Getting to the Heart of the Bastards
By Hannah Cook, Staff Writer
It's the day after Christmas, 2009, and Cincinnati (Newport, Kentucky)'s Southgate House is packed with a line out the door. The winter breeze intrudes on the bodies of the talkative folks awaiting the hometown return of a Midwestern blues-rock band that burst the local bubble to "make it big," relatively speaking. And the band's lead singer and guitarist, Erika Wennerstrom of the Heartless Bastards, is very glad to be back.
“I lived in Cincinnati for ten years," the Dayton native says. "I always consider the band being from Cincinnati ‘cause that’s where it formed. There are always familiar faces. And I bartended for years here and see a lot of my old customers and friends, and even just people I’ve met that are fans and have been coming to our shows for years.”
"For years" is no understatement. Filling a majority of the crowd are people who could be considered old. Baby-boomer parents hold their beers as they jolt and sway awkwardly, obviously reminiscing on their teen days when going to a concert wasn’t painful on their joints. Teenagers dance about their limited space, carefree and healthy with their movements. We find a reunion of generations crammed into a sold-out show at the historic Southgate House.
This return to Ohio from Erika's current place of residence -- Austin, Texas -- recalls, naturally, her musical roots. “I would say most of my influences formed years ago," she says. "I still get inspired by things, but I feel like my influences are all from growing up. They’re not all necessarily Ohio bands, but from growing up in my youth and young adult years.”
Some will say what they may in regards to Ohio as a place lacking creativity, but Erika was inspired by her surroundings, allowing her to grow older and wiser with her creations. Home, to her, remains a place of comfort, filled with familiar faces and places that fueled her early music.
As more people pile into Southgate, it becomes official that this homecoming shall be a grand occasion for all admirers -- old and young -- to recall in their own musical memories. It had, after all, been a while. The band has stayed busy since the release of its third album, The Mountain, last February on Fat Possum, opening for Wolfmother, the Avett Brothers and The Decemberists. Each touring slot, according to Wennerstrom, has been its own adventure.
“Each tour’s a bit different. I like all kinds of different bands, and all the bands we’ve toured with have been really nice," a diplomatic Wennerstrom says. "I had just as good a time with The Decemberists as I did with Wolfmother and they’re nothing alike. I don’t even think I could pick a favorite.”
Constant change and the potential for disarray go hand-in-hand with touring for months at a time. One can only imagine that with a lack of sleep and a continuous change of scenery, pretty odd things can occur. Even still, Erika sees an appreciative light in all this seemingly wild commotion.
“There are always bizarre things that happen on tour. They are kind of so common they don’t even seem that bizarre," she starts. "Touring can be kind of grueling. It’s hard to get sleep. But we love playing a live show and it makes it all worth it.”
The love for performing live couldn’t be more apparent from the moment each member -- including drummer Dave Colvin, bassist Jesse Ebaugh and guitarist Mark Nathan -- of the Heartless Bastards steps foot on the Southgate stage, wide-eyed and grinning. After a few moments of cheering from the crowd and sound checking, Erika’s husky, one-of-a-kind voice and twangy guitar strums fill the room with the sound of plain old rock'n'roll.
The simple yet thoughtful words of the Heartless Bastards' songs are executions of refreshing ideas Erika had after leaving Ohio. “I had just moved from Cincinnati to Austin," says Erika, describing her mindset going into the band's latest album. "I had been in a 10-year relationship. I thought it would be healthy and good for me to move somewhere and start new. You know, healthy to not be surrounded by the same environment as far as going through a break-up. ['The Mountain'] is just about being in a new place and adjusting to my life at the time.”
In spite the circumstances inspiring the album, the sense of wisdom found in the songs on The Mountain provide a sense of hope. This brightness, probably intended for the betterment of Erika’s own mind and perhaps unintentionally, has made the Heartless Bastards anything but heartless. Their sound is a bit rough around the edges, but it’s a sound that fits for Wennerstrom, a woman who was searching for light in something that can appear to be an endless cave.
Erika gives answers to despondency, and makes sense of feelings that people experience throughout life, whether metaphorical verses or frank words. And while she tries to not have expectations of how her hard work may be welcomed, she naturally has a longing for positive feedback.
“Ultimately, I just hope that people like the music I’ve written," she says. "I feel good about what I’ve done and I feel that [people’s] response has been really well received.”
When the band will be back to entertain our parents is unknown for now. However, many future plans are set in stone. “We’re going to work on new material in January," Wennerstrom says. "And then we’re aiming to go to Europe in February and then we’re doing a national headlining tour because we’ve done all this opening all year."
Big things are speeding by on the road the Heartless Bastards continue to travel on, with honorable mention no less deserved along the way. The band's Ohio roots, however, will never really be kicked to the curb as its members leave their mark on places far bigger and better.
