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Anchored by the powerful vocals and incisive songwriting of Erika Wennerstrom, the Heartless Bastards are a roots rock band whose tough, emotionally resonant music incorporates elements of blues, hard rock, garage punk and country as filtered through tales of a hardscrabble life lived in the American Midwest. Erika Wennerstrom was born in Dayton, Ohio; her parents broke up when she was nine, leaving her mother to support her and her brother. Wennerstrom grew up with a keen interest in music and songwriting, but it wasn't until she was 18 that she summoned the courage to begin singing in public after she'd dropped out of school, left Dayton, and settled in Cincinnati. Wennerstrom picked up a guitar, began writing songs, and started performing at open mike nights and for family and friends, and in 2002 she decided to form a band. Taking the name "The Heartless Bastards" from an incorrect answer on a multiple choice trivia game (the question: what is the name of Tom Petty's backing band),...