LAST NIGHT: Heartless Bastards At First Avenue 10/21

Photo by Ian Morland

“It’s like the Grinch at the end of the story when his heart grows three times big.”

As quoted by a close friend of mine last night at First Avenue, Austin rockers Heartless Bastards put on a thoroughly satisfying performance that resulted in an intimate connection with enthusiastic fans. In a saturated world of touring bands, it is really amazing to attend a rock show that does not lean on gimmicks or light production, but instead relies on great guitar riffs, angelic vocals, and detailed percussion.

While all of the above is true, Heartless Bastards presented an unexpected set list for show. Heavily lenient on the 2012 release, Arrow, the evening was void of some of the staples we love like “Sway” and “Blue Day.” It was a nice follow-up to the show last February; not a copycat in the least. If anything it proved that this band is made up of seasoned professionals no matter which of the four full-length releases they pull from.


Photo by Ian Morland


Photo by Ian Morland

The group did take off with a trio of old favorites; “The Mountain”, the title track from their 2009 full-length, “Done Got Old”, and “Witchy Poo.” A mellow choice to start off the 90-minute set, but not the wrong one. The medium-sized but dedicated audience sang and swayed along to every beat.

Lead gal Erika Wennerstrom hopped on the acoustic guitar for “Simple Feeling”, the first performance among the many from Arrow. With every song the crowd seemed to gain excitement; absolutely erupting during “Only For You”, the Buckley-influenced jam with a strong turnout from guitarist Mark Nathan.

With a classy sip from her wine Wennerstrom introduced Heidi Johnson, a touring asset to the band who’s back up vocals accentuate Wennerstrom’s range wonderfully. The three-part harmonies on “The Arrow and The Beast” were so bone-chilling and precise I could not imagine the void it would have left had Johnson not been present. Just a few minutes later, in an adorable fashion, Wennerstrom choked up a bit to the intro of “Hold Your Head High”, causing one of those great kindred spirit moments to ripple through the crowd.

Drummer Dave Colvin really took his turn to shine on both this year’s big single “Parted Ways” and “All This Time”. In my opinion Colvin is the cherry on top of this well-packaged production of cool guitar tones, crisp vocal resonance, and breathable bass grooves.


Photo by Ian Morland

Chalk it up to a Sunday night for the not-quite-full Mainroom. It is unfathomable for me that Heartless Bastards do not immediately sell out in Minneapolis. Wennerstrom has a timeless voice and the band jam sessions are priceless and intimate— to the extent of creating a feeling that the audience is hanging out in a rehearsal garage with a band so on-point they do not even really need to rehearse.


Photo by Ian Morland

Set:
The Mountain
Done Got Old
Witchy Poo
Simple Feeling
Got To Have Rock and Roll
Only For You
Skin and Bone
The Arrow and The Beast
Down In The Canyon
Late In The Night
Hold Your Head High
Parted Ways
All This Time
Nothing Seems The Same
Encore:
Could Be So Happy
Gray

By Laura Yurich
w/Futurebirds & Dana Falconberry
Sunday, October 21 2012
First Avenue Mainroom

Posted 7 months ago