On Sunday, November 9th, Stage 33 Live welcomes two dynamic voices in contemporary music to its intimate listening room: Heather Mae and Olivia Nied. This one-night-only event promises a genre-defying blend of anthemic folk-pop, unflinching truth-telling, and boundary-breaking artistry rooted in radical joy, empowerment, and community.
Heather Mae, a Tennessee-based powerhouse, is not just a singer-songwriter—she’s a movement. With roots in folk and the grit of alternative rock layered over infectious indie-pop hooks, Mae crafts songs that speak directly to the outsiders, the survivors, and those seeking joy in the face of adversity. Her work is steeped in authenticity and activism, confronting mental health, queer liberation, body image, and social justice through lyrics that are as vulnerable as they are defiant.
Dubbed an “evocative, bliss-mongering rabble rouser,” Mae has built a national fanbase through a decade of relentless touring and performances at renowned venues like Joe’s Pub, The Triple Door, and Swallow Hill. Her electrifying live shows are part concert, part theatrical experience—participatory, emotionally charged, and deeply human. With a sharp wit, commanding stage presence, and an unwavering commitment to truth-telling, Mae transforms every set into a call for belonging and celebration.
In 2025, Heather Mae released a groundbreaking double album, WHAT THEY HID FROM ME and kiss & tell, created in collaboration with an all-women and nonbinary creative team in Nashville. The albums mark a bold return after a period of transformation, diving into the pain of unlearning, the fire of self-discovery, and the freedom of full-bodied authenticity. Each track is a love letter to misfits and a hand extended to anyone who has ever been told they are “too much.”
Mae is no stranger to acclaim: a Rocky Mountain Folk Fest Winner, Kerrville New Folk Finalist, John Lennon Songwriting Contest finalist, and Folk Alliance International showcase artist. She has shared the stage with artists like Allison Russell, Sistastrings, Crys Matthews, and worked with organizations such as Planned Parenthood, INDIVISIBLE Tennessee, and The Trevor Project. Her resume is stacked with appearances at major folk festivals and Pride celebrations across North America, from the Kennedy Center to Club Passim, and Nashville Pride to the Woody Guthrie Center.
Joining her at Stage 33 Live is multi-instrumentalist and composer Olivia Nied, a rising Vermont-based artist whose music bridges the personal and the universal. Nied brings a unique blend of lyrical vulnerability and sonic boldness to her work, shaped by her experience as a transgender, neurodivergent artist navigating a world that often feels too fast, too loud, and too rigid.
Classically trained and fiercely independent, Olivia Nied’s musical journey began at age thirteen when she performed at the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain. By sixteen, she was playing in Paris clubs and Holland cafes, eventually studying at institutions like Hampshire College, Goldsmiths University of London, Berklee College of Music, and the Vermont Jazz Center. She has since toured extensively across the U.S. as a solo artist and session musician, exploring genres from indie-pop to jazz, rock to new-grass.
Her latest album, recorded almost entirely solo, is a testament to her versatility. From vocals and harmonies to piano, organ, synthesizer, violin, bass, and percussion, Nied tracked it all herself in collaboration with an engineer-producer who helped her realize her vision. The project, described by Olivia as a reframing of being “too much” into “just enough,” is a sonic sanctuary built around self-expression and radical joy.
“Music has always been one of the most immediate ways for me to share what joy feels like in my body,” she writes. “Emotions of all kinds feel like a full-body experience for me, and I hope that you’ll feel some of that too when you listen.”
When not in the studio, Nied works with autistic and neurodiverse youth, using her music to create connection and belonging. Her recent performances have included sold-out shows with Niki Luparelli, collaborations with Diana Alvarez and the Firehouse Band, and appearances throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Together, Heather Mae and Olivia Nied represent the vanguard of folk’s evolving future—where vulnerability meets empowerment, and music becomes a vehicle for both healing and resistance.
🎟 Event Details
When: Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Where: Stage 33 Live, 33 Bridge Street, Bellows Falls, Vermont
Tickets: $20 advance at stage33live.com, $25 at the door (if available)
Only 40 tickets will be sold; advance purchase strongly recommended.
Presented in association with Bellows Falls Pride
🪑 About the Venue
Stage 33 Live is a nonprofit, all-volunteer listening room located in a converted industrial building in Bellows Falls. With seating for just 40, this cozy venue is known for its focus on original material and immersive listening experiences. No bar, no kitchen—just a stage, some weird snacks, and an audience hungry for something real. Learn more at stage33live.com.
