Erika Wennerstrom has always translated her personal life journey and reflections into the music of the Heartless Bastards, the ever-evolving band she has fronted since 2003. Her latest release A Beautiful Life (REVIEW) finds her reaching for hope in a time where that is hard to come by, and musically it is a vast departure from the band’s alt-country roots. On Friday, November 12th, Wennerstrom brought the latest iteration of the Heartless Bastards to Portland, Oregon’s Wonder Ballroom.
Firing off with the stomping anthem “Got To Have Rock and Roll,” the band immediately set the mood for the evening and started on a high. From there they veered into “Letting Go” off Wennerstrom’s 2018 solo album Sweet Unknown, which definitely hinted at the brighter sound that is present throughout A Beautiful Life. Considering this, it made sense that the band would dive right into that album starting with “When I Was Younger,” a song that carried a big orchestral Phil Spector pop sound, only to follow up with the funky R&B-influenced “How Low.” Other new tracks like “You Never Know,” “A Beautiful Life,” and “Dust” all carried a sunnier sound as the band layered in dreamy synths, guitar flourishes, and vibrant harmonies. Wennerstrom and the band radiated as they played these new songs and her deeply soulful, one-of-a-kind voice lent itself well to the richer instrumentation. They also showed that they could lean into a heavier rock sound, as on the bluesy “Hold Your Head High” and the sprawling, desert-tinged psychedelia of “The Arrow Killed the Beast” followed up by the expansive rocker “Down In The Canyon.” Wennerstrom and co. seemed to revel in saving these types of songs for the second half of the set and by the time they closed in on the older tune “Parted Way,” it became clear that the current lineup of the Heartless Bastards is the most musically dynamic to date.
With a set that spanned just around two hours, the Heartless Bastards kept the momentum up for the entirety of the evening. They also took the audience on a journey through their musical evolution and the ever-expanding vision of Erika Wennerstrom. The new songs on A Beautiful Life would make up the bulk of the set, and though they mark a significant departure from the band’s early sound, it was clear that fans of the band have fully embraced Wennerstrom’s poppier positivity.
Valley Queen opened the show.
All photos by Greg Homolka
Heartless Bastards 
Valley Queen 
