A report from the Q1043 event

RVC

Brett reporting from NYC, September 1st 2010:

It was amazing…The ladies first came out and did like a ten minute interview with some radio host (I want to say his name was Jim Kerr or something) but they talked about the new album and the same old questions each interviewer asks Ann and Nancy like about being women in a male dominated industry, their fixation on the beatles, and so on. The interviewer made sure to speak of how amazingly red velvet car is doing in the market. He spoke of its immediate rise to number one on amazon and said that when he was going through radio stats early in the morning (he works on 104.3 radio) that “Hey You” is being predicted to be Heart’s 21st top twenty single.

Ann & Nancy September 2nd

(Amazing and well deserved news, might I add.) On a side note, Ann was wearing these red kick ass cowboy boots. The interview concluded and the girls were taken off stage for about five minutes and returned with a six song set starting with barracuda. I have been dying to finally see Ann and Nancy with straight acoustics and they did not disappoint. Nancy and Craig were spot on, transforming some of the hardest heart rockers into numbers that suited acoustic guitars well. The rest of the set was as follows: Barracuda, Dog and Butterfly, Hey You, WTF (acoustic and out of this world), Crazy on You, and Dreamboat Annie. A fun little

Red Boots

thing that they did was at the end of Dreamboat Annie where there is normally a flute playing, Nancy sang it in a joking way and a majority of the crowd sang it right along with her. This is my tenth heart show and even though it was only six songs, this ranks among my favorite experiences. I am so thankful I was chosen to attend this event. On the way out the door, everyone who attended was handed a poster to remember this magical night.

Also in other great news, the interviewer had a VINYL COPY of Red Velvet Car!!!!! Ann and Nancy hadn’t even seen it yet…I can not wait to get my hands on that. This show was also filmed with 6 cameras and will be broadcasted on clear channel tv, along with about one hundred radio stations.

More from this event at Q104.3

Rock Jam 2010: NBC11 News reports

MACK, Colo (KKCO) – They’ve sold millions of records worldwide, have recorded more than a dozen albums, and have written countless chart topping songs — and Thursday night, Heart added another accolade to their incredible career: being the first female rockers to headline Rock Jam.

11 News Reporter Tim Ciesco got to sit down with leading ladies Ann and Nancy Wilson before their set.

11 News: You two are pretty much the first big time female rockers and you’re the first female rockers to headline Rock Jam

Ann: Really? Is that right? Wow

11 News: How would you characterize the progression of women in rock and where do you think you fit in to that?

Ann: We fit right in because we’re women in rock, that’s where we fit into the women in rock thing (laughs). I think women have come a long way in rock but it’s been incremental. It’s not important that women get ahead, it’s important that men and women are equal and standing side by side. If that’s what we helped to do, then right on.

11 News: I want to talk about your song Alone. You can’t turn on TV and not hear this song somewhere, whether it be American Idol or Glee or whatever. Why do you think this song is still so popular today and how do you feel knowing that it is still popular?

Nancy: I think a good song does stand the test of time and it just speaks well for the song itself, I think. It’s one of those humanly aching, romantic songs that could have been written in any era. And I think it speaks to the heart of everybody — no pun intended — but it really does. We’re now trying to remind people that we’re the ones who did it first (laughs). Everybody does it now. It’s really cool and it’s a great song.

11 News: Next week, your new album Red Velvet Car comes out. What can you tell us about that?

Ann: It’s a great record. The album drops August 31 and it’s our first studio album in six years. It’s our thirteenth studio album in our career. This album is special because every song on it is written by Nancy and I and our producer Ben Mink. All the songs are autobiographical. Everything on there is about something that’s happened to us or someone that we would like to say something to, really. So you know, it isn’t just like a bunch of stuff we grab out of the air, reading the newspaper, I mean this is all real stuff. So that’s why people should listen to it.

11 News: Why should people go buy it?

Nancy: If you like authentic rock n’ roll that’s original and vital and it’s not digitally constructed — it’s a little different from a lot of things you get these days. It’s very earthy and human although it’s quite heavy, acoustic rock at the same time. Everybody seems to so far really be liking what they hear. We’ve had so much positive feedback already that it’s a good indication that a lot people might really like it.”

Heart at Denver’s Paramount Theatre: these chicks still rock

Tour 2010

Examiner.com: When a band that was packing arenas in the 1980s comes to do a show in 2010 in one of the more modest-sized venues in town, it can be either exciting or heartbreaking. Is this going to be one of those time-warp shows where a past-its-prime rock band plays all their old hits for the same people who came to their shows 30 years ago, with everyone trying in vain to return to the glory days?

But when Heart, the consummate big-hair, rock-chick duo of the 80’s, played Thursday night at Denver’s Paramount Theatre, it was definitely not one of those shows.

After a half-hour opening set from Denver local indie singer/songwriter Laura Brehm, Heart took the stage with a full band and high energy, to the delight of the fans. Along with a full array of crowd favorites, they also played a fair number of songs from an upcoming all-new record, Red Velvet Car, set to be released August 31. The songs they introduced were surprisingly current, a blend of acoustic roots and straight-up rock, and while the ladies acted their age on some of them, at other times they gave the young whipper-snappers a run for their money.

Throughout the show, the Wilson sisters reminded fans why they’d been popular in the first place. Nancy’s flawless guitar work and Ann’s still-stellar vocals–backed by a world-class band–made for a well-designed show that completely fit the size of the venue. High points of the show included a stripped-down version of “Alone” and rocking crowd faves “Crazy on You” and “Barracuda.” Possibly the most powerful moment of the show came during the encore, when the band closed the show with a moving cover of The Who’s “Reign O’er Me.”

Yes, Heart played a lot of old hits, and yes, it was apparent that everyone is a few years older. But far from being a has-been rock-chick duo–it was also crystal clear that these chicks can still rock.

Heart hits the road with “Red Velvet Car”

Red Velvet Car

Looks like we can expect some December shows as well to be announced soon! Here´s the article from Reuters:

Nancy Wilson of Heart says the travel aspect of touring remains “just as hard” after almost four decades. “But the sweeter thing,” she adds, “is to still be doing it.”

She and sister Ann Wilson are touring in support of their first studio album in six years, “Red Velvet Car” (Sony Legacy, August 31). Written on the road and featuring the act’s signature rock sound with deep acoustic currents, the album is gaining traction on adult contemporary radio with “Hey You.”

“The heat at radio reminds me of the old days,” Nancy says. “It’s good to see stations adding it and people requesting a simple love song I’ve had in my back pocket for quite a while.”

Guitarist Nancy and singer Ann have quite a few previous hits in their back pockets. Co-founders of ’70s-spawned Seattle band Heart, the sibling frontwomen/songwriters forged a gateway for female rockers. Among the act’s 21 top 40 hits: “Magic Man,” “Barracuda,” “These Dreams” and 1987’s “Alone,” which has become a favourite of “American Idol” contestants.

“‘American Idol,’ Fergie doing ‘Barracuda,’ ‘Guitar Hero’ … all the different imprints of the songs we did in the ’70s and ’80s are connecting the dots, bringing a new generation to our live shows,” Nancy says. “We’ve even seen people showing up with kids 10 years and younger.”

In addition to a headlining tour through September, Heart is set to guest on “ShopNBC” (August 29), “Today” (August 31), “Fox & Friends” (September 1), “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” (September 2) and NPR’s “Weekend Edition” (September 4). The band will head back on the road in November and December.

“We have to get this baby born and on the map,” Nancy says. “It’s our calling.”

“Hey You” & “WTF” live from Raleigh

WTF, Raleigh August 14th 2010, from Red Velvet Car

Hey You, Raleigh August 14th 2010, from Red Velvet Car

to see more from this show or watch it in HD (a real treat!), go to Castromusicfreak´s channel on YouTube

Concert Review from Raleigh

Red Velvet Car tour 2010

[...] What was about to happen next is one of those events that you feel honored to have experienced. At that point, we were taken to church by the Wilson sisters as they graced the crowd with a cover of the Who classic “Love Reign O’er Me”. Now, I am a Who fan and had even talked on Face Book with a fellow writer about the exact same song earlier in the day. To add to the irony of it all is the fact that I was even wearing a Who shirt that evening! What proceeded to happen over the next six minutes was nothing short of spiritual. The power of Ann’s voice delivering the poetic words of Pete Townsend’s masterpiece from Quadrophenia. That, combined with the superb musicianship supplied by the band, created one of the strongest musical moments that I think I have ever witnessed live.

More from this review by Revolution Magazine

Examiner.com: best performance of the summer.

Tour 2010

Examiner.com: Ann still has the vocal strength, accuracy, and range to give you goose bumps while Nancy’s vocals, energy, and rock star moves on the guitar remind viewers of what a rock concert should be. [...] Heart’s use of video clips, images, and lighting effects enhanced an already outstanding performance. The Wilson sisters continue to be not only talented musicians, but also talented performers. This was by far nTelos Pavilion’s best performance of the summer.

More from this review from Norfolk

Also: go over to the official website! Safronia’s Mark!