Artist: Natalie Padilla
Hometown: Northampton, Massachusetts
Song: “Balsamroot”
Album: Montana Wildflower
Release Date: March 31, 2023
Label: Heartseed Music
In Their Words: “The first tune in this two-tune set is titled ‘Pasqueflower’ and was written as I was recovering from an intense second case of Covid in May of 2022, about one month before Montana Wildflower was recorded. I had barely enough energy to play my fiddle after multiple days stuck in bed, and this tune came as I stared in a daze at a tiny white spider on the table. The original title was ‘Barndance for a Spider.’ However, for this album, all the original tunes have been named or renamed after Montana wildflowers, so I settled on the pasqueflower. They are among the first to emerge each spring, sometimes even popping up through the snow as delicate purple flowers, rising only a few inches from the ground with fuzzy white stems. The second tune, ‘Balsamroot Reel,’ is an ode to one of my most favorite past dwellings, a little red cottage in bright, sunny Lyons, Colorado. The only thing I recall about the writing of this tune is that it was written in the kitchen, and I sure did like that kitchen. Balsamroot is an abundant bright yellow flower that can cover entire Montana mountain sides in early summer.” — Natalie Padilla
Photo Credit: Catherine Young
