Y101FM: We Heart Heart!

We'll be raising flags for women around the world as Friday Gold Rush gives us Heart at the end of every bustling week here on the Rhythm of the City.

The band who gave us some of the most memorable rock ballads (e.g. These Dreams, Alone, What About Love, etc.) is a regular sound to be heard on Friday Gold Rush – so don't forget to grab the nearest ladle or anything that resembles a microphone and sing along with us on Y101!

“Led by Seattle-raised sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart rose to rock & roll glory in the 1970s with their captivating brand of heavy rock and emotion-packed power balladry,” their MySpace profile bio describes. “Widely considered the foremost female-fronted rock band in history, the group has been selling out stadiums and topping the charts since the dawn of their legendary and illustrious career, selling over 30 million albums worldwide. With Ann’s powerful, three-octave soprano and the band’s no-nonsense maxim of urgent conviction, Heart has been cited as a major influence by everyone from Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains to R.E.M and Soundgarden. Inspiring a generation with their arresting artistry and provocative sense of flair, Heart is the rock band’s rock band.”

Looking at the succeeding acts who've fed on Heart's example, the Y101 Web Team isn't nearly surprised... of course, they won't be ranked at #57 on VH1's “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” for nothing.

And another feat for Heart is that they're one of the very first mainstream rock bands where women were in complete creative control – in this case, in the persons of sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. Well, Heart just proves that rock & roll is not a man's turf after all... women rock too!

On Friday Gold Rush with Jack the Wack, be ready to be rocked by these Canada-based flower power girls on Y101 Always First!

Don't we just "heart" Heart?


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Heart to Play Gilford, NH

Ann Wilson and her younger sister, Nancy Wilson first showed the world that women can rock when their band Heart stormed the charts in the '70s with hits like "Crazy on You," "Magic Man," "Barracuda," ‘Straight On," "Even It Up," "Kick It Out" and so many more. They continued topping the charts through the ‘80s and into the ‘90s with huge hits like "These Dreams," "Alone," "What About Love," "If Looks Could Kill," "Never," and a string of other hits that showcased the sisters' enormous talents as both musicians and singers. Along the way, Heart sold more than 30 million records, had 21 top 40 hits, sold out arenas worldwide, and had a profound influence on rock music.

In the mid-'90s, Ann and Nancy returned to Seattle and formed The Lovemongers, with long-time collaborator Sue Ennis and performer Frank Cox. After playing a number of sold-out shows in Seattle, Lovemongers cut Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore" for the triple platinum soundtrack from the movie Singles, which was one of Nancy Wilson's first musical collaborations with her husband, filmmaker (and Singles writer/director) Cameron Crowe. This was followed by their work together on Jerry Maguire, the Grammy and Oscar winning Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, and Elizabethtown. In late 2006, Nancy lent her songwriting and production talents to "P.S. I Love You," directed by Richard LeGravenais and starring Hillary Swank (to be released in 2007

The sisters reunited as Heart in early 2002, during which time they released a critically acclaimed live concert film on DVD and CD, Heart Alive In Seattle, followed in 2004 by Jupiters Darling,the first new Heart studio album in a decade, produced by Nancy and featuring 15 original songs. Classic Rock magazine hailed Jupiters Darling as a career a tour de force, calling it "the only record you need to buy this year." In December 2005, PBS aired a two-hour SoundStage special, showcasing songs from Jupiters Darling as well as many classic Heart hits.In 2006, Heart kicked off the touring year with a VH1 Tribute special (Heart & Friends) featuring performances by Alice in Chains (joined by GNR's Duff McKagan and Pantera's Phil Anselmo), Dave Navarro, Carrie Underwood, Gretchen Wilson, and Rufus Wainwright.

VH1 honored Heart again at VH1 2007 Rock Honors. DirecTV broadcast a 30th anniversary concert special of Dreamboat Annie, (a DVD and CD were released in October). And in September, the first-ever solo project by Ann Wilson (Hope & Glory) was released by Rounder Records. Many special guest artists participated in this landmark project, including Elton John, k d lang, Gretchen Wilson, Wynonna Judd, Alison Krauss, Rufus Wainwright, Deana Carter, Shawn Colvin, and Nancy Wilson.

In 2008, Heart hit the road for a 40+ city tour with Journey and Cheap Trick, voted Billboard's "Best Touring Package" of 2008. Another 15 cities with Journey filled out Heart's 2009 touring year which visited more than 70 cities, capped off by their headline performance at the KLOS Christmas Party at Nokia Live in Los Angeles. Heart is currently in the studio with Grammy winning producer, Ben Mink, working on a new CD for 2010 release!!

Location
Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion
72 Meadowbrook Lane
Gilford, NH 03247
Website

Tickets
$29.75-$76.25
603-293-4700


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Giant Panther: Boston Review

Heart came whipping out of the gates with “Cook With Fire” from their 1978 LP Dog & Butterfly. As someone who loved that record, I really enjoyed that. “Heartless” was next and Heart hadn’t lost a step. Ann & Nancy Wilson still front the band and they sound as good as they ever have. As I have mentioned in my previous post on Heart, I kind of jumped off the bandwagon when they went to the ballads. I know the songs “Never” and “These Dreams,” which they played, but they were not what I loved about Heart. That said, the younger folks in the crowd sang those numbers at the top of their lungs while I grabbed a refreshment. I have to tell you, between Bad Company and Heart in the great outdoors, I had to bring my own towel to remain composed. It was another lovely 90 degree day here in Boston for most folks, but I look forward to those late summer early fall crisper nights of concert going. I have The Black Keys lined up tomorrow night and I hope the weather brings some relief. It’s hard to enjoy yourself when you are perspiring your brains out.

Heart’s set included what you might expect; “Crazy On You”? Check. “Barracuda”? Check. “Magic Man”? Yep. The three most overplayed Heart songs were played consecutively prior to their encore, but they all had life to them. I really didn’t mind. I got “Straight On,” which is one my favorites, but I was disappointed to see “Love Alive” from 1977′s Little Queen left off the set list. What I loved was a mash up of “Even It Out” and one of my all time favorite songs “Gimme Shelter” played almost simultaneously. I never would have thought that they would sound remotely alike, but Heart pulled it off and then some. I loved it. They slowed down “Even It Up” and mixed the verses during the performance. Pretty cool. Rape! Murder! It’s just a shot away. They did two covers for encores; “What is and What Should Never Be” by you know who and “Love Reign O’er Me” by The Who. During their migration to the stage the PA blared the intro to the Led Zeppelin classic “In The Light.” It’s enough to make an old timer wet himself I tell you…

Bottom Line? If you are thinking about catching this show in your town don’t hesitate. Both bands were high energy and played most of their hits. Heart had about five songs going I didn’t know, but that is something I expected because I haven’t bought any of their records since 1983 or so. I know they have a new record coming out and Wikipedia is tentatively calling it Red Velvet Car, but Heart still sounds like a million bucks if you were a fan of theirs in the 70′s. The same and more absolutely goes for Peter Frampton too. Go see them for yourself.

Performance of the Week

Heart - Crazy On You

As Heart prepare to release their 13th studio album next month (Red Velvet Car on 8/31) we're reminded of their tremendous staying power and lasting influence as one of the preeminent bands of the classic rock era. Alert your hands and at least one of your feet that they will be busy clapping and tapping for the next few minutes as you watch this 1976 performance of "Crazy On You" (love me some of that acoustic finger picking intro, too!)


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Boston Herald: Heart's in the Right Place

Heart’s set at Bank of America Pavilion wrapped up with Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and What Should Never Be” and The Who’s “Love, Reign O’er Me.” What do those two songs have in common?

For one thing, they’re both incredibly tough to sing. And Robert Plant and RogerDaltrey, their original singers, seldom brave those high notes anymore. That’s one reason Heart is a cut above many ’70s-vintage bands: Ann Wilson has lost none of her wall-shaking range.

Another reason is that Heart still has class. Led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson (the sole remaining originals), Heart was never just about pile-driving rock. That was the case Wednesday. The new “Red Velvet Car” (the title track from Heart’s forthcoming CD) was a torch ballad that offered friendship in hard personal times with a warmth rare in arena rock.


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August Calendars!

Please check out the A Year Full of Heart section for 2 August calendars! :D

New Info on the Hey You/WTF Single

This is a Radio Single, sent out to various stations to drum up buzz for Red Velvet Car :D Thank you to TDHS at the Heartlinker for this info.

Videos: Heart Beats on the New Album, WTF Vinyl in Stores

These clips have some beautiful footage of Ann and Nancy at the EMP as well as new interview snippets.





Source (if you get a time delay on the video above you can view it on the original site via this link)

Nancy Wilson Reflects on Heart's Career, Preps for Concert at MGM Grand at Foxwoods

Great new Nancy interview :)


With a sparkling new album coming soon and a major North American tour underway, one might think it’s the late 1970s all over again for Heart.

The highly-influential group, still powered by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, is in the midst of its latest renaissance. But it’s a long way from the ground-breaking, house-quaking days of “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man,” and “Barracuda.”

Those early mega-hits put Heart on the map to stay, and they’ve sold more than 30 million albums in the years since.

During a brief break from touring, strawberry-blonde sister Nancy Wilson spoke from Topanga, Calif. on a wide range of topics, including the band’s career, the culture shift they survived in the 1980s, her life as the mother of twin 10-year-old sons with husband and film director Cameron Crowe, and the new album, “Red Velvet Car,” which is slated for release Aug. 31.

With a father in the Marine Corps, the Wilson sisters traveled a lot as children, eventually settling in the Seattle area. But the band got its big break in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where they were signed by the small label Mushroom Records in 1975. Heart’s first album, “Dreamboat Annie” turned into a massive hit, and on the surface, the group appeared to be overnight sensations.

“It did happen fast,” Wilson recalled. “But we worked for years before that album was released. You work and you write songs and you play clubs, you live on no sleep and bad food, you freeze and you put the work in - the blood, sweat and tears. You play a million uncomfortable shows in uncomfortable places and you deal with all modes of travel. Then when the album came out it was like – ‘Wow!’”

“We broke it regionally,” she said in reference to “Dreamboat Annie.”

“We got in the car almost like on ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter,’ with our agent from little Mushroom Records in Vancouver. We drove across the country, took a few planes, went to Chicago, Detroit, we went to the actual radio stations and we’d put makeup on in the car before we’d meet the DJ or the program director (laughs). And then they’d think we were cute and we’d go back in the car and wait for our guy to do the payola. (laughs) There was a lot of that style of making it then.”

But she laments the loss of certain aspects of attaining stardom in this age of “American Idol.”

“I think people study their craft in front of mirrors and cameras and don’t do the shoe leather and the actual performing as much. I think that’s part of the reason there’s a resurgence for bands with history like Heart because we know how to play and we know how to sing.”

Indeed they do. Ann’s powerhouse voice and Nancy’s softer side and intricate work on a variety of stringed instruments has always been at the center of Heart’s sound, and it still is on “Red Velvet Car,” with its potential hits such as “WTF,” “Hey You,” and “Wheels.”

“WTF includes the lyric ‘The hardest thing you’ll ever learn is what bridge to cross and what bridge to burn,’ which was directly inspired by journal writings from the Wilsons’ late mother who passed away about four years ago.

“That was a really beautiful thing that I discovered in her writings,” Nancy Wilson recalled… “It’s kind of when you’re screaming at yourself, one of those human moments. I think my Mom captured it pretty well.”

“Red Velvet Car” is Heart’s first album that’s being released on a Sony-related label since 1983’s “Passionworks.”

“We’re a working band,” Wilson said. “We been touring every summer. When (Sony) heard some of the songs they got extra excited…the size of the company felt like a fit because they’re a big machine. In a lot of ways people are doing gorilla music from their basement these days, but for us it felt like the right time to reunite with Sony and do something big.”

The only time Heart took a major break was in the 1990s, when the sisters formed the acoustic side project the Lovemongers.

“We needed a change,” Wilson said in reference to the period. “Because the entire culture shifted: from the inflated, cocaine-addled, image-driven ’80s, into something grunge-based from Seattle. And when we came back to Seattle then, with our tails between our legs, we were really scared that we’d be rejected entirely by the cool music community. But the opposite was true and they took us under their wing and loved us like brothers – we jammed, had these hootenannies at Ann’s house, hung out and ended up on stages together. They’re still really close buddies, we’re still close to the guys in Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden too, it’s very cool.”

Wilson and Crowe are the parents of 10-year-old twin boys. She says one of the boys has a very strong voice and a knack for recalling melodies he’s heard only once, while the other has a sharp poetic grasp for songs. The kids get a kick out of seeing mom on stage.

“They’re proud,” Wilson said. “They’re at a good age right now to see what’s happening. They actually like to sit through shows now and they play their air guitars and know the songs better. They really like the new songs, they like the new album, they picked ‘Hey You,’ - of course, I sing it - and ‘There You Go’ as their favorites.”

A few years ago the Wilson sisters tangled at a distance with none other than former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin after the music to the band’s song “Barracuda,” was used at the Republican National Convention in conjunction with Palin’s appearance the vice presidential nominee of the party.

Today Wilson appears to have mixed feelings about the whole dust up.

“I was the one who was quoted with the F word on that one and I’ll take full credit,” Wilson said with a laugh. “We were just offended and felt such a sense of unfairness to be represented artistically. It’s intellectual property, there should be better laws about it…You love being in America where you want to be in a system that supports the freedoms we do have. So even if it’s the side you’re not on, it’s still fun to be noticed.

Asked if she could have ever imagined herself doing something other than rock ‘n’ roll for a living, Wilson paused.

“Well, I would have to do something creative,” she said. “I’d go insane without a creative outlet. But I’m good at a lot of other things. I could probably do hair, makeup, work with animals. I could probably be a teacher.”

During college she studied German literature, and she laughed when reminded of that.

“My German is not what it used to be,” she said. “I studied it in university for a couple of years after high school. I mainly started learning German because the Beatles sang ‘Sie Liebt Dich’ (the German language recording of “She Loves You”).

When not working with sister Ann in Heart, she has composed several film scores for Crowe’s films including “Almost Famous” and “Vanilla Sky.” So she’s succeeded doing something that a lot of people struggle with – working alongside their family members.

Is there a secret to that?

“You have to be kind of different from most people in that you need to be able to really collaborate well and compromise but not be overpowered all the time either,” Wilson said. “You have to know what you want and work on that team and bring good things forward that benefit everyone. I think it’s a real skill. I think a lot of people have old family business and emotional things that they can’t surmount in order to just get past it and to something else. I think a lot of people are entangled in family dynamics and the dramas and have difficulty rising above all that stuff and getting work done together. In the case of me and Ann, probably because we were in a military family, a Marine Corps family, we did lots of traveling when we were young and we were very tight knit. There were so many new towns to arrive in, new schools to go to, we were already kind of on tour (laughs).

“We had a great family though, really funny and musical people all the way back to our grandparent, aunts and uncles. We spent a lot of time playing old Irish pub songs and Hawaiian songs on ukulele and telling stories at the campfire on the beach with the grandparents around. That’s something I want to try to give as much as I can to my kids.”


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Collecting Vinyl Records: Red Velvet Car

Eagle Records are delighted to announce the release of “Red Velvet Car”, the first new studio album in six years from the groundbreaking Seattle-based band Heart. The record is released on 30 August 2010 [Cat. No. EAGCD424].

For this album, the first ladies of arena rock added an acoustic slant to a collection of songs inspired by the world around them, arranged for an assortment of strings including guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, fiddle, viola, cello and autoharp, all played by Nancy Wilson and the album’s producer, Grammy winner Ben Mink.

Nine of the album’s songs were written for, and appear for the first time on “Red Velvet Car”. The album’s closer, “Sand,” is a newly recorded version of a song originally written and recorded by the Lovemongers, Ann and Nancy’s 1990’s acoustic side project. Tracks on “Red Velvet Car” include “Death Valley,” “Safronia’s Mark,” “Red Velvet Car,” “Queen City,” “Sunflower,” “Wheels,” “There You Go,” “WTF,” “Hey You” and “Sand.”

Ann Wilson describes the album as having, “A fresh sound with all the original Heart magic.” “This album feels so right for the times,” said Nancy Wilson. “We can’t wait to share this one with the world!” Ann Wilson and her younger sister, Nancy Wilson, first showed the world that women can rock when their band Heart stormed the charts in the ’70s with hits like “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man,” “Barracuda,” ‘Straight On,” “Even It Up,” “Kick It Out” and so many more. Not only did the Wilson sisters lead the band, they wrote the songs, and played the instruments too, making them the first women in rock to do so. Heart continued topping the charts through the ‘80s and into the ‘90s with huge hits like “These Dreams,” “Alone,” “What About Love,” “If Looks Could Kill,” “Never,” showcasing the sisters’ enormous talents as both musicians and singers. Along the way, Heart sold more than 30 million records, had 21 top 40 hits, sold out arenas worldwide, and had a profound influence on rock music – “Red Velvet Car” continues that journey, and in considerable style.


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Big Names at Meadowbrook This Weekend

The weekend of music will kick off with Heart on Friday, July 30. Ann and Nancy Wilson showed the world that women can rock when their band, Heart, arrived on the charts in the '70s. Hits like "Crazy On You," "Magic Man", "Barracuda", "Straight On", "Even It Up", "Kick It Out" and more created enormous popularity for the women rockers. Heart remained constant on the charts through the '80s and into the '90s with hits like "These Dreams", "Alone", "What About Love", "If Looks Could Kill", and "Never".

The band took a break in the late '90s but is back and better than ever. Recently, Heart has toured with Cheap Trick and Journey and will be playing at Meadowbrook with Erick Baker.


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Casino Rama Review

Ann and Nancy can still kick some rock'n'roll ass. It's a small group of women who have been able to hold their own in the male-dominated group category. Joan Jett comes to mind. Chrissy Hynde, even with the testosterone laden band. Patti Smith. This is not fluff and the ladies are not poseurs. They've been on a massive year long tour that started late in January and runs through to the end of September. Impressive, as the girls start to celebrate b'days in the more advanced range.

They are on the road a month ahead of the release of their first album in 6 years, Red Velvet Car. They debuted some tracks at Seattle's EMP this spring.

An excellent show. Ann's voice is really something and I'd argue she has more skill now than she did 30 years ago. Songs like Magic Man and Crazy on You are improved. Her inflection hints at a wealth of life experience she didn't have when she first sang these songs. There were a lot of highlights but if you want a short list; Alone and Crazy on You. Virtuoso performances.

On a side note it was refreshing to see women give women standing ovation after standing ovation, a real celebration of talent and survival.


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Rock the Park: A Time Warp

Heart had a big place in my heart back in the day too. There was the local connection -- Ann and Nancy Wilson are from Seattle, but the band really got off the ground in Vancouver -- and they were gorgeous, but most importantly they could rock.

And they can still rock. Ann Wilson’s voice is a thing of wonder, high and clear but tinged with just the right amount of smoky rasp. Nancy wields her guitar with a swagger befitting her idol, Jimmy Page.

“Heartless,” from 1978’s Magazine album, was a standout -- the inherent funkiness of the tune really came through on the big stage.

It was interesting to watch the connection the band made with women in the audience. I watched several gals well into grandparenting years elbow their way to the front of the pit to commune with the high priestesses of 70s rock. There, they swayed in nostalgic bliss to the romantic fantasia of the Nancy-voiced “These Dreams.”

But the band took it up to another level altogether with the one-two punch of “Crazy on You” and “Barracuda,” the former of which was a tour-de-force for Ann.

  


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Lilith Fair San Francisco: I Heart Heart

Saw Ann and Nancy Wilson absolutely blow the roof off Sandstone Amphitheater on Thursday. (Uh, if there was a roof at an outdoor venue …)


Heart were one of the headliners at Lilith Fair along with Sarah McLachlan, Emmylou Harris and those two chicks formerly of the Dixie Chicks. Houndtooth Dog or some thing.

Heart was the one group I’d always wanted to see, but hadn’t quite gotten around to it. Our seats were phenomenal. I could feel Ann’s breath on me. Her vicious vibrato gave me goose bumps throughout nearly every song. Girlfriend whoops like a soul sister … and Nancy’s harmonies and guitar solos only added to the musical mayhem.




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Voyageur Days: Heart Kicks Off Party (w/Photos)

MATTAWA — Peter Humick is a self-proclaimed Heart fan who didn't think twice about driving four hours to see the legendary rock band perform in Mattawa Thursday night.

His daughter, Caitlin, bought him the pass for Father's Day, knowing it would be the perfect gift.

"It was hard to keep the secret until June, because I have the biggest mouth," she said standing only a couple feet from the main stage at Explorer's Point where she was joined by more than 4,000 fans.

"Dad has been counting down the days until he saw Heart."

Peter, a Newmarket resident, didn't even care where he was sitting — "as long as I can hear them," he said.

This isn't the first time Peter has been in the presence of fame.

He used to work in promotions for CBS Records in Toronto, which is now Sony Records. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen, Chicago, Billy Joel and Burton Cummings.

"Heart is just as good now as they were back then," he said holding an autographed photo of him with Heart — sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson — taken in 1977 during an international convention in London, England.

Angela Chicquen, the main stage gatekeeper, said fans started lining up at 4:45 p.m. for the 8 p.m. concert.



  

  

Love Nancy's jacket ^_^

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LFPress: Rock the Park Review

A Face In The Crowd – Heart Rock The Park – Giving The People What They Want

The tornado watch was downgraded to a thunderstorm watch, so off to Harris Park it was on Saturday night.

Heart was the first act that I caught. They came out strong with a surprisingly heavy guitar sound and played mostly old hits, a couple of new ones from their new album (Red Velvet Car) and closed with an encore of two covers.

It may have been my spot near the front of the stage, but danged if I could hear anything that the very lovely Nancy Wilson played unless the other guitarist took a break and/or the young woman on keyboards didn’t overwhelm everyone with that sour Kurzweil. Nancy whirled, twirled, hopped, sang, played electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin and even an autoharp. Her stage monitors must have been telling her a complete story while I heard only flashes.

Meanwhile sister Ann was wailing out most of the vocals with the aid of some very enthused female fans who also screamed at the tops of their lungs between songs. Strangely enough, Ann’s vocals came across more clearly and powerfully when the other ladies onstage weren’t singing back-up.

The sound mix problems probably didn’t matter much to most of the audience since what they did hear was loud rock and what they expected/wanted. Now here’s a try at a set list.

Cook With Fire
Heartless
Never
Straight On
These Dreams
Hey You
Kick It Out
Red Velvet Car
Alone
WTF
Magic Man
Crazy On You
Barracuda
What Is And What Should Never Be
Love Reign O'er Me

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Rock Band Heart Added To Nebraska State Fair Lineup

The 2010 Nebraska State Fair made one of its last entertainment series announcements Friday, with the classic rock band, Heart, being added to the concert schedule.

The Heart concert will be at 8 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Heartland Events Center.

Ann and Nancy Wilson, some of the first women to rock out on electric guitars, are promoting their band's new album, "Red Velvet Car," which will officially be released on Aug. 31.

Heart's new album includes 15 classic Heart songs, including "Barracuda" and "Crazy On You," along with five new songs, including "Red Velvet."

Chelsey Jungck, special events coordinator for the Nebraska State Fair, said State Fair staff are excited to see a band with such high energy coming to the fair.

With their first album released in 1975, and many since then, Jungck also said she thinks the concert will appeal to generations of people.

"We're just excited," Jungck said. "They're a large, national group and they have a really strong fan base. There is a wide age demographic they appeal to."

The concert will cost $15 in addition to gate admission. Tickets go on sale at 8 a.m. Monday. They will be available at the Heartland Events Center Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations and Ticketmaster.com.

State Fair gate admission tickets can be purchased in advance beginning Monday. Tickets are $6 and available at all Bosselman's Pump & Pantry locations, and Hy-Vee stores in Omaha, Lincoln and Grand Island. They can also be purchased at the Fonner Park Ticket Office.

There will be one final entertainment series announcement in the near future, Jungck said -- a Latin band to complement the Latino Festival at the fair, also on Aug. 29.

"All of these bands are big," Jungck said. "But we know people will be excited about Heart."

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Heart's Still In It: Ann and Nancy Wilson's New CD Marks A Rocking Return

It may be hard to believe but Heart still has a pulse.

One of the first hard rock groups to be fronted by a sister act, Ann and Nancy Wilson, the band started beating in the 1970s before flatlining in the early '80s when they experimented with a new sound.

When they returned to their roots in 1985, fans responded, sending three albums into the top five.

Now, Heart is pumping again. They play the MGM Grand at Foxwoods on Saturday, featuring songs from "Red Velvet Car," their first studio album in six years.

"We have been steadily working in our little rock 'n' roll sweatshop, in the soul of our rock 'n' roll planet," says Nancy Wilson in a voice that is more of a coo than the strong instrument she projects from the stage.

The CD is scheduled to drop on Aug. 31. To the guitar-playing sibling with the strawberry blond hair, it brings hope that it will return the band to the lofty heights it last enjoyed with "Heart" (1985), "Bad Animals" (1987) and "Brigade" (1990) — when singles like "These Dreams," "Alone," "What About Love" and "Never" sent the blood rushing through the veins of fans.

"It took a couple of years," Wilson says, "what with being a mother and all" — she's been married to filmmaker Cameron Crowe since 1986 and they have twin boys born in 2000 — "but we just used our time wisely."

She first worked on the lyrics and "guitar ideas" with bassist and bandmate Craig Bartock.

"Craig is a whiz at bringing it all together," she says. "We then brought Ann in and [producer] Ben Mink, who gave us some really cool ideas. He can make acoustic rock sound harder than electric.

"This is a true Heart album," she says of the 10 tracks. "You get the whole arc of personal stuff with the extreme rock stuff. There is not an inauthentic, fictitious bone in the body of this album.

"We've been under the radar the past few summers. We've gone out with Journey a couple of times, [but this tour] is our own thing, and getting to Foxwoods is very important for us."

After they emerged in 1976, the Wilson sisters were considered the first ladies of arena shows, a Seattle-based garage band that flourished with songs like "Crazy on You," "Magic Man" and "Barracuda."

Then, "the hair band thing and the Seattle grunge thing ended" and they went away "with our tails stuck between our legs."

Heart almost stopped beating. Their music had become more pop, even folksy. "I really thought this was it." Then came the transfusion of hard rock that got them rolling again in the mid-'80s. Now, they're hoping to ride "Red Velvet Car" to the top of the charts once again.

"We've outlived the average rock band a couple of times over," says Nancy Wilson, 56. "We're not a hair band anymore. We're now a heritage band who can actually sing and play.

"Acoustic is way harder than any electric guitar can do. But we do it. And we do it well. I really feel the fans are going to love what's on ‘Red Velvet Car.' We're excited about taking it on tour."

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Heart on Classica Du Jour

Check out Classics Du Jour's Heart page for new photos, an audio interview with Nancy and a contest to win an autographed EP.

Heart on the Joy Behar Show July 26th!!!

It's confirmed! Heart will be on the Joy Behar Show on July 26th! Their first TV appearance in support of Red Velvet Car. Can't wait!!!!! :D

Vinyl 95.3: New Ann Interview

Listen to a nice radio interview with Ann, who is on the road in Canada :D

Storm Sessions: Heart!

Listen for music from our recent acoustic recording session with Heart on upcoming editions of The Acoustic Storm.

Plus, Heart will be the featured artist in the Eye of The Storm on the weekend of 9/18-9/19, with some music from the acoustic sessions and excerpts from our exclusive, in-depth interview with Ann and Nancy Wilson.

The band is on tour and a new Heart CD is set for release August 31. Red Velvet Car features Hey You, WTF, Sand and the title track.

Get more information on Ann and Nancy Wilson on the Heart Web site, and get ready for some acoustic Ann & Nancy Wilson on The Acoustic Storm!


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RSSible: Chicago Lilith Fair

Heart’s Ann Wilson belted out a number of big hits with a voice as potent as at any point in the band’s career. The opening number, “Barracuda,” immediately brought the crowd to its feet, and Heart held that enthusiasm throughout a set that included guitarist Nancy Wilson’s sky-high kick at the beginning of “Crazy On You.” New material from the upcoming Red Velvet Car (Legacy), especially an energetic rock song titled “WTF,” showed definite promise for Heart’s return to the recording scene.


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Pure Heart: Nancy Interview and Podcast

Click here to listen to the nearly 20 minute London Free Press podcast. GREAT Nancy interview. She is so full of life and so brilliant. I really enjoyed this ^_^


Heart’s Wilson sisters and their classy Red Velvet Car are nicely draped in Mink these days — Ben Mink, that is.

The Canadian producer teams with rock and roll’s dynamic duo, singer Ann Wilson and guitarist Nancy Wilson, and their bandmates on their new album Red Velvet Car (Eagle Rock). The tour supporting Red Velvet Car brings Heart to Harris Park this week for the seventh edition of Rock the Park.

“That is the Ben Mink effect,” Nancy Wilson said from Los Angeles recently, after hearing praise for the superb guitar textures and drives on Red Velvet Car. “He and his engineer-mixer David Leonard famously get incredible guitar sounds.”

Playing London for the first time in decades, Heart is on Saturday night’s bill with Lynyrd Skynyrd. The Southern U.S. rock band has not played London before, concert organizers say.

U.S. rock bands 3 Doors Down and Collective Soul top Thursday’s bill. Fest veteran Alice Cooper returns on Friday, when he’s joined by Peter Frampton and other performers.

Mink isn’t a member of Heart. He can be heard with Heart, along with U.S. roots music superstar Alison Krauss, as a guest on a DVD set for release as a complement to the Aug. 31-dropping Red Velvet Car.

Mink had worked with Ann Wilson on a solo project. He also checked out Heart and found a way to bring the rockers full-circle to a new take on their classic sound from the 1970s.

“When he imprinted our band, he saw that, he saw the same thing that we started out being, that acoustic nucleus inside a rock format, with — of course —Ann’s voice, which is signature,” Nancy Wilson said. “He went all the way there with that aspect of our sound which we thought was pretty genius.”

That genius plays out on Red Velvet Car with an assortment of strings including guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, fiddle, viola, cello and autoharp, all played by Nancy Wilson and Grammy-winning Mink.

Using B.C. as a base at first, Ann Wilson and her younger sister, Nancy, blasted off during the 1970s with songs such as Crazy On You, Magic Man and Barracuda.

Heart’s hits continued into the 1980s and into the 1990s with These Dreams, Alone, What About Love, If Looks Could Kill and Never among the 21 Top 40 markers for the band. Heart has sold more than 30 million records.

Mink is helping them sell more. Born in the U.S., but a Canadian since the late 1960s, Mink has worked with k.d. lang, Rush, Barenaked Ladies and others — all the way back to Murray McLauchlan’s Silver Tractors.

It’s another Canadian with a similar last name — Sarah McLachlan — who has been a key Heart ally as the band tours this summer with McLachlan’s Lilith Fair.

“Sarah McLachlan is one of the coolest influences on the culture, not just women’s culture, but the culture of human rights and awareness. We’re there for her,” Nancy Wilson said. Wilson said that Lilith Fair’s cancellation of some dates have made it a target for media attention, even though other tours are also dropping dates.

“There’s a negative spin on it. It’s easy to pick on the women,” Nancy Wilson said.

Rock and roll’s most famous sister act are ready to drive right through such spin. It helps to have such a strong vehicle in Red Velvet Car, the first new studio album in six years for Heart.

Nine of the album’s songs were written for the album. The closing track, Sand, is a beautiful new version of a song originally written and recorded by the Lovemongers, the sisters’ 1990’s acoustic side project.

Other standouts include Queen City, “a love letter” to Seattle music.

“It’s like the Liverpool of America in many ways,” Nancy Wilson said. “It’s a seaport town with big music talent. They’ve had a lot of people coming from there from Ray Charles to Jimi Hendrix, the Wailers, the Sonics … the grunge era was another wave of that.”

The strongest track is WTF, which translates as just what you expect when Ann Wilson is shouting it out. It combines wisdom from journals kept by the sisters’ late mother, Lois “Lou” Wilson, with a crunching riff from Heart guitarist Craig Bartock.

“That’s just one of the big rockers. We have a variety of grapes in our vineyard. We put out varietals (a wine term) as our songs, “ Nancy Wilson said. “That’s definitely the ‘hard rock variety’ song.”

After getting the full Mink customizing, WTF beats away as strongly as only Heart can.

“I think it sounds so extremely Heart as well, especially the pre-’80s version of Heart, the original sound of Heart, which could be really heavy rock with the acoustic rocking as hard as any electric in the sound,” she said. “That’s a little different from most rock and roll.”

IF YOU GO

What: Rock the Park 2010, an outdoor rock festival in downtown London. Like the first six editions of Rock the Park, this summer’s concert series is a fundraiser for Bethanys Hope Foundation. It helps pay for London- and UWO-based research into metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD, a devastating progressive neurodegenerative disease). The London foundation is named for Bethany Catherine McIntyre, who died in 2000, at the age of seven after a five-year struggle with MLD. London concert producer Brad Jones, a former foundation board member, suggested using rock concerts to raise money.

When: Thursday, Friday, gates open at 4 p.m., Saturday, gates open at 3:30 p.m.

Where: Harris Park

Lineups

Thursday: 3 Doors Down, Collective Soul, Thornley, Crash Karma

Friday: Alice Cooper, Peter Frampton, Alannah Myles, Night Ranger

Saturday: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Heart, April Wine, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels


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Lilith Photos and Videos

Please check out the Lilith Fair 2010 for 3 photos and 4 videos from the Minneapolis show, 4 photos from the Chicago show (yay we finally have photos of Nancy!), and one video of Straight On from the Kansas City show =)

Lilith Fair Minneapolis Reviews

Who's who at Lilith Fair

Heart, Seattle/Vancouver.

Ann Wilson, 60; Nancy Wilson, 56.

Latest album: "Red Velvet Car" (due Aug. 31).

Since the '70s, the Wilson sisters have been giving us the dog and butterfly of rock 'n' roll, playing it hard, soft and sexy.

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*please note the following review has a bit of crowd negativity in it. Just thought I'd let everyone know.

The Lilith audience started coming to life after a spirited alt-country hoedown by Court Yard Hounds (The Dixie Chicks minus the short one who famously dissed Bush) that culminated with "Ain't No Son" and some intense fiddling, meaning it was now time for sisterly duo Heart to take the stage. Nancy Wilson's grating guitar riffs wailed out on opening number "Barracuda," a stunning start to what would be a memorable 50 minutes.

Dressed in all black and looking years younger than 54 and 60, the ladies of Heart tore through "Straight On" and "Even It Up" -- the latter featuring an impromptu chorus from the Stones' "Gimme Shelter" -- and then launched into a 3-song mini-set of tracks from their new album, Red Velvet Car (debuting Aug. 31). Miffed, the audience sat. Some even had the nerve to yell "PLAY 'ALONE!' while Ann was introducing the songs and giving us backstory. But fans got their way, not before new tracks "WTF" ("About little talks you have with yourself when you've just screwed up"), and "Hey You." Though the duo's slowed, acoustic performance of "Alone" was not nearly as beastly as many surely expected, it truly showed off Ann's robust howl.

Heart finished with "Crazy On You" and "Magic Man" featuring live electronic effects from a distracting keyboardist whose gothic ensemble and plucky pigtails made her look like she was teleported straight out of Guitar Hero -- the only thing we could have done without. Our only wish unfulfilled: They didn't play "Never" or "Who Will You Run To", a small thing compared to witnessing these sisters show off their legendary rock n' roll prowess, something next pefromer Mary J. Blige said she was inspired by when watching Heart on MTV in the '80s.

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Heart. “Barracuda,” “Straight On,” “Even It Up” segueing into “Gimme Shelter,” “Alone” (this was not an “American Idol” moment), “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You” – Ann Wilson’s voice sounded fabulous. It wasn’t all nostalgia. The three new songs from the forthcoming “Red Velvet Car” album proved that Heart still has a pulse. After hearing Ann again live, I think the Led Zeppelin guys should consider her as a fill-in for Robert Plant. Grade: A-minus.

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Lilith Fair Chicago Reviews

Heart were the veterans, with singer Ann Wilson caterwauling blissfully through classic hits, such as "Barracuda" and "Crazy on You" while her sister/guitarist Nancy scissor-kicked and worked her machine-gun, rhythmic melodies.

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Lilith is all about sisterhood, and in the case of Heart and Court Yard Hounds, that is literally true. Led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, Heart delivered thunderous guitar riffs and soaring vocals with the ’70s classics “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man” and “Barracuda.” The band also played three solid songs from a forthcoming studio album, “Red Velvet Car.”

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40 More Photos from Lilith Fair Kansas City!

Scroll down to the Kansas City area in the Lilith Fair 2010 section for 40 more photos of Ann and Nancy =)

New Photo and MP3 of the Week =)

Please check out the Photo of the Week section for a lovely new addition, as well as the top of the right navigation area for the MP3 of the Week =)

HeartHistory: July 16th-18th

On this date (July 16th) in 1990, Heart was on the Brigade tour, stopping in Holmdel, NJ #HeartHistory

On this date (July 17th) in 1993, the Lovemongers (Heart "side project") Don't Blink Micro Tour stopped in Boise, ID #HeartHistory

On this date (July 18th) in 2002, Heart was on the Summer of Love tour in Robinsonville, MS #HeartHistory

Lilith Fair Has Heart

Kansas City Review.

And again, our girls steal the show. ♥


For Hardrock Haven fans, Heart, clearly was the day’s highlight. Ann and Nancy Wilson kicked off their set with “Barracuda.” Ann’s voice hasn’t changed a bit since the sisters’ 1976 debut album Dreamboat Annie. If anything, her voice has improved with time, which was kind of surprising to many in attendance. She received a huge applause for belting it out. Nancy rocked on the guitar and was in perfect vocal and instrumental harmony with Ann. They played the hits “Straight On” and “Even It Up” before performing “WTF,” “Hey You” and “Red Velvet Car” from their new CD titled Red Velvet Car. The set concluded with the well-known songs, “Alone,” Magic Man” and “Crazy On You.” Heart’s encore, a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “What Is And What Should Never Be” left fans wanting more Rock and Roll and a standalone Heart tour. Props go to the Wilson sisters, who continue to rock and record.
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Lilith Fair 2010 isn’t a sell-out tour, but it provides a day in which women in music is celebrated. Ann Wilson said it best: “We don’t stand on gender, alone. But we’re happy we were able to kick open some doors for other female artists.”


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Ann and Nancy on Rockline!

Ann and Nancy will be on Rockline on September 15th!!! YAY! =D

Thank you to Shirean from the Heart Gallery for this info =)

Mega-Post of Lilith Photos and Videos!

Please check out the Lilith Fair 2010 section for 12 videos and 26 more photos from the Kansas City show and 16 photos and 7 videos from last night's show in Chicago =D

Video: Part 5 of 10 - Ann & Nancy Webisode Series from the Grammy Museum - Women Artsists in a Male Industry

Part 5 of the 10 part webisode series of Ann and Nancy at the Grammy Museum from May 24th. Here Nancy talks about what it's like being a woman in a male dominated industry and how rare it still is to find women in rock n roll bands.

Videos and Photos from the Kansas City Lilith Show!

Please check out the Lilith Fair 2010 section for 2 videos and 23 photos from last night's Lilith Fair show in Kansas City =) Also scroll down to the San Fran section for another video of Alone =)

Heart to Heart: An Interview With Nancy Wilson

Almost 35 years after the release of their classic debut album Dreamboat Annie, the Wilson sisters (Ann and Nancy) of Heart show no signs of slowing down. Their new album Red Velvet Car (Legacy), follows not only their previous studio recording, 2004’s Jupiter’s Darling, but also Ann’s first ever solo release, 2007’s Hope & Glory (on which she performed duets with Rufus Wainwright and Sir Elton John, among others). The good news is that the timeless Red Velvet Car has everything Heart fans have come to expect from the band, including razor sharp rockers and mellow acoustic tracks. I spoke with Nancy shortly before the release of the disc.


Gregg Shapiro: Red Velvet Car is the first new Heart album since Jupiter’s Darling. How would you say that your songwriting with sister Ann has evolved in the years between discs?

Nancy Wilson: This time out, we’d done a whole lot of touring in between which has galvanized our singing and playing live together on live stages. That always sharpens your focus as a writer when you have the various thrills of songs on a live stage. You want to pull that into the aspect of writing new songs. There’s stuff about playing live that’s melded into the writing, as well as the fact that we romanced our producer Ben Mink for a couple of years before we could get into a studio with him. We also co-wrote some stuff with him for Red Velvet Car, as well as Craig Bartok, with whom we wrote everything for Jupiter’s Darling. Instead of self-producing this album, having this producer (Mink) and having the Ben Mink style involved with our songwriting style, as well as Ben’s songwriting and playing style was exactly what we were trying to get to. And it really worked (laughs). Our instincts were spot on and we achieved what we wanted to get.

GS: It’s great when that happens.

NW: It doesn’t always happen. And in this case, I’m just really excited about this one. It’s always fun to have new material out there. In the case of Red Velvet Car, it’s sort of a topper. One of those things that comes along that you feel represents the arc of your career in the way that you want it to.

GS: The Red Velvet Car disc has a nice balance of acoustic and electric tunes. Do you have a preference for one over the other?

NW: No. That’s the thing about Heart. We’ve always been a dualistic dichotomy of a band (laughs). We rock really hard and half the people used to say, “Why can’t you just rock and get rid of all of those sappy ballads?” And the other half of the people would say, “Why do you have to do those rock songs? Why can’t you stick with your strengths, which is those beautiful, romantic side (laughs)?” We just wouldn’t be Heart without both.

GS: I love the pumping beat of “Wheels.” Are there any plans for a club mix for your gay fans?

NW: Well, “Wheels” would be ridiculously fun to remix (laughs). I think it just goes without saying that that is going to happen because it’s one of those songs. That bass-line something that I had sitting around in my back-pocket and it finally found a perfect home. It’s so dance!
GS: It reminds me a little bit of the Heart tune “Straight On.”

NW: Yeah! Sort of barrelhouse. A little bit of Elton John in there, too.

GS: Speaking of gay fans, I was thinking about the song “Little Queen” and the song “Queen City” had me wondering if you were aware of a following in the gay community?

NW: We’ve always had a gay following that we’re really close with. Initially, because Ann’s a diva (laughs). Just starting out with that fact, it’s automatic that we have gay boy and gay girl fans. There’s the diva thing that a lot of hetero males have a hard time getting behind, it’s so powerful. I think our gay audience is one of our biggest audiences.

GS: It’s been said that being impersonated by a drag queen is one of the highest forms of flattery. Have you come across any doing Heart during your career?

NW: I haven’t seen it myself, but I know they’re there. And there are some really great ones. I would imagine that of all of the many singers to imitate, [Ann] would be one of the hardest. Even though there’s a lot of range represented in singers like Streisand and other high range singers, there’s more of a rock thing that’s harder to achieve, I think (laughs). I’d love to see somebody nail the Ann Wilson thing.
GS: Heart is performing at the newly revived Lilith Fair this summer. What does that mean to you?

NW: I think it’s going to be amazing. We’ve never done Lilith Fair. I’m really curious to see how is the human democracy going to balance out with so many women doing most of the work. I don’t how many guys are going to be in the bands that are playing. It’s going to be totally cool to check it out. And I’m just so proud that we could be an influence for so many women just to get out there and be ready to rock.
Heart will be performing on August 1 in Baltimore at Pier Six Concert Pavilion.


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Photos from the Grammy Event

Until the gallery is up and running I'll be posting 'new' photos as such. I didn't come across these shots from the Grammy Museum event (May 24th, 2010) until just now. Oh my goodness 0_o

 

"Wilsons Upset About Heart Breakers"

Possible tabloid BS on the horizon over Nancy's comment to Billboard.com


HEART stars ANN and NANCY WILSON are urging fans not to listen to their bitter ex-boyfriends and ex-bandmates, who are trying to recreate past glories on tour.

The sisters admit they're upset with comments former Heart stars Roger Fisher and Steve Fossen have made while promoting shows they're performing.

Nancy Wilson tells Billboard.com, "It's a little challenging to put up with some of the original lineup guys. Some of the original guys are trying to look back and trying to recreate something.

"They had a Heart reunion without Ann and Nancy, and... they were dissing us on the local radio and stuff, saying negative things about me and Ann. What can you do?"


Source and Source

*Note: I wasn't going to post this but as I would like to bring you info on EVERYTHING that is happening in the world regarding Ann and Nancy I decided to go ahead and post. Hopefully there won't be any more updates on this matter though. =\ I like bringing good news =)

Another Nancy Interview Clip from KSHE95

Heart has just uploaded it's new promo video featuring new material from the upcoming studio album Red Velvet Car and it's accompanying live DVD, which will be released on August 31st. To check out the video -- which features vintage footage of the band and the new material -- log on to [YouTube]


We asked Nancy Wilson what the real impetus is for her and sister Ann to keep recording and touring as Heart: "Maybe it's fear of the bank (laughs) I don't know. Fear of working at the bank? Fear of the real world? I think we're pretty well-versed how to do okay in the real world, but you're not necessarily prepared to live in the real world either when you've done this all your life. So I think continuing to do this it (laughs) is a pretty good idea (laughs)."




She is ridiculously adorable. Jeez xD


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Lilith Fair Kansas City Photos

Check the Lilith Fair 2010 section for a few photos from the Kansas City show and the setlist =). Not very people have posted photos yet so there isn't much. More in the coming days though =)

The Hit-Making Sister Act of Ann and Nancy Wilson is Back with a Vengeance

One of the most successful and beloved acts in rock music history, Heart, led by Ann and Nancy Wilson, bring their “Red Velvet Car Tour” to DTE Energy Music Theatre on Friday, September 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets at $42 and $25 pavilion and $10 lawn are on sale now at Palacenet.com, The Palace and DTE Energy Music Theatre Box Offices and all Ticketmaster locations.

Tickets may also be charged by phone to American Express, Discover, Visa and MasterCard by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Heart keeps doing what brings them honors as well as awards and press raves: creating rock music in concert and on record that marks the band as living classic, as good as ever. Winning 2008’s Top Package honors in Billboard’s Touring Awards and being nominated for Most Creative Tour Package in Pollstar’s Concert Industry Awards for their tour with Journey and Cheap Trick, Heart continues to tour in 2009 and 2010. “If you’ve never seen Heart play live, then frankly you haven’t seen the best that rock ’n’ roll has to offer,” notes the St. Petersburg Times, praising the band’s show as “brilliant.”

The Wilson sisters are also wrapping up work on their new studio album with producer Ben Mink, who produced Ann Wilson’s 2007 album Hope & Glory as well as records by k.d. lang, Barenaked Ladies and Geddy Lee. The album, Red Velvet Car, will be their first new studio album in six years and is set to be released August 31, 2010. Heart’s last album in 2004, Jupiter’s Darling, re-released by the band in 2008, was hailed as “easily the band’s finest moment in over 20 years” by All Music Guide. Entertainment Weekly declared that “the hit-making sister act of Ann and Nancy Wilson is back with a vengeance.”

The prestigious ASCAP Founders Award saluted the Wilsons as songwriters who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing their fellow music creators and musical innovators who possess a unique style of songwriting genius that will enrich generations to come. Sisters Ann and Nancy were the first women in rock to lead the band, write their songs and play their own instruments. To wit, Heart’s songs continue to be featured in numerous TV shows and on American Idol, and three of the band’s numbers are now in the Guitar Hero and Rock Band video games.

Heart is part of the Belle Tire Concert Series.


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Heart Still Beats

Big hair, big hits and big-time play on the FM dial.


Heart seemed to have it all in the 1980s, racing up the charts with radio-friendly fare like "What About Love" and "These Dreams."

Beneath its carefully constructed image, however, the band, led by the first sisters of rock Ann and Nancy Wilson, was pining for simpler times, when a girl could crank a guitar and play from her soul.

"It was just too much work, too much stress and too much inauthenticity for us," Ann Wilson, the group's chief vocalist, says in advance of a July 23 appearance at Casino Rama.

Struggling to match its success of the 1970s, the group had grudgingly abandoned the classic-rock stylings of songs like Magic Man and Barracuda for the formulaic power pop that record executives knew would rack up sales and fill concert halls.

Wilson has since likened the band's deal with a major label to "a devil's bargain."

"They said, 'Just wear these clothes and play these songs to the best of your ability and do like 200 shows a year for a few years,'" she adds with a laugh. "Just lose a few brain cells and a bunch of your conscience."

When Heart reached the end of that fruitful, if unfulfilling run, "we were like, 'Holy mother of God, let's just go back to being ourselves - hits or no hits," she adds.

The band's latest release, Red Velvet Car, marks a return to the sort of guitar-driven work that first caught the listening public's attention in the mid to late 1970s with Dreamboat Annie, Little Queen and Dog and Butterfly.

"Heart has always been a rock band with an acoustic at its centre," she says. "Nancy doesn't play the acoustic guitar like most people. She really digs in, and at times she plays it like an electric, really makes it move."

Working with producer Ben Mink allowed Ann to explore another side of her vocal powers.

"Every other producer I've ever worked with is always saying, 'Come on, Annie, get mad, let it slide, balls to the wall,' but Ben is always saying, 'Hold back a little bit, let your soul sing out, show some nuance.

"I really thought that was great," she adds. "At this point in my career, I welcome some direction, somebody who might have another idea on how to bring my voice out."

Though the Wilson sisters hailed from the Seattle area, the band was formed in Vancouver after Ann fell in love with a conscientious objector who left the U.S. for Canada.

"He moved to Vancouver rather than going to Vietnam to kill people," she says.

Wilson followed, and would spend the next several years in Vancouver, where Heart would record its first album on Mushroom records.

"We were really poor, we were just a club band at that point in Vancouver, driving to the studio by day and going to work at the clubs at night," she said.

Songs from the album were slowly integrated into live sets, though not without some resistance from the bar crowd.

"At first people were like, 'Shut up, you guys suck, we just want to hear Deep Purple,'" she says.

As the album gained greater recognition on the airwaves, audience support followed.

"It morphed from one thing into another," she says.

Wilson readily acknowledges the influence of Brit-rockers Led Zeppelin on Heart, the unmistakable mixture of high register vocals coupled with layers of acoustic and electric guitars.

"They are teachers, they are a teaching band for us and for so many bands that came after them," she says. "It's how it's done and how amazing it can be and how you can break the rules staying inside of a blues format."

The Wilsons would come to work with Led Zeppelin bassist/keyboard player John Paul Jones in the '90s during the production of Heart's live album, The Road Home.

"The first night that we met with him, Nancy and I were all very grown up and everything and did our meeting, and then walked back to our car, rolled up the windows and started screaming," she says.

 
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Rockin' Out With Heart in San Fran

So after being on a music tour for a while, the “star-struck” atmosphere has definitely dwindled… but let me just say that when Heart took the stage in San Francisco, I could barely contain my excitement! I mean come on, Ann Wilson?? Dare I say, best female rock vocals EVER??? (Can you tell I’m a fan?) Her voice was pure and perfect, sounding just has it had when their first album came out in 1976. What’s she doing to preserve that thing and how do I get in on it? Other performances on the tour have been powerful and somewhat mellow, but Heart ripped that stage to pieces. The audience was going crazy! Rock and Roll! Can’t wait to see their next performance tomorrow in Kansas City! Ann and Nancy Wilson, you both have a piece of my heart!!






 
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Still Going Strong

 When it comes to rock star siblings and fist fights, Ann Wilson admits her band has been boring. As Heart, she and her sister Nancy have been too busy writing, recording and touring for the past 35 years. And with a stop in Thunder Bay July 20, the Seattle sisters have a new album to share showing no sign of a blowout any time soon.


"It’s going to look and sound amazing and be Heart at it’s best in the moment with everything starting back from the beginning and ending up right now," Wilson said of the show.

The pair had been "romancing" Ben Mink, who Wilson calls "the most creative thing on two legs", to produce their album "Red Velvet Car" for awhile before he saw Heart perform and liked the new material. Vancouver’s Mink, who has produced artists like Feist, Rush and Wilson’s solo effort "Hope and Glory", even ended up writing some material. Wilson said recording the new album was an "amazing experience". The album isn’t trying to compete with contemporary pop stars but rather just stay true to what Heart is about, heavy-duty rock with an acoustic centre.

"We learned several times throughout our career is the best way to kill the creative spark is to put pressure on it to sell," Wilson said. "If we want to be the Heart that is recognizable to ourselves and to the people who love Heart then we better be ourselves."

While artists such as Lady Gaga or Katy Perry have digital sounds all over their tracks, Wilson said she prefers the analog sound.

"I don’t particularly like the digital sound that much because I think it’s so cold. I see it as sort of robotic. I know that’s the very thing a lot of people like about it but for me I always tend to like a warm crunchy sound."

That sound was developed at a time when women were playing everything but rock. While there were female disco, folk and R’n’B singers, Wilson said their new sound was added to the multiple genres of the day. And it’s the same today. Wilson said new genres will come along after the likes of Lady Gaga to replace that digital sound.

"Pretty soon something will come along and blow that out of the water. It’s a series of genre changes," said Wilson.

Wilson has however, embraced other new technology such as "Guitar Hero" which has made Heart fans out of a whole new generation thanks to tracks like "Barracuda" being added to the video game. Another new format that has brought out young fans is the popularity of Heart songs like "Alone" being attempted by contestants on American Idol.
"Some people that come see us are so young that when we do ‘Alone’ they go ‘Wow that lady’s covering the American Idol song’," laughed Wilson.

Even though it’s flattering to be imitated Wilson, who didn’t watch the show, said American Idol made the songs impersonal. Wilson said the songs became exercises like a gymnast’s routine rather than art.
"It’s very funny and strange and to me," said Wilson. "The pure joy of doing art becomes competition."


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RVC Video Featured on Classics Du Jour

The RVC intro is one of Classic Du Jour's video picks! Yay! =)

Billboard.com: Heart Kicks Off 'Red Velvet Car' With Lilith Fair Gigs

A desire to work with a specific producer, Ben Mink, drove Heart to record its forthcoming new album, "Red Velvet Car."

"We've always wanted to work with Ben Mink, and we've actually been sort of romancing him for a couple of years, just trying to get him in our corner to agree to do something," guitarist Nancy Wilson -- whose sister, singer Ann Wilson, teamed with Mink on her 2007 solo album, "Hope & Glory" -- tells Billboard.com. "After they worked together, it was like, 'Come on! Please! We've gotta do a Heart album with him.' It wasn't going to be right until we did."

Mink (k.d. lang, Barenaked Ladies) not only produced the 10-track album but also co-wrote with the Wilson sisters and played a variety of instruments during the sessions. "I played a lot of guitar with him on this one," Nancy Wilson reports. "Playing guitar with him was one of those 'Wow!'sort of moments. We have similar instincts, like separated at birth guitar-playing instincts. It was just a natural fit -- and for us to be writing songs, too."

Wilson says nine of the 10 songs on "Red Velvet Car" -- which comes out Aug. 31 and is Heart's first new studio album since "Jupiter's Darling" in 2004 -- are new to the project, while the track "Sand" hails from "Whirlygig," the 1997 album by the Wilsons' side project the Lovemongers. "Back then we didn't have a good budget to produce anything that sounded very good," Wilson says, "but ('Sand') is one of those songs that just kept coming back and coming back. Ben saw us do it live and pointed out that we might want to bring that song on.'

"Red Velvet Car" will be accompanied by DVD that Heart filmed on March 5 in at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, where they previewed five of the new songs and also coverd the Who's "Love Reign O'er Me." The group kicks off its tour to promote the album today (July 15) with the second of four Lilith Fair dates, before headlining its own shows through late September. "We have a bigger production...just because the album's coming out," Wilson reports. "We're bringing some staging, some big shapes and some projectables and some things that are going to move around and have a nice look about them and give the set a definite stylistic flair." But she's also looking forward to checking out Lilith and a scene that's a result of Heart's own groundbreaking success for women in rock during the '70s.

"I know in so many cases a lot of the women who came up through the singer-songwriter, Lilith Fair era, the earlier Lilith Fair era, did say that we were influences on them," Wilson notes. "It's always flattering. It's the ultimate compliment to be imitated or at least be somebody's influence, for sure."

But she and her sister are less pleased with some previous Heart members -- including co-founders and former boyfriend Roger Fisher, and Steve Fossen -- who performed on May 15 at the Synergia Northwest concert in Tacoma, Wash. "It's a little challenging to put up with some of the original lineup guys," she says. "Some of the original guys are trying to look back and trying to recreate something. They had a Heart reunion without Ann and Nancy, and...they were dissing us on the local radio and stuff, saying negative things about me and Ann. What can you do?"

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Backstage Axxess Review of Red Velvet Car

Spoilers ahoy! If you don't want to know any specifics on who sings lead on which songs, songs we haven't had any info on thus far...do not continue reading.

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Heart will be releasing their 13th studio effort ‘Red Velvet Car’ on Sony Legacy Records on August 31, 2010 in North America (August 30 in Europe.) Included on the European release are two extra tracks called “Bootful of Beer” and “Closer to the Sun.” The band still consists of rock icons Ann and Nancy Wilson, Ben Smith (drums), Craig Bartock (guitar), Debbie Shair (Keyboards) and studio bassist Rik Markmann, who contributed his talents to this album.


The acoustic driven and tambourine shaking “There You Go” is the first cut from the CD, followed by “WTF,” which serves as the record’s hardest rocking track. Drummer Ben Smith shows why he has been the backbone of Heart since 1995. He takes charge on this song and drives it where it needs to go.

Ann’s sultry voice is masterful on the title tune, “Red Velvet Car;” a song with soul and sex appeal all rolled up in one. Nancy takes over the lead vocals on “Hey You” and “Sunflower.” “Hey You” is the first radio single that just debuted in the first week of July. The track “Wheels” offers a more up-tempo experience and lives up to the title as it has a rolling feel which accompanies it. Ann showcases her one-of-a-kind voice on “Safronias Mark” while Nancy breaks out her mandolin. “Death Valley” is probably my favorite song on the disc, as the Wilson harmonies flow effortlessly in unison with Nancy’s acoustic prowess.

This CD takes a different approach than 2004’s ‘Jupiter’s Darling’ as it’s more of a melodic and easy listening release. The “First Sisters of Rock” are at a place were they are able to make the records they want to make. To me, that’s refreshing and honest. Hopefully others will feel the same way!

2 New Articles on Red Velvet Car

Legacy Recordings has announced the release of Red Velvet Car, the first new studio album in six years from the groundbreaking Seattle-based band HEART, available everywhere on Tuesday, August 31st, or pre-order your copy now from Amazon.com here.


For their first new album since 2004′s Jupiter’s Darling, the first ladies of arena rock took an acoustic approach to a collection of songs inspired by the world around them, arranged for an assortment of strings including guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, fiddle, viola, cello and autoharp, all played by Nancy Wilson and the album’s producer, Grammy winner Ben Mink.

Nine of the album’s songs were written for, and appear for the first time on Red Velvet Car. The album’s closer, ‘Sand‘, is a newly recorded version of a song originally written and recorded by the LOVEMONGERS, Ann and Nancy‘s 1990′s acoustic side project.

“It feels good to have Sony Music holding our new baby. It’s sort of like coming home, since we worked with them on Little Queen, Dog And Butterfly, Bebe le Strange, Private Audition and Passionworks, among others,” said Ann Wilson. “We’re excited about taking it on the road. A fresh sound with all the original Heart magic.”
“This album feels so right for the times,” said Nancy Wilson. “We can’t wait to share this one with the world!”
Heart will be performing songs from Red Velvet Car, as well as classics from the band’s repertoire, at selected Lilith Fair dates and in headline concerts across the US and Canada from July through September.

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A snippet from OutQ: Ladies of Lilith:

Heart has a new album, Red Velvet Car, coming out next month, but for now they have a new EP, WTF, and I'll be playing the title track. Heart are badass ladies and don't really get their due. I don't totally love this new song, but their catalog speaks for itself. Ann Wilson is an incredible rock and roll singer, and Nancy Wilson is a very underrated guitarist. I'm curious to hear the album.

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HeartHistory: July 15th

On this date (July 15th) in 2006, Heart played in Walker, MN #HeartHistory

Updates: Nancy Interviews (Pt 2)

This just in! The 2 Canadian radio show interviews were pre-taped and haven't aired yet =D I'll be receiving a message when they do! Yay! More info as it comes in =)

HeartHistory: July 13th & 14th

On this date (July 13th) in 1999, Ann and Nancy of Heart were on their solo/duo tour, stopping in Greensboro, NC =) #HeartHistory

On this date (July 14th) in 1980, Heart was on the Bebe le Strange tour, stopping in New Haven, CT =) #HeartHistory

Updates: Nancy Interviews

Yesterday Nancy did radio interviews with Shore 104.3 and 102.3 Bob FM, two Canadian stations, as well as a phone interview with James Reaney from the London Free Press. The LFPress interview is set to run next week when Heart plays Rock the Park in London (Ontario), should have a podcast of the interview up as well =)

Now the 2 radio interviews I didn't find out about until last night so I'm not sure if they aired live or if they will be up on or around July 24th when Heart plays in London (Ontario). More info soon, if they write me back. But if anyone has already heard these and was able to get a recording I'd love to feature it on the site =) Please drop a comment if you did.

In the meantime, I'll keep on those sites, hopefully they haven't aired yet so I can get a recording for everyone to hear =D

All for now.

HeartLove.

2 More Lilith Fair San Francisco Videos!

Please check out the Lilith Fair 2010 section for 2 more videos from the San Francisco show. One short clip from the press conference, Ann and Nancy don't speak though, and another video of Alone =)

Video: Red Velvet Car Introduction

Heart posted this up on their YouTube yesterday. Here for your viewing pleasure, the Red Velvet Car introduction =)

NEW Photo!!!!

Amy found this GORGEOUS new photo today!!! =D

Special Offer on RVC!

Check out the right navigation area for a special offer on Red Velvet Car! Use the code on Amazon.com to received $1 off your purchase of the album =) (US Only)

More Info on the WTF Vinyl Single!

According to Motley Sue, the WTF Vinyl Single is a "red, heart-shaped" disc!! This item is available for pre-order from Amazon.com, with a release date of July 27th. MS is encouraging that we wait to purchase it in record stores though, for which she will have a list available soon. =)

HeartHistory: July 12th

On this date (July 12th) in 1982 Heart played Parker's Tavern in Seattle on the Private Audition tour =) #HeartHistory

The First Review of Red Velvet Car!

Here is a WONDERFUL review of Red Velvet Car. I expect we'll be getting many more of these in the near future ♥

Thank you to the Heartlinker for this =)

Shy rays of sunshine, a cool breeze, a hot cup of coffee and the new Heart album: Sunday mornings don’t get much better than this.


The two first ladies of arena rock are back with a brand new release after a six years hiatus: “Red Velvet Car” does just what it says on the cover. No silly attempts at conquering teenagers, yet a fresh sound that makes it hard to believe the Wilson sisters started way back in the 70s. They know the best way to go is to do what you do better, and this is for sure one of the finest releases from the Seattle ground-breaking duo. Adding an acoustic gradient to the mix, Nancy further shows her musical capabilities, pinching notes out of guitars, mandolins, dobros, banjos, fiddles, violas, cellos and harps, with the help of Grammy winner producer Ben Mink.

From gritty ‘WTF’ to more romantic ‘Queen City’, from joyful ‘Hey You’ to darker ‘Death Valley’, sure the Wilsons’s song writing skills are still outstanding; they slightly move from angle to angle at every song, making this album a pleasant unbroken yet diverse experience. Angels voices and rock guitars, harps and bass, good and evil, old and new, all happily together, yes, in one word… Who said chaos?!? Get out! ‘Harmony, that’s the word.

All the songs are penned from personal life experiences, and that may be what gives “Red Velvet Car” such a smooth, down to earth vibe. Well-arranged and produced in every detail, still you can kind of feel Ann and Nancy sitting with a guitar, creating the first riff, adding the words. Surely none of this tracks would sounds bad in an acoustic version, and in fact closer ‘Sand’ was firstly recorded in 1990 for the Wilsons’ acoustic project The Lovemongers.

There are two bonus tracks and I can’t find details about them, so I can’t guarantee you’re going to find them on your copy, but I really hope you do: ‘Bootful of Beer’ would be a bit of a typical Eighties song, but there are sounds and instruments I can promise you’re not going to find on any hard rock or hair metal hit. I’d love to see this one played live. The choice for the grand finale is heart-warming ballad ‘Closer to the Sun’, which leaves me peacefully enjoying whatever little is left of this glorious sunny day: Sunday evenings don’t get much better than this…


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New Photo and MP3 of the Week!

Check out the Photo of the Week section for a new photo and the right hand navigation area for the MP3 of the Week =)

More Lilith Coverage!

Here's 2 nice review snippets of the San Francisco Lilith Fair show =)


The Wilson sisters, Ann and Nancy, fired up the audience with such potent numbers as “Crazy On You” and “Barracuda.” Ann’s unbridled vocals and Nancy’s sizzling guitar work turned the heat up in the Mountain View evening. They previewed the title track from their soon-to-be-released “Red Velvet Car” album.

Nancy Wilson thanked McLachlan for giving birth to Lilith. “It’s a really important thing in the greater scheme of cultural imprint. Even though Lilith Fair caught a lot of flack, along the way, it’s like one step forward, three steps back, the step forward is there, in the culture.”

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With the sun safely set, it was time for the real fireworks to begin. Sister duo Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart took the stage to a roaring crowd. Ann had a flute. Yeah, suck it, Jethro Tull.

The set was a kinetic blur of Ann’s signature wail and Nancy’s trademark licks. The gals still got it and then some. The arena pulses in a state of rock nirvana as they ripped through anthems like “Alone,” “Crazy” and “Barracuda.” The ladies also played a few new numbers off their forthcoming album, “Red Velvet Car.”

Because they’re Heart and because Heart is a legend -- wait for it -- dary, the group came out for an encore, a hard-driving cover of Led Zeppelin’s “What Is & What Should Never Be.” These are the rock stars today’s rock stars dream about being when they grow up.

The show closed, as every Lilith performance has, with a big group sing-along. The women amassed to belt out “Because the Night,” first made famous by its writers Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith.

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