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Editorial Reviews
The Heartless Bastards' story starts in Dayton, Ohio, where Wennerstrom found the name on a multiple choice video trivia game at a bar.
As a songwriting teenager during a time when GBV and Brainiac were packing local bars and three of the Breeders were still in town, Wennerstrom used to sneak into clubs to check out the scene. I would just see those people my music heroes hanging out at the bar like everyone else she remembers. I could see myself in them. It gave me inspiration to do my own thing.
After doing the usual business of playing local shows, the trio set out the following year on a regional tour. One of the first gigs of the trip took them to a bar in Akron, where Black Keys' drummer Patrick Carney just happened to be one of only a handful of people in the audience. This chance encounter led Wennerstrom and the Heartless Bastards to Fat Possum Records, with whom they released their debut, Stairs and Elevators, in early 2005.
The band moved on with critical praise in their back pocket, including a four-and-a-half star review from Rolling Stone, which took note that, when Wennerstrom opens her throat on Stairs and Elevators ... she sounds like she s wailing on the shoulders of giants; her sad and angry vocals channeling all the swagger and spit of a young Robert Plant
All This Time, was released during the summer of 2006, it received even more widespread critical acclaim than Stairs and Elevators. The Bastards played hundreds of shows to support the record. They played huge festivals and toured with Wilco & Lucinda Williams. Wennerstrom s songs appeared often on TV shows & in films, this would be measured by most as a huge success. Though in Wennerstrom s mind her sound and band were still evolving, and she knew it was time for a change.
In true ascetic discipline, she moved to Austin, Texas in 2007 for a change of inspirational scenery and a new recording project. With the help of producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead), she assembled a group of musicians with whom she gave the songs life and uncovered yet another layer of herself and the Heartless Bastards. The two new Bastards aren t Texas ringers, but fellow Dayton brethren Dave Colvin on drums, and Jesse Ebaugh on bass, who actually played on the original demo that hooked Fat Possum.
The album, entitled The Mountain, delivers the powerful howl that fans expect from the Heartless Bastards, but also weaves in adventure with mandolins, banjos, strings and Erika s transcendent voice.
As a songwriting teenager during a time when GBV and Brainiac were packing local bars and three of the Breeders were still in town, Wennerstrom used to sneak into clubs to check out the scene. I would just see those people my music heroes hanging out at the bar like everyone else she remembers. I could see myself in them. It gave me inspiration to do my own thing.
After doing the usual business of playing local shows, the trio set out the following year on a regional tour. One of the first gigs of the trip took them to a bar in Akron, where Black Keys' drummer Patrick Carney just happened to be one of only a handful of people in the audience. This chance encounter led Wennerstrom and the Heartless Bastards to Fat Possum Records, with whom they released their debut, Stairs and Elevators, in early 2005.
The band moved on with critical praise in their back pocket, including a four-and-a-half star review from Rolling Stone, which took note that, when Wennerstrom opens her throat on Stairs and Elevators ... she sounds like she s wailing on the shoulders of giants; her sad and angry vocals channeling all the swagger and spit of a young Robert Plant
All This Time, was released during the summer of 2006, it received even more widespread critical acclaim than Stairs and Elevators. The Bastards played hundreds of shows to support the record. They played huge festivals and toured with Wilco & Lucinda Williams. Wennerstrom s songs appeared often on TV shows & in films, this would be measured by most as a huge success. Though in Wennerstrom s mind her sound and band were still evolving, and she knew it was time for a change.
In true ascetic discipline, she moved to Austin, Texas in 2007 for a change of inspirational scenery and a new recording project. With the help of producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead), she assembled a group of musicians with whom she gave the songs life and uncovered yet another layer of herself and the Heartless Bastards. The two new Bastards aren t Texas ringers, but fellow Dayton brethren Dave Colvin on drums, and Jesse Ebaugh on bass, who actually played on the original demo that hooked Fat Possum.
The album, entitled The Mountain, delivers the powerful howl that fans expect from the Heartless Bastards, but also weaves in adventure with mandolins, banjos, strings and Erika s transcendent voice.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have to start off by saying that when I reviewed the band's previous album here on Amazon, 2006's "All This Time", my review was censored by naming the band, if you can believe that, so I won't mention the band's name at all. The band came out of nowhere with 2 excellent albums released quickly one after another, 2005's "Stairs and Elevators" and 2006's "All This Time", to great critical acclaim, and since then a lot of things have happened. Singer-songwriter Erica Wennerstrom broke up with the band's bass-player and subsequently relocated from Cincinnati to Austin, TX, and now, finally after what seems like an eternity, and with a new line-up, Erica comes back with band's 3rd release.
"The Mountain" (11 tracks; 51 min.) introduces new elements to the band's sound, check out the opener and title track, which features a steel guitar. Check out also "Had To Go", a 7+ min. slow-burner of acoustic guitar, mandolin and violin, of all things, but somehow it works great. Most other tracks are more traditional to the band's sound. Check out the hard-charging (and very short) "Early In the Morning", the beautiful "Out At Sea" (first radio single), and the pensive "Wide Awake". The album closes with 2 great tunes, "Witchy Poo" and "Sway".
In all this is a very satisfying 3rd album for the band. Erica is evolving while staying true to the band's core sound. Meanwhile, the band continues to gather more and more attention. They have just embarked on a national tour in support of the new album and if you have a chance to see them, don't miss them. Their tour will make a stop in March here in greater Cincinnati at the Madison Theatre, and you can bet I will be there (I've seen the band quite a few times in the years they were based in Cincinnati.). If you are wondering where you can hear these guys, they get plenty of airplay on WOXY (Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll!), the internet-only station that plays the best indie-rock in the country, bar none (and mentioned in the thank-you's by the band in the album's liner notes).
"The Mountain" (11 tracks; 51 min.) introduces new elements to the band's sound, check out the opener and title track, which features a steel guitar. Check out also "Had To Go", a 7+ min. slow-burner of acoustic guitar, mandolin and violin, of all things, but somehow it works great. Most other tracks are more traditional to the band's sound. Check out the hard-charging (and very short) "Early In the Morning", the beautiful "Out At Sea" (first radio single), and the pensive "Wide Awake". The album closes with 2 great tunes, "Witchy Poo" and "Sway".
In all this is a very satisfying 3rd album for the band. Erica is evolving while staying true to the band's core sound. Meanwhile, the band continues to gather more and more attention. They have just embarked on a national tour in support of the new album and if you have a chance to see them, don't miss them. Their tour will make a stop in March here in greater Cincinnati at the Madison Theatre, and you can bet I will be there (I've seen the band quite a few times in the years they were based in Cincinnati.). If you are wondering where you can hear these guys, they get plenty of airplay on WOXY (Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll!), the internet-only station that plays the best indie-rock in the country, bar none (and mentioned in the thank-you's by the band in the album's liner notes).
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
`Rebel' Rod's From Under the Basement - Heartless Bastards latest release - The Mountain
May 8, 2009
Format:MP3 Music
It would seem Heartless Bastards have a heart, and it shows on their latest record The Mountain (Fat Possum Records) released back in February of this year. I shamefully, very belatedly, discovered it via an email I received from Spoonful (www.spooonful.com).
The email I received offered up the title cut The Mountain. All I had to do was hear this one song. The next thing I knew, I had my credit card in hand purchasing this album. The tune begins with a slowly strummed distorted rhythm guitar that soon introduces us to an eerie steel or slide guitar, or possibly both, wailing in the not so distant background. The guitar leads us into the astoundingly powerful voice of singer-songwriter Erika Wennerstrom.
Her somewhat deep voice, emitting from a small stature, lends a very unique quality to an already distinctively psychedelic sound. She possesses one of the most silky-smooth voices I've heard in a very long time. I would personally rank her up there with female singers such as Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders or Annie Lennox of The Eurythmics, even the underappreciated Grace Slick at times. These are three extremely heavy hitters for sure, and great company for an up and coming young singer, but her voice is truly that strong.
This record is the result of Ms. Wennerstrom relocating from Ohio to Austin in 2007, barricading herself in her apartment with guitar, paper, and pen, and writing these new songs. Each song on The Mountain possesses its own flavor, its very own unique style, yet very much The Heartless Bastards. One song may be a standard rock tune (Early in the Morning), the next will have a bluesy feel (Hold Your Head High), and then finally, we will hear banjos, mandolins, even a fiddle (Had to Go & So Quite) on at least a couple tunes.
Because of this record's obvious diversity there are places where it sort of reminds me of, and I'm really showing my age here, of Jefferson Starship's `Blows Against the Empire'. That record, released in 1970, had Jerry Garcia plucking away at the banjo and Papa John Creach playing fiddle on several cuts, and of course Grace Slick. I couldn't help but wonder if Heartless Bastards, or at least, Ms. Wennerstrom, hadn't listened to this record at some point during her journey to rock and roll stardom, and be at least slightly influenced by it.
Ms. Wennerstrom put together an excellent band in this endeavor, assembling bassist Jesse Ebaugh, original Heartless Bastards drummer Dave Colvin, and Matt Nathan on guitar. Erika Wennerstrom is the one constant in The Heartless Bastards, and that is how it should be. After all, she is the driving force of the band. She is the one who writes the music and she is the one who makes their sound unique.
Things seem to have really taken off for them of late and as a result, they have a crazy tour schedule coming up that starts out in Florida, will take them to the UK, then back to the states. The tour, for now, will end up at the ACL festival in Austin, Texas in October. I for one plan to be there, sitting front-row-center if at all possible.
The Mountain is exquisitely produced by Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead) and is actually one of the best records I've heard this year. `Rebel' Rod says to absolutely, without hesitation; pick up The Mountain and any other Heartless Bastards albums you can get your little fingers on.
Contact `Rebel' Rod at rames@texastartribune.com
The email I received offered up the title cut The Mountain. All I had to do was hear this one song. The next thing I knew, I had my credit card in hand purchasing this album. The tune begins with a slowly strummed distorted rhythm guitar that soon introduces us to an eerie steel or slide guitar, or possibly both, wailing in the not so distant background. The guitar leads us into the astoundingly powerful voice of singer-songwriter Erika Wennerstrom.
Her somewhat deep voice, emitting from a small stature, lends a very unique quality to an already distinctively psychedelic sound. She possesses one of the most silky-smooth voices I've heard in a very long time. I would personally rank her up there with female singers such as Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders or Annie Lennox of The Eurythmics, even the underappreciated Grace Slick at times. These are three extremely heavy hitters for sure, and great company for an up and coming young singer, but her voice is truly that strong.
This record is the result of Ms. Wennerstrom relocating from Ohio to Austin in 2007, barricading herself in her apartment with guitar, paper, and pen, and writing these new songs. Each song on The Mountain possesses its own flavor, its very own unique style, yet very much The Heartless Bastards. One song may be a standard rock tune (Early in the Morning), the next will have a bluesy feel (Hold Your Head High), and then finally, we will hear banjos, mandolins, even a fiddle (Had to Go & So Quite) on at least a couple tunes.
Because of this record's obvious diversity there are places where it sort of reminds me of, and I'm really showing my age here, of Jefferson Starship's `Blows Against the Empire'. That record, released in 1970, had Jerry Garcia plucking away at the banjo and Papa John Creach playing fiddle on several cuts, and of course Grace Slick. I couldn't help but wonder if Heartless Bastards, or at least, Ms. Wennerstrom, hadn't listened to this record at some point during her journey to rock and roll stardom, and be at least slightly influenced by it.
Ms. Wennerstrom put together an excellent band in this endeavor, assembling bassist Jesse Ebaugh, original Heartless Bastards drummer Dave Colvin, and Matt Nathan on guitar. Erika Wennerstrom is the one constant in The Heartless Bastards, and that is how it should be. After all, she is the driving force of the band. She is the one who writes the music and she is the one who makes their sound unique.
Things seem to have really taken off for them of late and as a result, they have a crazy tour schedule coming up that starts out in Florida, will take them to the UK, then back to the states. The tour, for now, will end up at the ACL festival in Austin, Texas in October. I for one plan to be there, sitting front-row-center if at all possible.
The Mountain is exquisitely produced by Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead) and is actually one of the best records I've heard this year. `Rebel' Rod says to absolutely, without hesitation; pick up The Mountain and any other Heartless Bastards albums you can get your little fingers on.
Contact `Rebel' Rod at rames@texastartribune.com
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By B. Alger
Format:Audio CD
I ran across Heartless Bartards, because they are set to open for Jenny Lewis later this year when I see her. What a pleasant find. I truly have not been this excited about new music since I first heard the White Stripes back in their hey day. Give this a listen. You won't regret it!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Solid effort
A solid effort by a band that's finding its way. They hit their their stride in their subsequent album, "The Arrow", and that's an album I wholeheartedly recommend. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael L. Wolfe
5.0 out of 5 stars
INCREDIBLE ALBUM
One of the best albums of the past 5 years - this coming from a guy who buys too many. Great voice, great songs. Consistently great.
Published 1 month ago by Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars
Yes.
This album is only good if you like music.
I saw them live in Fort Worth, TX and she is the real deal. Read more
I saw them live in Fort Worth, TX and she is the real deal. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Bryan in Texas
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Mountain-Heartless Bastards
I heard this band play from The Mountain on "Austin City Limits" and I was hooked. This is the only album I've heard from them (Apparently they had a different lineup and slightly... Read more
Published 21 months ago by JotsFromJude
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nice Folky songs
I dig it, they jam, not too flashy, just solid song writing and artistry along with great instrumentation. You'll like it or you won't.
Published on January 10, 2011 by Boba Chux
5.0 out of 5 stars
Buy the Vinyl
Every now and then someone puts out a great collection of heartfelt songs with great album art to boot. When that happens, buy it on vinyl. It happened.
Published on October 29, 2010 by Ben L Harrison
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Deal
Cheaper then buying in store. Came in the mail within two weeks. Great cd, brand new, good deal.
Published on October 18, 2010 by Madison Arianna Brewer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Album!
I loved this disc! The first 6 tracks are killer, and the rest are good too. I love how they have such a mellow rock sound that still manages creep into you and to get you pumped... Read more
Published on November 1, 2009 by W. Neal Ledgerwood
3.0 out of 5 stars
Review from my blog ANTI-SNOB.com
Singer/founder/chief-songwriter Erika Wennerstrom sounds like a combination of Jack White and Nathan Willett with a story telling approach similar to Tracy Chapman. Read more
Published on October 15, 2009 by Willaim E. Tynor III
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Fantastic
I gotta say, this is easily in the top 5 for albums of the year...maybe top 3. The vocals set this music apart from any proposed competition. The emotions are raw...and it shows. Read more
Published on July 4, 2009 by Nathaniel Butts
Listmania!
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