a good, kind person on this planet. We are both songwriters who are pretty dedicated to the song, trying to “get out of our own way” to let the song come through. Another key for us is always honouring commitments as a professional.
We are also both business owners in our other fields of work. Jonny is a web developer and Heather runs a business in the book publishing world.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What sets us apart is our harmony singing and songwriting, and we are most proud and excited about following the music wherever it leads us. We got to where we are now through dedication, hard work, and through a lot of inspiration and luck. We play together every single night. Literally! But it is a blend of work and play, fun, inspiration and consistency. We recorded our first album in the pandemic and it topped charts in North America and got radio play around the world, we had a dedicated team of professionals we worked with to make that happen. All the the costs of the first album were out of pocket but we were driven by a love for the music and a rule of “saying yes” to opportunity. It was a joy to hear our songs played across the pond, and the lovely comments of the radio broadcasters. Both of us are professionals in our other lives-so we took that professionalism into our musical journey by making a great network of contacts and relying on their expertise to help us along the way. By the time we recorded our second alum, we had grant funding, a team of professionals, and some experience to smooth the process. Throughout, we grounded in our authentic lives, all our songs are based on our experiences in our lives, the ups and downs of living. We want the world to enjoy the music and tell their friends about us if they love our songs!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We are lucky to live in a beautiful place, on the west coast of Canada, on a tiny island in the Pacific called Pender Island which is actually two islands connected by a bridge. To get here, you would need to take a ferry and that gives it a laid back, escapist vibe. We would likely take our visitors to Hope Bay, to putter in the shops/gallery space, including the local favourite Pender Chocolates and to have a taste of the handmade treats. Then we might go for a hike to Welcome Bay or Theives Bay look for Orca or Humpback Whales. Most certainly we’d spot a seal slipping along the water. Welcome Bay is where we filmed one of our music videos (Shoreline After a Storm, available on youtube). For the adventurous there is kayaking, swimming, sailing, disc golf, golf, fishing, biking, and we have a lovely local coffee shop we love called the Slo Coast for crepes. We might also take them for a walk up 244-metre (800-foot) Mount Norman or a wander on the ridge near Greenburn Lake on the Southern island for stunning views. Another favourite spot is the Enchanted Forest which pass through a lush west coast rainforest to a view of a waterfall and of Bedwell Harbour. Pender has 37 beach accesses and 57 trails to explore so it would definitely involve hiking and beaches to scour for seaglass and shells. After, we may top at the luxurious Poets Cove Resort for lunch or a drink, then head back to the North Island to have an ice cream or treat at the Vanilla Leaf bakery and stroll to the local bookstore, Talisman Books.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who have helped us along this path of creativity and performing, both through support and mentorship, as well as administration and marketing. Sage McBride of the Canadiana good times band Shred Kelly has been a constant mentor, friend and quasi-manager and promoter for us. Last year we secured a prestigious and sizeable grant from the Canadian Government that she helped us land, enabling us to record and market our second album Beautiful Thing which hit the national folk charts immediately. Another great support has been the Nashville producer/musician extraordinaire Steve Dawson who produced both our albums. A big shoutout to both these cool and generous-spirited folks who helped us along our path.

Website: https://www.peachandquietmusic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peachandquietmusic/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/peachquietmusic

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peachandquietmusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrylGhCATz2F68l9nwWBg1Q

Other: Bandcamp: https://peachandquiet.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
T. Kenta Kikuchi