On Thursday, Aug. 24, Heart by Heart of Seattle put on a masterclass performance of stage presence and musicianship as they played a set of Heart classic hits and deep album cuts.
During the Press’ initial interview with Heart by Heart’s bassist, Steve Fossen, he shared one key to exceptional execution of a song requires each part to be played well enough to stand alone but without distracting from the main idea of the piece at large. This sentiment evidently is the foundation for how the group performs as each member played their respective instrument masterfully without taking away from any song as a whole. Even their placement on the stage involved movement so that each musician could take the focus of the crowd in turn.
This movement was the highlight of the night for one audience member, who was blown away by Lizzy Daymont’s ability to sing while switching back and forth from keyboard to guitar during the set.
Fossen’s backstory commentary added depth to the evening, bringing the audience behind the scenes for each song. “Mistral Wind”, known as Heart’s masterpiece, was also drummer Mike DeRosier’s favorite song to write, even more so than “Barracuda”, which he also co-wrote.
Before the ensemble wowed the crowd with the dynamic vocals and synchronous chords of “Magic Man”, Fossen told the story of how he spent the entire day by the radio waiting to hear himself play over the airwaves for the first time.
Even though they played at the opening of the new Heart exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland last week, the band seemed just as excited about Artesia as Artesia felt hosting the band. Somar Macek, lead vocalist, named Kandese Green of the Artesia Arts Council among some of the Artesians they were able to meet. “We love Kandese. She’s very easy to work with,” she said.
While in town, Heart by Heart visited with locals and experienced the local culture at Adobe Rose Restaurant and Kith and Kin. The band did not share if they would ever return to Southeastern New Mexico, but this venture seemed successful all in all.
