Ohio:
Heartless Bastards
CITY: Cincinnati
SONG THAT GOT US: “The Mountain”
ON THE TUBES: MySpace, Web site, Facebook, YouTube
RECORD LABEL: Fat PossumWHY THEM? It was inevitable that the hard times trad-rock has come upon would begin to result in bands, like the HBs, with a tough, sinewy aesthetic that is capable of weathering the storm. Not exactly new kids on the block, but their new line-up is more potent than ever. Centered around the alternately raspy and howling vocals of Erika Wennerstrom, the Bastards’ sound combines the eternal somberness of The Band with moments of heaviness, passion, and grit, and the result is frequently cathartic. The title track of their new Fat Possum LP The Mountain encapsulates everything great about these Bastards, as every hit of the tom and glistening tremor of the steel guitar is another step to the pinnacle.
BONUS BIT! The band’s name comes from a fake answer to a multiple-choice question posed by an electronic-trivia game in a bar, asking for the name of Tom Petty’s backing band.
