As much as we hate to see it sometimes, things change. At times they change for the worse, and at times the changes end up being for the better. I think several of us here in Cincinnati were wondering how the recent changes to one of our favorite hometown bands, Heartless Bastards, would shake out. In the course of the past year, the band had not only relocated to Austin, Texas, but had also seen lead singer Erika Wennestrom part company with bassist Mike Lamping (both personally and in the band) and drummer Kevin Vaughn.

While the transition seemed as if it could only make a band like Heartless Bastards crash and burn on their way up, instead Erika kept it in the family somewhat, enlisting Pearlene bassist Jesse Ebaugh and former Shesus bandmate Dave Colvin, both of whom had played on early Bastards demos. They holed up in Austin and began to meld the new Heartless Bastards.

Last night at the Southgate House in Newport, the “new look” Bastards returned home and the transition was nothing short of seamless. Nothing against Lamping and Vaughn, who are well respected and talented musicians in their own right, but HB has always been about Erika. So after a quick “it feels good to be home” from Wennestrom, the band ripped into their set and as usual, I found myself concentrating on Erika and her signature croon. With a voice that has drawn in fans like Lucinda Williams, it is hard not to. And that was not the only thing about the show that seemed familiar. Southgate House was smoky and full, with plenty of beer cans being quickly disposed of, the band behing Erika, while not quite as tight as the last incarnation just yet, did a more than adequate job and not only has Erika’s voice not skipped a beat, but neither has her lack of stage banter, which is still sorta endearing if you asked me.

We were also treated to several new songs in the set, which are rumored to all be a part of the new Heartless Bastards album, The Mountain, which is due out in January from Fat Possum. At the end of the night as I headed home I could not help but think that in more ways than one, the more things change, the more they stay the same….

(above photo of Erika from their set last weekend at ACL, photo credit)