#AOTW- Heartless Bastards

Sometimes all it takes to peak my interest in a band is a good band name. That should be of no surprise by now. Hell, look at past Artist of The Week winners Cheeseburger, The Sheepdogs, and Deer Tick. It’s pretty clear that if you go weird with your stage name, I’ll at least check you out for a few songs. But if you go overly serious (Rise Against), or too stupid (Yes!), it will have the opposite affect and I will not only mock your band, but I will avoid listening at all costs. What can I say? A whacky name is just enough for me to stop and make a note to myself that I should probably check these guys out. That’s what happened with this week’s band. I was traveling home for the holidays and picked up a Rollingstone for the flight. Not the greatest mag, but when I fly, I don’t want much substance in my reading material, that explains my incessant drive to purchase Entertainment Weekly anytime I’ll be on an airplane for more than 45 minutes. I just need something during the taxi times. That period of time on a flight where if you have headphones in, the flight attendant will come by, act like you are putting her out, and tell you to put your electronic device away. So I fill that time by reading quick blurbs about bands and finding the most reasonably priced Skymall items. It was during one of these blurb scans that I encountered the name, Heartless Bastards.

This is going to make me sound remarkably sexist or extremely idiotic, but this band’s name struck a chord with me because when you think bastard, a woman never comes to mind. With a female lead singer, I found it a bit ironic. Even though I don’t think it’s technically ironic at all. That name stuck with me though. As soon as I got to my parents’ house for Christmas, I skipped the usual tradition of saying my hellos and then taking a luxurious four hour nap in front of the TV while watching Love Actually. This time was different. I hopped on the family computer and I tracked down those Heartless Bastards, and they didn’t disappoint in the slightest. Artist of The Week: Heartless Bastards.

The Heartless Bastards currently consists of these folks:

Erika Wennerstrom
Dave Colvin
Jesse Ebaugh
Mark Nathan

The Bastards hail from Cincinnati, Ohio where they got their break after fellow Ohio blues rocker Patrick Carney (Black Keys) passed their demo EP along to record higher ups in 2004. This was on the heels of his third, and most rocking record Rubber Factory so Carney’s streetcred was at an all time high. His former Label Fat Possum records took his word as gospel and signed the group. Since then the band has been steadily releasing material and touring throughout the United States as well as Europe. Much of the media has focused on the lead singer Erika Wennerstrom’s unique vocal style and soulful lyrics and rightfully so. The list of female rockers seems to be getting shorter and shorter these days, but Wennerstrom keeps on rocking at the forefront for the fairer of the two sexes.

Their first album Stairs and Elevators was released in 2005, it was praised by fans and critics alike. Erika’s voice and the simplistic melodies blend into a beautiful mix of bluesy garage rock that you can’t help but sing along with. My favorite track off of the album is Onions.

The album as a whole is not as aggressive as many of the modern blues rock bands such as The White Stripes or The Black Keys but Heartless Bastards use simplistic riffs to highlight Erika’s vocal abilities. Her wails tend to put me into a trance like state. I can sit back and zone out for a bit. She reminds me of a less gravelly but just as soulful Janis Joplin. Especially on tracks like Runnin.

I enjoyed their first record a great deal, but somehow missed their second record 2006’s All This Time entirely. only to jump back on the train for their third release titled The Mountain from 2009. It’s a bit heavier, louder and, more aggressive, without ever abandoning the elements that made Elevators and Stairs a success. The most notable step forward for the band on The Mountain is the mix. It is artfully done, while retaining the garage rock vibe that makes Heartless Bastards who they are. Out At Sea is a great example of these advancements. The song is driving and up beat, while the overall sound has become bigger. Wennerstrom ties the whole thing together with her low howl. It’s perfect.

This year marked their fourth release titled Arrow. I’ll be honest. I didn’t pick it up till today. I’d love to listen to it this weekend and have you guys do the same. Get back to me with your thoughts and opinions at kmcdermid12@gmail.com. I’d love to get your feed back. Prior to giving arrow a listen please go back a check out their earlier stuff, I hold it near and dear. Wennerstrom gives me hope that female rockers don’t have to sound like Avril Lavine, or be bat shit crazy as Courtney Love. Much love Erika. Keep Doing what you’re doing. Here’s Simple Feeling off of Arrow.

Big hugs,