The Heartwicks
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The Heartwicks

Calgary, Alberta, Canada | SELF

Calgary, Alberta, Canada | SELF
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"The Heartwicks' Music Is The Message"

What Paul Stanley did to make the Firehouse sound awesome and rock ’n’ roll (and, yeah, a little dirty), Jason Hofer dispels fairly quickly into the late morning conversation.

For one, the six-year veteran of the Calgary Fire Department is exhausted, having just pulled an overnighter, which saw him and his crew have a busy shift, with a number of calls spaced just perfectly enough that it was one endless string of emergencies and very little time for being “thrilled” or “chilled.” For another, even a discussion about the bravery and danger involved is casually dismissed, with Hofer saying it’s a safer profession these days and the firefighter mystique is somewhat less than what it once was.

And finally even when it relates to his own rock ’n’ roll lifestyle — as guitarist and frontman for Calgary trio the Heartwicks — it’s less about discovering saucy new metaphors using firepoles, hoses and Dalmatians than it is something a little more practical and a whole lot more sobering.

“What I really like about it is the flexibility, for the ability to pursue the music and not have to work nine to five, Monday to Friday,” Hofer says of the four-days-on, four-days-off schedule, which allows for touring and gigging. “As for the job, it gives a chance to see what people are really like. People are always showing the faces they want you to see, like on Facebook, they’re always smiling or whatever. With firefighting you get calls and people are hurting — you’re confronted with what the world is really like. Whether that’s dealing with someone who’s homeless, or a guy who’s committed suicide, or someone with cancer, or someone who’s lost everything in a fire, they need help and they’re showing you the face you never see on Facebook.”

If on the basis of those things it sounds as if Hofer and the Heartwicks are going for something a little gothy, something a little dreary and depressing, things couldn’t be further from the truth. Since initially forming in 2007 as a duo, one of the guiding principles of the band has been hard, rousing rock with a heavy emphasis on musical and spiritual uplift. Sonically it shows up in the massive sound, that draws its influence from classic rock leanings as well as the new wave of blues rock acts such as the White Stripes and Black Keys, while lyrically, it comes through in references to Hofer’s faith as well as a more positive outlook.

But in the Heartwicks world, the music is the message — whichever one people want to hear.

“I try and meet everybody where they’re at,” he says. “It’s party rocking music, and we’re deliberate about that. . . . But when people come to a show — be it the Black keys or U2 or whatever — they want to be engaged, they want to forget they just got dumped, they want to forget their car didn’t start. They want to be engulfed in the music and experience the joy and enjoy the moment.”

As far as sharing his more faith-based beliefs, Hofer shows off his firefighter side a little further. “I know people are hurting and can’t help themselves sometimes so it’s good offer them some hope or joy through pointing them to an objective truth outside of themselves. That’s what I try to do when I incorporate faith into the songs. . . . I want the lyrics to challenge someone, giving them something more than a one-night stand.”

Fitting then that one of the people he should choose to share the Heartwicks with is the woman he shares his life with — Hofer’s wife, Tenessa, plays bass and keys in the band, which is rounded out by drummer David Espinel and, lately, bassist Ray Banman.

Thursday at Broken City, they’ll release a slick new three-song EP, Black, which was recorded at the Muzik Haus in Three Hills. Despite the brevity of the disc, Hofer thinks it offers a pretty excellent sampling of what it is they do, featuring, as it does: the driving five-minute near epic The Merchant; a breezy poppier track Free, which clocks in at under three minutes; and the made-for-radio single - The Calgary Herald


"The Heartwicks' Music Is The Message"

What Paul Stanley did to make the Firehouse sound awesome and rock ’n’ roll (and, yeah, a little dirty), Jason Hofer dispels fairly quickly into the late morning conversation.

For one, the six-year veteran of the Calgary Fire Department is exhausted, having just pulled an overnighter, which saw him and his crew have a busy shift, with a number of calls spaced just perfectly enough that it was one endless string of emergencies and very little time for being “thrilled” or “chilled.” For another, even a discussion about the bravery and danger involved is casually dismissed, with Hofer saying it’s a safer profession these days and the firefighter mystique is somewhat less than what it once was.

And finally even when it relates to his own rock ’n’ roll lifestyle — as guitarist and frontman for Calgary trio the Heartwicks — it’s less about discovering saucy new metaphors using firepoles, hoses and Dalmatians than it is something a little more practical and a whole lot more sobering.

“What I really like about it is the flexibility, for the ability to pursue the music and not have to work nine to five, Monday to Friday,” Hofer says of the four-days-on, four-days-off schedule, which allows for touring and gigging. “As for the job, it gives a chance to see what people are really like. People are always showing the faces they want you to see, like on Facebook, they’re always smiling or whatever. With firefighting you get calls and people are hurting — you’re confronted with what the world is really like. Whether that’s dealing with someone who’s homeless, or a guy who’s committed suicide, or someone with cancer, or someone who’s lost everything in a fire, they need help and they’re showing you the face you never see on Facebook.”

If on the basis of those things it sounds as if Hofer and the Heartwicks are going for something a little gothy, something a little dreary and depressing, things couldn’t be further from the truth. Since initially forming in 2007 as a duo, one of the guiding principles of the band has been hard, rousing rock with a heavy emphasis on musical and spiritual uplift. Sonically it shows up in the massive sound, that draws its influence from classic rock leanings as well as the new wave of blues rock acts such as the White Stripes and Black Keys, while lyrically, it comes through in references to Hofer’s faith as well as a more positive outlook.

But in the Heartwicks world, the music is the message — whichever one people want to hear.

“I try and meet everybody where they’re at,” he says. “It’s party rocking music, and we’re deliberate about that. . . . But when people come to a show — be it the Black keys or U2 or whatever — they want to be engaged, they want to forget they just got dumped, they want to forget their car didn’t start. They want to be engulfed in the music and experience the joy and enjoy the moment.”

As far as sharing his more faith-based beliefs, Hofer shows off his firefighter side a little further. “I know people are hurting and can’t help themselves sometimes so it’s good offer them some hope or joy through pointing them to an objective truth outside of themselves. That’s what I try to do when I incorporate faith into the songs. . . . I want the lyrics to challenge someone, giving them something more than a one-night stand.”

Fitting then that one of the people he should choose to share the Heartwicks with is the woman he shares his life with — Hofer’s wife, Tenessa, plays bass and keys in the band, which is rounded out by drummer David Espinel and, lately, bassist Ray Banman.

Thursday at Broken City, they’ll release a slick new three-song EP, Black, which was recorded at the Muzik Haus in Three Hills. Despite the brevity of the disc, Hofer thinks it offers a pretty excellent sampling of what it is they do, featuring, as it does: the driving five-minute near epic The Merchant; a breezy poppier track Free, which clocks in at under three minutes; and the made-for-radio single - The Calgary Herald


"The Heartwicks Shoot Up The Music Charts to #1 in Calgary, Canada as New CD Release Party is Announced"

Calgary, Canada  - Timing is everything and its working for The
Heartwicks. These indie pop rockers blew past other bands on the Indie
Charts just as their “Black EP” album release party is announced for
April 12 at Broken City.

“If  the White Stripes joined The Clash and David Bowie dove into the
mix, you'd have The Heartwicks. Jason Hofer is the dynamic front-man
with a original voice that lingers in your mind. His roaring riffs
pull you out of your chair,” said Stephanie DeGraw, The Music Scene TV
director. “The tight keyboards and spot-on drummer amplify the retro
cool vibe.”

The Heartwicks were invited to make an appearance on The Music Scene
which  is carried on Comcast Cable in America. This summer they will
be on tour promoting their new album. The band was discovered when the
producers of the show noticed they had jumped to the top of the
Calgary Indie Chart on Reverbnation.com

The band was featured on the Center Of Gravity music festival
alongside Dragonette, The Latency, Faber Drive, and Naughty By Nature
when touring in Alberta and British Colombia in 2010.

Another fan of the band is Robert Sounders, a London music executive
who said,  “I believe their material is of a high standard ... in
particular, I enjoyed listening to their single “The Merchant”.

Some of the music influences on the band include; The Black Keys, The
Doors, Pink Floyd and Kings of Leon.  The band consists of  Jason
Hofer who mans vocals  and guitars. Tenessa Hofer plays  synth, piano,
bass organ and David Espinel handles the drums.

The “Black EP”on Itunes, CD Baby and at www.theheartwicks.com. For
bookings contact Power Media Entertainment 801-638-9410
stephaniepowermedia@gmail.com


###

Contacts:

For photos and videos:

Power Media Entertainment - 801-638-9410

Interviews:

Jason Hofer: theheartwicks@gmail.com
- Power Media Entertainment (The Music Scene TV)


"The Heartwicks Shoot Up The Music Charts to #1 in Calgary, Canada as New CD Release Party is Announced"

Calgary, Canada  - Timing is everything and its working for The
Heartwicks. These indie pop rockers blew past other bands on the Indie
Charts just as their “Black EP” album release party is announced for
April 12 at Broken City.

“If  the White Stripes joined The Clash and David Bowie dove into the
mix, you'd have The Heartwicks. Jason Hofer is the dynamic front-man
with a original voice that lingers in your mind. His roaring riffs
pull you out of your chair,” said Stephanie DeGraw, The Music Scene TV
director. “The tight keyboards and spot-on drummer amplify the retro
cool vibe.”

The Heartwicks were invited to make an appearance on The Music Scene
which  is carried on Comcast Cable in America. This summer they will
be on tour promoting their new album. The band was discovered when the
producers of the show noticed they had jumped to the top of the
Calgary Indie Chart on Reverbnation.com

The band was featured on the Center Of Gravity music festival
alongside Dragonette, The Latency, Faber Drive, and Naughty By Nature
when touring in Alberta and British Colombia in 2010.

Another fan of the band is Robert Sounders, a London music executive
who said,  “I believe their material is of a high standard ... in
particular, I enjoyed listening to their single “The Merchant”.

Some of the music influences on the band include; The Black Keys, The
Doors, Pink Floyd and Kings of Leon.  The band consists of  Jason
Hofer who mans vocals  and guitars. Tenessa Hofer plays  synth, piano,
bass organ and David Espinel handles the drums.

The “Black EP”on Itunes, CD Baby and at www.theheartwicks.com. For
bookings contact Power Media Entertainment 801-638-9410
stephaniepowermedia@gmail.com


###

Contacts:

For photos and videos:

Power Media Entertainment - 801-638-9410

Interviews:

Jason Hofer: theheartwicks@gmail.com
- Power Media Entertainment (The Music Scene TV)


Discography

The Heartwicks - Black EP

Photos

Bio

The Heartwicks are a guitar driven rock band with a thundering vintage sound. Both Jason and Miguel have spent the better part of the last 18 years playing in various bands, and have brought that experience to The Heartwicks. The result is an explosive combination of heavy blues guitar, relentless driving drums, and sweet cutting vocals. Just when you think you’ve got them pegged they break into a Pink Floyd esc swelling sound that is dripping with vintage Fender and Marshall tone, this diversity allows the band to build a show with crescendoing highs and pin drop lows that leave the audience hanging for more.
“If The White Stripes joined The Clash and David Bowie dove into the mix, you’d have The Heartwicks. Jason Hofer is the dynamic frontman with an original voice that lingers in your mind. His roaring riffs pull you out of your chair, and the thundering drums amplify the retro cool vibe.” Stephanie DeGraw “The Music Scene TV”
“The music we create is an anthem for love & death; the reality of each is our song”
~The Heartwicks

Both Jason and Miguel have extensive performance experience. Some of the bands they have opened for and/or played in festivals with are: The White Stripes, CJ Ramone, The Kills, P.O.D, The Fleshtones, Block Party, Speedball Baby, Dragonette, Naughty By Nature, Danko Jones, and Steve Akoi.
Robert Sounders, a London music executive gave this review:
“I believe their material is of a high standard … in particular, I enjoyed listening to their single “The Merchant”.