Zach Heckendorf knew he was meant to make music from an early age. This Denver born singer/songwriter picked up a guitar when he was just 10 years old and hasn’t put it down much since. When you are meant for something, success isn’t far behind destiny a
nd effort. It didn’t take long for Zach to catch the ear of the music industry. In high school, he was signed to Aware Records which boasts alumni like John Mayer, Train and Matt Kearney. That led to the release of his first full length album and touring during much of his college years. He shared the stage with elite artists and bands like O.A.R., OneRepublic and ZZ Ward among others.
Ultimately Heckendorf parted ways with Aware Records and began to pursue music independently. It was a challenge he met with the same tenacity he used to learn and refine his skills on guitar. Today Zach and fans celebrate the release of his second independent album released on his label, Organically Elevated. Entitled Artifacts, the twelve track release features 11 original songs written over the course of three years.
We sat down with Zach to discuss the album and his journey in the music industry. He was as engaging as his songs imply, telling us, “One of the reasons I called it Artifacts is because it is kind of like a reflection on the past three years.” Continuing he explained, “It was recorded whenever I had the money. It was recorded all across the states; a little bit in Chicago, a little bit in Vermont and a little bit in Denver.” Concluding, “Because it was over the period of three years, and I went through a lot of big transitions in those three years, each song kind of comes from a different point of transition and an important point of learning for me.”
As a result of all the touring Zach did during his college days he disclosed his songwriting has changed, “I used to just write songs, and whatever came out, came out. I guess now, when I write, I have it in the back of my head that these songs are going to be played live in front of people and they have to be able to hold their own in front of an audience.”
Our entire interview with Zach will be published in the Summer Edition of the magazine. He is a Colorado artist on the verge of accomplishing big things with his music. Pick up a copy of Artifacts on all digital music platforms or by visiting his website: http://www.zachheckendorf.com/.
