Heartless Bastards

Riding a wave of critical acclaim, Ohio-to-Texas transplants the Heartless Bastards make their Austin City Limits debut. Dayton native Erika Wennerstrom formed the first incarnation of the Bastards (named after a wrong answer to a trivia question involving Tom Petty’s backing group) in the Midwestern musical hotbed of Cincinnati in the early aughts. After the trio’s fellow Buckeyes the Black Keys passed a demo tape of their bluesy garage rock to Fat Possum, the label released the band’s first album Stairs and Elevators in 2005. Following 2006’s All This Time, the band hit the road, logging appearances around the world, including the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Following a move to Austin, Wennerstrom formed a new version of the band and released The Mountain, the Bastards’ most expansive and acclaimed album yet.  With another tour and round of festival dates (including Bonnaroo and a return to ACL Fest) on the horizon, the Heartless Bastards celebrate their rising fortune by stepping on to the 6A stage for their debut ACL episode.