The bands' story starts in Dayton, Ohio, where Wennerstrom found the name on a multiple choice video trivia game at a bar.
As a songwriting teenager during a time when Guided by Voices and Brainiac were packing local bars and three of the Breeders were still in town, Wennerstrom used to sneak into clubs to check out the scene. "I would just see those people—my music heroes—hanging out at the bar like everyone else," she remembers. "I could see myself in them. It gave me inspiration to do my own thing."
After doing the usual business of playing local shows, the trio set out the following year on a regional tour. One of the first gigs of the trip took them to a bar in Akron, where the Black Keys' drummer Patrick Carney just happened to be one of only a handful of people in the audience. This chance encounter led Wennerstrom and the Heartless Bastards to Fat Possum Records, with whom they released their debut, Stairs and Elevators, in early 2005.
The band moved on with critical praise in their back pocket, including a four-and-a-half star review from Rolling Stone, which took note that, when Wennerstrom “opens her throat on Stairs and Elevators … she sounds like she’s wailing on the shoulders of giants; her sad and angry vocals channeling all the swagger and spit of a young Robert Plant”
By whatever yardstick you care to measure, it was high time for Erika to get out of Dayton.
In true ascetic discipline, she moved to Austin, Texas in 2007 for a change of inspirational scenery and a new recording project. With the help of producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead), she assembled a group of musicians with whom she gave the songs life and uncovered yet another layer of Wennerstrom and the Heartless Bastards. Two of the new Bastards aren’t Texas ringers, but fellow Dayton brethren Dave Colvin on drums, and Jesse Ebaugh on bass, who actually played on the original demo that hooked Fat Possum, throw in one Austin native on guitar, Mark Nathan and you’ve got a new unstoppable force that “Take the stage and literally knock everybody down” – NY Times review of the Bastards SxSW record release performance.
The Decemberists’ guitarist Chris Funk said, "It's been a few years since I've had a voice on repeat in my mind. This voice seems to arrive in my ears while sound checking, often before the shows on a pre-show play list and after shows too -- the songs are just perfect and the band has found their spots behind this incredible woman. A unique and enduring artist arrived into our world once again."
The album, entitled The Mountain, (released February 2009) delivers the powerful howl that fans expect from the Heartless Bastards, but also weaves in adventure with mandolins, banjos, strings and Erika’s transcendent voice.
Brimming with confidence and creativity, The album Arrow (released February 2012) sees Heartless Bastards pushing their distinctive sound forward with their most eclectic, energetic collection thus far. The album – the Austin, Texas-based band’s first release with Partisan Records – is marked as ever by singer/guitarist/songwriter Erika Wennerstrom’s remarkable voice, at turns primal and pleading, heartfelt and heroic. Songs like “Parted Ways” and the searing “Low Low Low” expertly capture the Bastards’ multi-dimensional rock in all its strength and spirit. Following upon the difficult introspection of 2009′s acclaimed third album, The Mountain, Arrow stands as a powerhouse new beginning for Heartless Bastards.
“The Mountain was me going through some things after being in a relationship for nine years,” Wennerstrom says. ”This album is kind of like me being comfortable again.”
Parted Ways
Heartless Bastards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the air filled with dust
Such a far collection within every direction
Some places I've already been
And no, drive slow,
Loneliness too many things have changed
And no, I just don't look at things the same way now
Since we parted ways
Out in the space, I'm alone with
The only hum of the wheels, they are carrying me
On to a wild space to breathe in,
Oh I need it, a wild space to breathe in, whole
And the sun went down in this little ghost town
Near the valley of the rio grande
I need a little bit of whiskey and a little bit of time
To ease my troubled mind
Lost love and loneliness, so many things have changed
And no, I just don't look at things the same way now
Since we parted ways out in the space,
I'm alone with the only hum of the wheels,
They are carrying me on to a wild space to breathe in,
Oh on to a wild place to breathe in,
Whole out in the space,
I'm alone with the with the only hum of the wheels,
They are carrying me on to a wild space to breathe in,
Oh on to a wild place to breathe in,
Whole out in the space.
The lyrics to Heartless Bastards' song "Parted Ways" paint a picture of a person traveling through a desolate, dusty landscape. The first verse talks about the wind blowing and the air being filled with dust as the person reflects on the places they've been and the changes that have occurred. The chorus speaks to the loneliness and loss that the person feels since parting ways with someone. The second verse finds the person in a ghost town near the Rio Grande, turning to whiskey and time to ease their troubled mind. The loneliness and loss are still present, but the person is seeking out a wild space to breathe in and find solace.
Overall, the song seems to be about a person grappling with the aftermath of a relationship ending. The desolate landscape serves as a metaphor for the emotional landscape the person is navigating, and the search for a "wild space" to breathe in suggests a desire for escape and renewal. The repetition of the line "I'm alone with the only hum of the wheels, they are carrying me on to a wild space to breathe in" emphasizes the person's solitude and the idea that movement and change are necessary to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
And the wind it blows through the atmosphere
The wind blows through the atmosphere, creating an eerie feeling of emptiness and uncertainty.
And the air filled with dust
The air is filled with dust, perhaps symbolizing the fog of confusion and loss that the singer feels.
Such a far collection within every direction
The surroundings are vast and uncharted, with the singer feeling lost and unsure about which way to go.
Some places I've already been
Despite the vastness of the surroundings, the artist has been to some places before, perhaps a reminder of happier times.
And no, drive slow,
The artist urges caution, perhaps not wanting to rush into any decisions or take unnecessary risks.
Loneliness too many things have changed
The feeling of loneliness weighs heavily on the singer, and they acknowledge that many things have changed since their separation from someone important.
And no, I just don't look at things the same way now
The singer's perspective has changed significantly, likely due to the pain and loss they have experienced.
Since we parted ways
The artist is reflecting on the time since their separation from someone important.
Out in the space, I'm alone with
The artist feels isolated and alone, adrift in their surroundings.
The only hum of the wheels, they are carrying me
The only sound the artist hears is the noise of the wheels carrying them along their journey.
On to a wild space to breathe in,
The singer seeks solace in a wild, uncharted space to escape from their troubles.
Oh I need it, a wild space to breathe in, whole
The artist is desperate for a space where they can feel complete and whole again.
And the sun went down in this little ghost town
The sun sets in a lonely, abandoned town, perhaps mirroring the singer's own feelings of isolation and abandonment.
Near the valley of the rio grande
The singer is in a specific location, adding a sense of place to their journey.
I need a little bit of whiskey and a little bit of time
The singer turns to alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with the pain and uncertainty of their situation.
To ease my troubled mind
The artist hopes that alcohol and time will provide them with some measure of relief and peace of mind.
Lost love and loneliness, so many things have changed
The artist is struggling to cope with the loss of love and the resulting loneliness, acknowledging that everything has changed since they were last happy.
Out in the space, I'm alone with the only hum of the wheels, they are carrying me on to a wild space to breathe in,
The singer reiterates their sense of isolation and their need for a wild space to escape to.
Oh on to a wild place to breathe in, Whole out in the space,
The singer again emphasizes their desire for a space that will make them feel whole and complete again.
I'm alone with the with the only hum of the wheels, They are carrying me on to a wild space to breathe in, Oh on to a wild place to breathe in, Whole out in the space.
The artist is fixated on their journey towards a wild, uncharted space that will provide them with solace and relief from their pain.
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: ERIKA WENNERSTROM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind