Meet Zach Heckendorf

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Heckendorf.

Zach, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m a Denver born and raised songwriter/performer, who recently moved back into town after four years in NYC.

I picked up the guitar when I was ten years old and wrote my first song the same night of my first guitar lesson. I haven’t stopped since.

When I was a student at Cherry Creek High School, I recorded and released a five song EP that spread throughout the Colorado community. Within a year, I had management and was opening up for national acts at the Bluebird Theater, the Soiled Dove Underground, and the Fox Theater in Boulder. The whole process moved very quickly, and by the time I was getting ready to go to college, I got the opportunity to sign a major label deal with Aware/Universal. I decided to take that ride.

For the next couple of years, I toured nationally and internationally with acts like John Butler Trio, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Michael Franti & Spearhead. I learned a lot by sharing stages with my childhood heroes and studying their performances night after night.

The major label opportunity eventually came to an end (I wasn’t fully ready for the rigors of being a signed artist), so I decided that it was time for me to get my degree. At the time, I was living in Los Angeles, working for a famous urban gardener named Ron Finley, and taking night classes at Santa Monica Community College. This eventually led me to CU Denver for a semester, and finally to Columbia University through a program designed for non-traditional students like me.

Going to college was an intentional opportunity for me to find a new path, separate from music. Throughout my years at Columbia, I did my best to put it to the side, but by the time I graduated in 2019, I felt compelled to pursue music again with a fresh perspective and renewed vigor.

And now, here I am! Back in Denver and getting ready to release my 4th LP called “HAWK TALK” on September 25th. It’s an album about belief and the guidance system I’ve learned to follow in order to walk confidently on my path.

Has it been a smooth road?
In hindsight, and from a bird’s eye view, the whole journey does look pretty smooth, but there were definitely hiccups and obstacles along the way.

There was a period of time, post-major label where I had a tough time psychologically. Bouncing back from that took some real time. But the biggest obstacle was my own ambivalence. I used to have a tendency to flipflop between hot and cold in many areas of my life. Over the years, I’ve had to learn how to commit, whether that’s in music, school, or relationships.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
On the surface, I’m a musician and songwriter. My main instruments are the guitar, piano, and voice. Below the surface, I like to think of myself as an entrepreneur because I’m convinced that all artists these days are also running their own businesses.

The name of my business is Organically Elevated and it’s really the funnel for everything I do with music. This new album “HAWK TALK” will be the first album of mine to actually have the Organically Elevated logo. I have a dream of creating a larger company underneath OE. Come back to me in a year or so!

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The thing I like best about Denver is that my community is here and my community is AWESOME. There’s a lot of good people in this city and I’m fortunate to know many of them. Also, there’s some stellar restaurants and coffee spots. My favorites are Safta, Ototo, Steam, and Corvus.

There’s too much magic in this city to talk down on it!

Contact Info:

• Website: zachheckendorf.com
• Email: zachheckendorfmusic@gmail.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSIcSW3hGb0
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4t1M75Z11Pp66jlhoicCOw?si=M7katENPQSi7mNUMYroIfw

Image Credit:
Photos by Olivia Grey Smith // Album Design by Michelle Holme

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