Multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Matt Heckler touches on Appalachian, Celtic and European folk traditions across his 2019 debut album, After the Flood. He bounces from desperate ballads to campfire confessions to snarling rippers, infusing a bit of punk-rock oomph with mostly old-time aesthetics. The itinerant artist is a standout fiddler and banjo picker, deftly bowing and plucking his way through tunes about the vast loneliness of the world, eternal heartache and overcoming your darkest impulses. Heckler performs on Sunday, November 24, at the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge in South Burlington. Local string band Saints & Liars open.