(WILLIAMSTOWN and BECKET, Mass.) – Indie folk-rock group Darlingside and singer-songwriter Heather Maloney bring their “Extreme Folk” tour to the Log at Williams College on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, at 7:30pm, and to Dream Away Lodge in Becket on Thursday, December 6, at 8:30 pm. Darlingside just released its debut full-length album, Pilot Machines. Maloney just signed a record deal with Massachusetts-based indie record label Signature Sounds.

Darlingside came together with five songwriters, a mandolin, a cello and violin, guitars and drums, a chorus of voices, and a van named Chauncey. Holed up in their home between a cornfield and the Connecticut River, they forged a seamless, exhilarating sound at the intersection of rock, classical, and folk music.

Darlingside’s sound is characterized by multiple lead-vocalists, dreamy five-part harmonies, cello and violin interjections, and a dynamic rock engine at the core. Darlingside traces its diverse sound to an eclectic array of musical origins: Auyon traveled and studied the traditional instruments of Brazil, Turkey and Ireland; Harris picked up the cello at age six, performing twice on NPR; Dave learned guitar as a street musician in Boston; Don toured nationally as a boy alto and played sunset cruises in Maine; Sam took up both Celtic and jazz drumming at age seven. Together, the five close friends are a powerhouse of vocal, instrumental, songwriting and performing talent.

Heather Maloney is a singer-songwriter-poet who weaves elements of folk, rock, jazz and pop to create a unique sound, powerful delivery and a compassionate message. Maloney had one of her first public shows at a small coffee shop in Northampton, Mass., in September 2009. She was so nervous she had to be prodded onto the stage. Two years later, in July of 2011 she walked out onto the stage at the Calvin Theater in front of 1,500 fans of the Grammy Award-winning artist Jonny Lang and brought them to their feet in applause. Lang immediately asked her to open three more shows and called her “an extremely talented songwriter and incredibly great singer.”

With 350 shows under her belt, Maloney has fallen in love with performing. She has shared the stage with such celebrated acts as Jonny Lang, Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriquez, Winterpills, Loundon Wainwright III, David Wax Museum, Devil Makes Three, Caravan of Thieves, Jeffrey Gaines, Jill Sobule and many more. This past year Heather was nominated for an independent music award, chosen as an emerging artist at Falcon Ridge, and recently signed on with Signature Sounds to release her third studio album.