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.”
Into the Open
Heartless Bastards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I didn't wanna let go
I just want to go
But I didn't wanna let go
And I find myself
In a fleeting moment
Traveling far and wide
Things are coming into focus
Things are coming into focus
I've got wind in my face
And it's getting me on
I've got wind in my face
And it's getting me on, on
All of this time I was searching
Searching for my home
And I discovered
Home is where I am
And I find myself
Here in the meadow
Of a great divide
And in the moment
Things are coming into focus
Things are coming into focus
I've got wind in my face
And it's getting me on
I've got wind in my face
And it's getting me on, on
All of this time I was searching
Searching for my home
And I discovered
Home is where I am
The lyrics to Heartless Bastards’ “Into the Open” are a contemplation on finding oneself and finding home. The repetition of “I just want to go, but I didn’t want to let go,” may suggest a struggle to let go of something familiar or comfortable in pursuit of something new. The following lines describe a journey, both physically and mentally, as the singer travels “far and wide to the great big open” and “finds herself” in a meadow of a great divide. In this place, things are “coming into focus,” and the singer has the wind in her face, which serves as a metaphor for the feeling of moving forward and making progress.
The chorus repeats the idea that the singer has been searching for home, but ultimately, she has found it where she is. This can be interpreted in a few different ways. On one hand, the song may be about seeking external things, whether that be a physical place or a sense of identity, only to realize that what she was looking for was within her all along. On the other hand, the song could also be interpreted as a message about being present in the moment and finding comfort in the current circumstances, rather than constantly searching for something better.
Overall, the lyrics to “Into the Open” are simple but provoking in their exploration of identity and the meaning of home.
Line by Line Meaning
I just want to go
The singer desires to travel or embark on a new adventure.
But I didn't wanna let go
However, the singer is hesitant to leave the safety and familiarity that they currently have.
And I find myself
The singer is realizing their current situation and state of mind.
In a fleeting moment
The realization comes to the artist quickly and doesn't last very long.
Traveling far and wide
The artist sees potential in exploring beyond their current environment.
To the great big open
The vast expanse of possibilities in the world.
Things are coming into focus
The more the singer explores, the clearer their purpose or direction is becoming.
I've got wind in my face
The experience is invigorating and feels like progress.
And it's getting me on
The progress and movement is motivating the artist to continue exploring.
All of this time I was searching
The artist has been trying to find a place of belonging or purpose for a while now.
Searching for my home
The search has been for a sense of belonging or a place to call home.
And I discovered
The artist has found an answer to their search.
Home is where I am
The sense of belonging or purpose was within the singer all along and doesn't necessarily require a physical place to reside.
Here in the meadow
The singer is now content and at peace with where they are at in life.
Of a great divide
The previous struggle or search that the singer experienced was a significant change or turning point in their life.
And in the moment
The artist is currently at a point of clarity and introspection.
Contributed by Max R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kimberly Oskins
I just want to go
But I didn't wanna let go
I just want to go
But I didn't wanna let go
And I find myself
In a fleeting moment
Traveling far and wide
To the great big open
Things are coming into focus
Things are coming into focus
I've got wind in my face
And it's getting me on
I've got wind in my face
And it's getting me on, on
All of this time I was searching
Searching for my home
And I discovered
Home is where I am
And I find myself
Here in the meadow
Of a great divide
And in the moment
Things are coming into focus
Things are coming into focus
I've got wind in my face
And it's getting me on
I've got wind in my face
And it's getting me on, on
All of this time I was searching
Searching for my home
And I discovered
Home is where I am
gypsyvanneraddict
This is my favorite song of theirs on this album -it truly, deeply rocks!
Mark Gregg
I turned 50 this year,and Erica and the band are the one of the very few that I would give the "original sound" label to. I have never seen them live,but will go out of my way to do so,given the chance. She is hot, and she's a rocker!!!
My name is August West
Very under rated band. This song speaks to an unidentifiable nostalgia. Love it.
Amaka Umeh
Heard this song while watching a very touching documentary called Isolated. The lyrics really caught my ear, and the singer's liberty is infectious.
Louie Villarreal
So did I Awesome lyrics and amazing jams!!!!!!
Michael Jordan
this documentary film is about surfing?
JDR
Same
Abdelrahman Koossy
@David John Hall thanx man
David John Hall
It's called Isolated. It's on Netflix.
CrazyDiamond
I can not believe how little attention this song has, what an incredible song