Margo Cilker

In the wake of the critically acclaimed Valley of Hearts Delight and her stunning debut, Pohoryll, Margo Cilker has made a name for herself as a clear-eyed troubadour, spinning songs from everyday truths. Her live performances are at once intimate and electric, inviting glimpses into the characters and moments that are the fabric of life. She makes her home near the Columbia River in Goldendale, Washington with her husband, songwriter and working cowboy Forrest VanTuyl, as well their dog and some horses. The last few years have been a little hazy for Lilly Hiatt, who finds herself searching for answers on her striking new album, Forever. Recorded at home with her husband, Coley Hinson, who produced and played most of the instruments, Forever grapples with growth and change, escape and anxiety, self-loathing, and self-love. The songs are intensely vulnerable, full of diaristic snapshots and deeply personal ruminations, but they’re also broad invitations to find yourself in their unflinching emotional excavations. The result is a raw, unvarnished work of love and trust that walks the line between alt-rock muscle and singer-songwriter sensitivity—a bold, guitar-driven exploration of maturity and adulthood from an artist who wants you to know you’re not alone, no matter how lost you may feel. Born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Tennessee, Hiatt first earned buzz with a pair of early solo records before breaking out with 2017’s Trinity Lane, which helped earn dates with the likes of John Prine, Margo Price, Drive-By Truckers, and Hiss Golden Messenger, in addition to festival slots from Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival to the Luck Reunion. NPR called the album “courageous and affecting, ” while Rolling Stone hailed it as “the most cohesive and declarative statement of the young songwriter’s career.” Hiatt returned in 2020 with the similarly well-received Walking Proof, and in 2021 with Lately, which the Boston Herald said showcased her “knack for plainspoken, poetic lyrics,” and Uncut proclaimed “captivating.”