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.”
Searching For The Ghost
Heartless Bastards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And other books to pass the time
Empty cans and bottles lying
This room is almost like a shrine
To an idea and a place
We've all been looking for
Been searching now forever
And now I've been searching
Searching for the ghost
I saw an apparition once
A long, long time ago
Been searching now forever
And I've found it here today
And it's changed its meaning
But it still feels the same
Along the way we hit some bumps
Got cuts and bruises on our hearts
Always knowing where we wanna go
But still get lost in every part
Nothing's ever easy
Easy for me
That's the way it's always been
The way it seems to me
And now I've been searching
Searching for the ghost
I saw an apparition once
A long, long time ago
Been searching now forever
And I've found it here today
And it's changed its meaning
But it still feels the same
And now I've been searching
Searching for the ghost
I saw an apparition once
A long, long time ago
Been searching now forever
And I've found it here today
And it's changed its meaning
But it still feels the same
The song "Searching for the Ghost" by Heartless Bastards is a contemplative narrative of the singer's journey to find meaning in life. The lyrics paint a picture of a weary traveler in a hotel room, surrounded by empty bottles and cans - almost like a shrine to an idea and a place they've been looking for forever. The search for the "ghost" is a metaphor for the search for purpose and significance in life. The idea of the "ghost" is vague and elusive, yet all-consuming, evident through the repeated phrase "searching now forever."
The lyrics describe the journey to find this elusive "ghost" as not being easy, with cuts and bruises on their heart. The singer acknowledges that they always know where they want to go, but they still get lost along the way. The chorus repeats the idea of finally finding the "ghost" after searching forever but realizing that it has changed its meaning. The song ends with a sense of ambiguity, the singer finding the "ghost" but not knowing what it means anymore.
Overall, the song reflects the human experience of searching for meaning and purpose in life, acknowledging that the journey is not easy and is full of bumps, bruises, and lost moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Hotel rooms and highway signs
We've been travelling for a long time, staying in different hotels and using the signs on highways to guide us.
And other books to pass the time
We've been reading other books to occupy ourselves and pass the time during our travels.
Empty cans and bottles lying
We've left behind empty cans and bottles in our hotel room from all the drinks we've had on our journey.
This room is almost like a shrine
Our current hotel room feels very important and sacred to us, like we've spent a lot of time there and that it's become a special place in our journey.
To an idea and a place
We've been searching for a specific idea or concept, as well as a physical place that holds meaning to us.
We've all been looking for
This idea or place we're searching for is something that everyone involved in our journey has been looking for together.
Been searching now forever
We feel like we've been searching for this idea and place for a really long time, maybe even an eternity.
And it's right behind the door
We feel like we're so close to finding what we're looking for, that it's almost behind the door of our current hotel room.
And now I've been searching
Personally, I've been really dedicated to finding this idea and place.
Searching for the ghost
The idea and place we're searching for feels like it's just out of reach, almost like a ghost hovering just beyond our grasp.
I saw an apparition once
I've caught glimpses of what we're searching for before, but it's never been clear or consistent.
A long, long time ago
It feels like forever ago, and like it happened in a different lifetime almost.
Been searching now forever
We've been searching for so long that it feels like it's a never-ending journey.
And I've found it here today
Suddenly, I feel like I've finally found what we've been searching for, and it's a very emotional moment.
And it's changed its meaning
What we've been searching for has evolved and changed over time, and it means something different now than it did before.
But it still feels the same
Despite the changes, the idea and place we've been searching for still feels just as important and meaningful to us as it did at the beginning of our journey.
Along the way we hit some bumps
Our journey hasn't been without its difficulties and setbacks, and we've faced some tough challenges.
Got cuts and bruises on our hearts
Emotionally, we've been hurt and affected by the hardships we've faced on our journey.
Always knowing where we wanna go
Despite the setbacks, we've always had a clear idea of where we want to end up and what we're searching for.
But still get lost in every part
Sometimes, even with a clear destination in mind, we still get lost and flustered along the way.
Nothing's ever easy
Our journey has been a difficult and challenging one, and we've had to work hard for every step along the way.
Easy for me
Personally, I've always found things to be particularly difficult and challenging.
That's the way it's always been
I've struggled with difficulty and hardship for as long as I can remember, and it feels like a constant theme in my life.
The way it seems to me
This is my perception of my own life and journey.
Contributed by Owen O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.