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.”
Skin and Bone
Heartless Bastards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And now I'm passing through here and it's all coming back again.
Dilapidated buildings down on Main.
This small town was crumbling down, it was hard for me to stay.
And, oh, I, I find after all this time,
I am back here filled with all these memories.
Bittersweet, my home skin and bone.
Driving down Salem Avenue.
It's all so familiar now, but so many things have changed.
And the rain came down all around.
Washed away the industry, washed it to the sea.
And, oh, I, I find after all this time,
I am back here filled with all these memories.
Bittersweet, my home skin and bone.
This rust has worn through tearing up beneath the seams.
And, oh, I want it to be like when I was young.
Oh, I want it to be like when I was young.
Ooh, ooh, ooh.
The lyrics of Heartless Bastards' song "Skin and Bone" paint a picture of the singer's hometown in a state of decay. The dilapidated buildings on Main Street bring back memories of her childhood spent in this small town. Despite the nostalgia, she finds it hard to stay as the town crumbles around her. The rain that washed away the industry and sent it to the sea is symbolic of the end of an era and the inevitability of change.
As the singer drives down Salem Avenue, she realizes that although much has changed, the town is still familiar. This brings up bittersweet memories of her "home skin and bone." The rust that has torn through and is now visible beneath the seams of the town's infrastructure reflects the flaws and imperfections that are easy to overlook when we are young but become more apparent as we grow older.
Overall, the lyrics of "Skin and Bone" convey a sense of longing for a time that has passed and a place that has crumbled. At the same time, there is a recognition that change is inevitable and that perhaps it is better to let go of the past and embrace the present and future.
Line by Line Meaning
Spent my time here as a child,
I grew up in this town and have fond memories of my childhood here.
And now I'm passing through here and it's all coming back again.
Returning to this town is bringing back a flood of memories and emotions.
Dilapidated buildings down on Main.
The town has fallen into disrepair and the old buildings on Main Street are crumbling.
This small town was crumbling down, it was hard for me to stay.
The town was in decline and it was difficult for me to remain here.
And, oh, I, I find after all this time,
After all these years, I discover that returning home has a powerful effect on me.
I am back here filled with all these memories.
Returning to this town has resurrected a flood of memories and emotions within me.
Bittersweet, my home skin and bone.
Although it is comforting to be back in my hometown, it is also painful to see how much it has deteriorated.
This rust has worn through tearing up beneath the seams.
The decay and decline of the town has become so pervasive that it is tearing at the very fabric of the community.
Driving down Salem Avenue.
Traveling down Salem Avenue is bringing back memories of my past experiences in this town.
It's all so familiar now, but so many things have changed.
Although the town is still recognizable to me, many things have changed over the years.
And the rain came down all around.
The rain is a metaphor for the cleansing of the town and its rebirth.
Washed away the industry, washed it to the sea.
The town's industry has disappeared and washed away like the rain, perhaps never to return.
And, oh, I want it to be like when I was young.
I yearn for the time when the town was thriving and my memories of it were positive.
Ooh, ooh, ooh.
This is an interlude with no specific meaning.
Lyrics © REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: ERIKA WENNERSTROM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Oogii a
Spent my time here as a child
And now I'm passing through here and it's all coming back again
Dilapidated buildings down on Main
This small town was crumbling down, it was hard for me to stay
And, oh, I, I find after all this time
I am back here filled with all these memories
Bittersweet, my home skin and bone
This rust has worn through tearing up beneath the seams
Driving down Salem Avenue
It's all so familiar now, but so many things have changed
And the rain came down all around
Washed away the industry, washed it to the sea
And, oh, I, I find after all this time
I am back here filled with all these memories
Bittersweet, my home skin and bone
This rust has worn through tearing up beneath the seams
And, oh, I want it to be like when I was young
Oh, I want it to be like when I was young
Andrea Morrin
This band is seriously under rated!! These songs are amazing! ❤
Chase killinit
Omg yes they’re incredible how is this not the next Mumford n suns or dead south, in fact these guys are better!
SubRosa33
I agree.
Satyajit Rath vEtnHInJaK
true brudda
海へのテラス
So true Bro. you LIT!
Helena Gushiken
A vocalista tem uma voz forte e marcante e o som é hipnotico e charmoso. Parece uma música das bandas dos anos 70/80. Amei! 👏👏👏🎶❤️
Breck Sanderlin
One of my top 3 favorite songs. I get chills every single time I hear it.
Amina
Mine is "Only for You"; this band is incredible
Matthew Lambert
Me too…I often play on repeat.
Kamila Nunes
Essa música é simplesmente perfeita❤❤❤