Click here for photos of Heartless Bastards at 2015 Maverick Music Festival in San Antonio, TX
Click here for photos of Heartless Bastards at 2013 Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, GA
Click here for photos of Heartless Bastards at 2012 High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, MA
Click here for photos of Heartless Bastards at The Bluebird in Bloomington, IN on May 24th, 2012
Click here for photos of Heartless Bastards at SXSW 2012 in Austin, TX
Click here for photos of Heartless Bastards at Webster Hall in New York, NY on February 24th, 2012
Click here for photos of Heartless Bastards at 2011 Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX
Click here for photos of Heartless Bastards at Webster Hall on March 27th, 2009
Erika Wennerstrom’s Heartless Bastards began in garage-rock, but have been moving steadily into the twang, especially with 2009’s The Mountain (QRO review) and now Arrow. But the Akron, Ohio native doesn’t just rest on a country accent and a pedal steel guitar, like so many in today’s over-stuffed alt-country scene. Instead, Arrow picks up the twang on the relaxed backswing.
“Parted Ways” is the wryest piece on Arrow, but Wennerstrom similarly doesn’t feel the need to over-twang on such numbers as the resigned “Marathon” or the up-down grit “Late In the Night”. She presents her rock ‘n’ roll as is, with no need to further prove its authenticity, or to restrain herself (she’s no easy-to-market pretty-country songstress). Wennerstrom is comfortable in her own skin, and is able to work different stances, like the slow & dark “The Arrow and The Beast” or bigger race “Simple Feeling”, though she can sometimes overdo it, like the backwoods “Low Low Low” & seven-and-a-half minutes power twang-grind “Down In the Canyon” to close things out.
Wennerstrom’s Heartless Bastards were discovered by fellow Buckeyes The Black Keys (QRO album review), and previously were on the same label – but Arrow is their first on the more country-tinged Partisan Records. They haven’t completely left the Rust Belt for Appalachia, but are just comfortably riding the Ohio River wherever it takes them.
MP3 Stream: “Parted Ways“