Photos by Jeff Lacher
CRAZY ON YOU. Darlene Tyler plays the role of one of the Wilson sisters in Heart.
After being huge Heart fans since their youth, two women recently decided to stop talking about forming a tribute to the legendary Seattle rock group and move ahead with the idea.
The result is Heartless. The band consists of Darlene Tyler on vocals, Brenda Kashmir on vocals and guitar, Dan Kehoe and Shawn Worra on guitars, Derek Whitaker on keyboards and guitar, Kevin Lynch on bass and Paul Higgins on drums. The Seattle-based band was formed last December.
Tyler and Kashmir have been friends for many years and had often discussed forming a Heart tribute band.
Tyler got hooked on Heart as a young girl. “That was all I listened to,” she recalled.
Kashmir began playing guitar at a young age. When she saw Nancy Wilson from Heart playing an Ovation acoustic guitar, she went out and purchased the same model.
Kashmir had auditioned Worra for a previous band she was in. Lynch had been in another Heart tribute, Strait On. When they broke up he looked for another Heart gig as Heartless was forming. Tyler knew Kehoe from when they performed as a duo. “He is a huge Heart fan,” she said. “He lives and breathes Heart.”
After considering several names, they picked the song “Heartless” as their moniker.
They have about 25 Heart songs in their repertoire. Depending on how long they have to play, at some gigs they throw in covers of songs by Journey and other artists.
They play a mixture of Heart tunes from the 1970s and 1980s, drawing heavily from the albums “Dog & Butterfly” and “Dreamboat Annie.” A few songs they play may not be familiar to more casual Heart fans. “We play songs that are popular and obscure,” Kashmir said. “We picked our favorites first.”
The most famous members of Heart are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. But several former members remain well known in the local music scene.
Roger Fisher played guitar with the band, leaving after the release of “Dog & Butterfly” in 1978. He has joined Heartless on stage several times.
Heartless has two important Tacoma shows coming up. At 2:30 p.m. on July 4 they play the Katie Downs stage on Ruston Way during Freedom Fair.
The other is a benefit show at the Swiss at 4 p.m. on July 12. Tyler is a close friend of Deborah Bishop whose fiancé, Kurt Husted, was murdered last month while working as an armored car guard during a robbery at the Wal-Mart store in Lakewood. The event aims to raise money to help pay off some of his debts. At the time of his death, Husted was training to receive a pilot’s license for a career change to flying helicopters.
Heartless will play, with Dirty Bird opening the show. A silent auction will take place. The group is still accepting items or services that can be donated for the fundraiser. For more information send an e-mail to .
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