Heartless Bastards @ the Khyber, Philadelphia 9/29/05
Oct 07 '05
The Bottom Line See Review
There’s this relatively new little three-piece garage band from Ohio that every self-respecting rock n’ roll fan should know about called Heartless Bastards. OK, so maybe that’s a little far-fetched - let’s just say this trio plays some damn good music, has a female singer with a stellar voice, and played an awesome show at the Khyber in Philadelphia on September 29, 2005.
I’ve been listening to the Heartless Bastards’ debut release Stairs and Elevators (out on one of my favorite labels, Fat Possum Records) almost non-stop for a number of months now. If you want to know more about their album, check it out here. The band is fronted by the very petite Erika Wennerstrom - who looks tinier in person than in pictures and even less of a rock goddess type than I could have imagined. In fact, she’s an incredibly down-to-earth woman, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Since discovering Stairs and Elevators I’ve been dying to check out the group’s live show and the chance came up just two days after my 30th birthday. (Gotta love those unexpected presents!) My husband and I along with a few friends went to check the Bastards out at one of Philadelphia’s longstanding venues, the Khyber. It’s always hard to tell what the scene will be like there, particularly on a Thursday night, but I was hoping for a good turnout that wouldn’t quite pack the tiny bar.
Sitting through opening bands can be excruciating sometimes and this night was no exception. I watched part of Canadian all-girl band The Organ’s set before becoming thoroughly bored. They sounded like 80’s New Wave Emo and I nearly couldn’t stand watching their stand in place and not move an inch on stage performance. The keyboard player looked like she was about to burst into tears and the rest of the girls just looked about as enthused about being there as I feel about watching paint dry. Still, to their credit there was a gaggle of barely 21 year old drunk girls dancing and grinding through their entire set so at least The Organ has some fans. After that experience I didn’t bother to watch the next band play and honestly I can’t even remember their name at this point.
The Heartless Bastards took the stage pretty promptly to a more than thinned out audience. As confusing as this was for me, it was clear those remaining had come to see this awesome trio play. Wennerstrom, with bassist Mike Lamping and drummer Kevin Vaughn plowed right into their set and gave a stellar performance worth every penny of the $10 admission price. With only one album of recorded material I wondered if they would just play through the entire thing, but we were treated to a variety of new songs in addition to much of Stairs and Elevators.
The band plowed right through their set with a level of aggression not found on their debut. Most of the songs were sped up a bit giving them a harder rock feel. Erika’s vocals seemed to be suffering a bit from night after night of singing, but even so her slightly androgynous wail is a force to be reckoned with. After the show I heard a fan comment to Wennerstrom that her voice would take her far. Indeed, I think this is a fair assumption as this woman has a lot of power and a lot of soul in her tiny little frame. Seeing her perform just reinforced the feeling that you get from the album - Erika Wennerstrom is serious about being a musician and her voice, a cross between Grace Slick and Chrissie Hynde, is the instrument that does and will continue to set her band apart.
After the show my friend and I approached Erika who was selling CD’s and t-shirts. I expected her to be quiet and perhaps overly serious, but she proved to be a fairly bubbly and outgoing personality. We chatted briefly about the show and the band’s performance and Erika couldn’t have been nicer. Of all the shows I’ve been to at the Khyber, this one stands out not only for the great music - which includes a great encore of “Gray” at the request of a fan who had traveled from Pittsburg - but for Erika Wennerstrom’s accessibility and pleasantness.
Although a tinge of selfishness makes a part of me wish their next Philly appearance isn’t much better attended, I think the Heartless Bastards are a band on the verge of something really big and they truly deserve legions and legions of fans. Although I highly recommend checking out their album, do yourself a favor and go see the Bastards if they come to your area. I know I will definitely be at their next Philadelphia show.
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