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.”
Hold Your Head High
Heartless Bastards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Most have not been wise
But I have some really good friends
I've been fortunate to find
They get me through the lonely days
When I want to stay inside myself
They get me out of my shell
Out into the world
I am coming back, I'm coming back again
I had lost everything and then I got it back again
I dug myself so deep, deep into a hole
Then getting out was so far beyond my control
In the past I've always had trouble on my mind
I'm gonna take that feeling and leave it far behind
As I go down this path traveling through my fate
Lately I have begun to awake
It all started out in Jackson and we moved across the land
And all the dehydration turned the soil into sand
And then one day they hauled me away
And I was out there, out on my own
The thieves, they came and went
They took everything in sight
And then we got it back again
Oh, I had to fight
And I, then I woke up from the middle of the strangest dream
And everyone was there that I ever knew and they all began to sing
Hold you head high, just as high as you can
Things will work out soon, things will come round again
You see I've got this fascination with all the wrong ways to go
I get lost even in the places that I know
Hold your head high, just as high as you can
Things will work out soon, things will come round again
Hold your head high, just as high as you can
Things will work out soon, things will come round again
The Heartless Bastards' song "Hold Your Head High" is a song about the ups and downs of life. The song is about the lead singer's personal struggles and how she overcame them with the help of her friends. She speaks about the poor choices she has made in life and how they have affected her. However, she is grateful for the good friends she has to help her through the tough times. The lyrics suggest that we all make mistakes in life, but we can overcome them with the support of loved ones.
The song also touches on the theme of hope. The line "Hold your head high, just as high as you can / Things will work out soon, things will come round again" is a message of hope, reminding the listener that no matter how bad things get, they will eventually get better. The song is about acceptance, self-awareness, and resilience, and encourages us to persevere and keep going, no matter how difficult the journey may be.
In conclusion, "Hold Your Head High" is a beautiful song that sends a message of hope and resilience, reminding us that we can overcome any challenge with the help of our loved ones. The song highlights the importance of having good friends and being grateful for them. It is a powerful reminder to stay strong, believe in oneself, and keep pushing forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I've made a lot of choices
I have made many decisions in my life
Most have not been wise
However, the majority of them have not been beneficial
But I have some really good friends
Despite this, I am lucky to have excellent friends
I've been fortunate to find
I have been lucky enough to discover those friends
They get me through the lonely days
They help me in times when I feel alone
When I want to stay inside myself
Especially when I feel like shutting out the world
They get me out of my shell
My friends encourage me to be more outgoing
Out into the world
And face life with a more optimistic attitude
I am coming back, I'm coming back again
I am making a comeback, returning to my previous state
I had lost everything and then I got it back again
After losing everything I had, I was able to regain it once more
I dug myself so deep, deep into a hole
Once I was in a difficult situation that I created for myself
Then getting out was so far beyond my control
I found it very difficult to remove myself from that situation
In the past I've always had trouble on my mind
Previously, I have always had issues on my mind
I'm gonna take that feeling and leave it far behind
But now I am determined to leave those issues behind and move on
As I go down this path traveling through my fate
While I am on this journey and fate takes its course
Lately I have begun to awake
I am starting to feel more awake and alive
It all started out in Jackson and we moved across the land
I started my journey in Jackson and have since traveled across the country
And all the dehydration turned the soil into sand
The lack of moisture caused the soil to transform into sand
And then one day they hauled me away
Suddenly, I was taken away from that place
And I was out there, out on my own
Now I was all alone, with no one else around
The thieves, they came and went
Thieves came and left, stealing everything in sight
They took everything in sight
They stole everything they could lay their hands on
And then we got it back again
But eventually we were able to retrieve our belongings
Oh, I had to fight
It was a struggle to get them back
And I, then I woke up from the middle of the strangest dream
Suddenly, I woke up from a very strange and surreal dream
And everyone was there that I ever knew and they all began to sing
In the dream, everyone I have ever known was present and singing
Hold your head high, just as high as you can
The song's message is to maintain a positive attitude
Things will work out soon, things will come round again
Better times are on the horizon, and things will eventually improve
You see I've got this fascination with all the wrong ways to go
However, I tend to be drawn towards choices that are not beneficial for me
I get lost even in the places that I know
I still manage to get lost, even in familiar places
Contributed by Aaliyah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.