Careless Hearts

Performing at the Main Stage at Music in the Park, June 24, 2010 5:30 PM

“Careless Hearts’ audio stew: start with a Wilco base, chop up some REM, throw in some tumbleweeds, season with some ripe Neil Young, and serve with some coleslaw, biscuits and corn on the cob.” Zero Magazine, 6.2008

Formed in the spring of 2005, Careless Hearts are a five-piece indie/roots rock band from right here in San José. Two full albums, one 7″, and hundreds of shows later, they stand as one of SJ’s local favorites. The band received national attention for a 2009 collaboration with Iggy & The Stooges guitarist James Williamson, helping him return to performing after a 35-year absence from the stage, and culminating in a knock-down, drag-out performance at the Blank Club that Metro called “live show of the year”. Members include singer/guitarist Paul Kimball, lead guitarist Derek See, drummer Eric Powers, bassist Brian “Thunderhead” Michael, and pedal steel/banjo player Jody Clarke.

“Being a South Bay band is a lot of what we are,” says Kimball. “I look at San Jose as an overgrown small town—it just doesn’t feel like a city to me. When you look at the DIY rock history here, it’s all about doing it for your people. It’s easy to look at it negatively, and say, ‘Oh, it’s just a tiny scene,’ but there are a lot of good things that come from the small environment. People go out to see shows because they care, and they want to be a part of something outside of the home with the TV glowing in their faces. A lot of people tend to look at the businesses here and think that’s what defines the South Bay, but that’s all bullshit—that’s what we have to do, we have to work. I’d much rather be defined by artistic production
than what kind of jobs we have.”

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