ACL Fest: Ohio's Heartless Bastards Break Out of the Garage

Like fellow Ohioans The Black Keys and Texas up-and-comers White Denim, Heartless Bastards, the garage all-stars from Cincinnati, are at the center of a return to rough rock, and provide an alternative to the unfuzzy rock of bands such as Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes. Sunday evening on the oft-underrated Austin Ventures Stage, megaphone-voiced singer Erika Wennerstrom led the set, with able assistance from the big bass rhythms of Jesse Ebaugh and the steady but hard-hitting drums of Dave Colvin. Playing a slew of songs from the excellent but underexposed All This Time, the still-developing band has put in a solid bid for future position on a more prominent stage, and although Wennerstrom seemed to be somewhat apologetic for "bombarding" the audience with unreleased songs, the strength of the new tunes was in line with that of the rest of the band's catalog. With assistance from occasional fourth members on lap steel and violin, the band's sound was fleshed-out and suited for the open air insanity of the festival circuit, and, sure enough, a two guitarists and a violinist set-up may well have provided the set's highlight. Although this country/bluegrass bent provided a welcome respite from the rockin', the crowd was undeniably enthused when the band shifted back to the dirty-ass blues rawk for which they are renowned.