The first thing Erika Wennerstrom did when she relocated to Austin, Texas two years ago was to find an apartment and sequester herself for six months, feverishly writing the songs that would ultimately comprise the Heartless Bastards' most nuanced and best album, 'The Mountain.' Although she was in new surroundings — namely one of the most potent music scenes in the country — the differences in the songs Wennerstrom was writing reflected a good deal more than her move.  

Erika Wennerstrom's stuff might be jammed into an apartment in Austin, Texas, but Cincinnati will always be home for her and The Heartless Bastards. It's been nearly two years since she dismantled the original Bastards after her personal break-up with bassist Mike Lamping and relocated to Texas. "I think it was a good move for me to leave town for a bit," Wennerstrom says from her Austin digs.