Arcamax.com: “It’s been an incredible couple of weeks. I’m feeling pretty buoyant,” says Ann. It’s a continuation of the remarkable roll that Heart has been on since coming up with a Top Ten-charting album in 2010, “Red Velvet Car.” They’ve had a well-received autobiography, “Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock and Roll,” a box set release, “Strange Euphoria,” and a new studio album, “Fanatic,” this year. Their star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame was unveiled in September. They’ve also been touring in support of all of their endeavors. As far as where the energy to accomplish so much is coming from, well, Ann has been candid about the fact that her getting sober has contributed to this resurgence.
In the latest surge of activity, she recounts, “We went to Washington for the first rehearsal for the Kennedy Center Honors, and then after rehearsal we got on a plane and went down to Florida. We had to play a private show that we already had booked for that night. Afterwards, we went back to Washington and slept. Then we woke up early in the morning and went to a reception at the White House. “That was just fun — when the White House is completely dressed for Christmas, to go to a black tie reception there and meet the president. It’s just like an American girl’s dream come true, as you could imagine — and a whole lot of security, like you couldn’t imagine,” she adds with a laugh. “There was just someone from every single genre represented there, actors and musicians and politicians. It was just an amazing event,” she notes. “I think my favorite part of that was just the old house itself. It just has so much soul, and it’s so beautiful the way they have it done. It’s warm, and the light is golden, and the Marine Corps Orchestra was playing in the Great Room. It’s America’s house, and I felt very comfortable there, very thrilled to be there.”
Although fans have been lobbying to get the pioneering femme band into the Hall for years, Ann tells us she was “very surprised. You know, one would only hope such a thing would happen. You don’t know what political stuff or what conditions conspire to make it happen, so when it does, it’s just really amazing.”
Next year marks the 35th anniversary of Heart’s “Dog & Butterfly” album release, and Ann says “We’ll do a lot of stuff around that — shows where we play the album top to bottom.” They’re also completing a children’s book of “Dog & Butterfly,” she reveals. “That’s something we’re working on. With children’s books, you have to picture not only what it’s like for the child but for the parent reading it. It has to be something you can go back to again and again and again.
To Whom It May Concern:
“Who Are You”