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02/04/09 Maxwell’s Hoboken, NJ
See Also
02/05/09 Electric Factory w/ The Black Keys Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 02/06/09 Terminal 5 w/ The Black Keys New York, New York 02/07/09 Terminal 5 w/ The Black Keys New York 02/10/09 Late Show With David Letterman New York, New York 02/11/09 Gravity Lounge Charlottesville, Virginia 02/12/09 Bottletree Birmingham, Alabama 02/13/09 Government Street Grocery Club Ocean Springs, Mississippi 02/14/09 The Last Concert Cafe Houston, Texas 02/26/09 Sam’s Burger Joint San Antonio, Texas 02/27/09 Longhorn Saloon Ft. Worth, TX 02/28/09 Hailey’s Denton, Texas 03/15/09 The Pageant w. Andrew Bird St Louis, Missouri 03/16/09 Liberty Hall w. Andrew Bird Lawrence, Kansas 03/17/09 Cain’s Ballroom w. Andrew Bird Tulsa, Oklahoma 03/18/09 TBA - SXSW Austin, Texas 03/19/09 TBA - SXSW Austin, Texas 03/20/09 TBA - SXSW Austin, AL 03/21/09 House of Blues w. Andrew Bird Houston, Texas 03/23/09 Lyric Oxford w. Andrew Bird Oxford, Mississippi 03/25/09 Madison Theater CD Release party Covington, Kentucky 03/27/09 Webster Hall - W/ Gaslight Anthem New York, New York 03/28/09 Trocadero w. Gaslight Anthem Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 03/29/09 Mr. Smalls w. Gaslight Anthem Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 03/30/09 Newport Music Hall w. Gaslight Anthem Columbus, Ohio 03/31/09 Agora Ballroom w/ Gaslight Anthem Cleveland, Ohio 04/01/09 St. Andrews Hall/w Gaslight Anthem Detroit, Michigan 04/02/09 Turner Hall w. Gaslight Anthem Milwaukee, Wisconsin 04/03/09 The Bottom Lounge w/ Gaslight Anthem Chicago, Illinois 04/04/09 Varsity Theater w. Gaslight Anthem Minneapolis, Minnesota 04/07/09 The Warehouse w. Gaslight Anthem Calgary, Alberta 04/08/09 The Starlight Room w. Gaslight Anthem Edmonton, Alberta 04/10/09 The Plaza Nightclub w. Gaslight Anthem Vancouver, British Columbia 04/11/09 Crocodile Cafe Seattle, Washington 04/13/09 Berbati’s Pan w. Gaslight Anthem Portland, Oregon 04/15/09 The Boardwalk w. Gaslight Anthem Sacramento, California 04/16/09 Slims w. Gaslight Anthem San Francisco, California 04/21/09 The Clubhouse w. Gaslight Anthem Tempe, Arizona 04/22/09 Launchpad - W/Gaslight Anthem Albuquerque, New Mexico 04/23/09 Black Sheep w. Gaslight Anthem Colorado Springs, Colorado 04/24/09 Gothic Theater w. Gaslight Anthem Denver, Colorado 04/25/09 Beaumont Club w/ The Gaslight Anthem Kansas City, MO 04/28/09 Granada Theatre w. Gaslight Anthem Dallas, Texas 04/29/09 Antones - w/ Gaslight Anthem Austin, Texas 05/02/09 State Theatre - W/ Gaslight Anthem Saint Petersburg, Florida 05/03/09 The Social - w/ Gaslight Anthem Orlando, Florida |
Tiny Erika Wennerstrom’s voice doesn’t fit quite right, and that’s okay. Her odd-sounding, throaty growl would seem satirical, funny even (like a sketch comedy actress imitating Janis Joplin), if not for the sheer bravado and the forceful delivery. In a business where authenticity is hard to come by, it’s refreshing to hear a female vocalist who doesn’t shy from inelegance. Sometimes she warbles a bit too heady and the note goes somewhere ugly; but that’s the beauty—it’s anti-pretty like it’s no big deal.
The Heartless Bastards officially came together in 2003, playing their first live show in Cincinnati. The original lineup disbanded before signing with Fat Possum Records in 2004; currently, the band consists of Wennerstrom, previous drummer Dave Colvin, and bassist Jesse Ebaugh. With comparisons to the Black Keys and favorable mentions from alt-country heavyweights like Lucinda Williams, the Bastards have fixed their roots in the often underappreciated (and awkwardly phrased) contemporary blues rock ambit.
The Mountain, the Heartless Bastards’ third release, plays like a humble confession of sorts—moody reflections of a seriously worn-in life, without the irritating after-school special ending (you know, the “drugs taught me that I have to learn to love myself” message). While there’s no hollow optimism, the album doesn’t feel bleak, simply honest; in “Be So Happy” Wennerstrom waxes hopeful (“Gonna keep on going / I don’t want to stand still”) and yet later rationalizes that “lately I’m feeling so alone / I have packed up my bags and I left my home / Now everything’s changed and I’m feeling alone / I got no one to blame ‘cause I had to go” (“Had to Go”). It’s an album of conflicts, and perhaps fittingly, there’s a strange disconnect that happens after repeat listens—a sense that Wennerstrom hasn’t quite decided where to reach (this uncertainty is engaging on an intellectual level, but makes for a jarring listen).
The Mountain is now available. The Heartless Bastards are currently on tour (they’ll be playing SXSW in the early part of spring). For a list of dates, visit their Myspace (official website is “under construction”).
02/04/2009 19:55:32 ♥ lara (
/lara206.vox.com) ♥theheartlessbastards.com ♥ myspace.com/heartlessbastards
