The Heart Pills

The Heart Pills are different, and damn good... - SoundCitizen

The Heart Pills experiment with americana, punk, folk, alternative rock, indie rock and smash it all together into one beautiful mess of sound...
... dusty, weather worn, and full of ballyhoo...
... a chaotic collage of cocksure college rock; a basement experiment gone totally right - BandSoup

While all the bands playing last night were professional, polished and definitely on their game, three bands stood out from the others in their presentation. The Heart Pills, Great Lakes Drifters, and The Ragadors showcased themselves as comfortable in their skin, on the stage and in engagement with the audience.

This band brought a modern, quirky and fun experience to the music arena. Their songs are down right, mad-scientist-invented concepts that leave audience members in awe and laughing. Rich, colorful and intelligent ... - www.examiner.com

So reading through this band’s bio, the first few sentences throw around words like “scuzz rock n’ roll” and “junkyard folk”…and yeah that’s totally what this band sounds like. They sound like dumpster diving, scrappy young fighters with dried blood on their lips and mud all over their hands. They found their instruments on the sidewalk, learned to play around the fire, love their lives and have a damn good time playing music and being awesome.

And they don’t give a shit what you think.

You can stream their full-length debut To Paul, From Dad, 1951 over on their bandcamp. Trust me, it’s a good choice. - Seeds, The Hype Tree Blog--Post by Chris

Say there’s a person jonesing for a skuzzy junkyard/blues/rock fix and they’ve been perpetually frustrated by other towns severe lack thereof. That person could park the RV in the Chippewa Valley and let it rust forever because Eau Claire darlings, The Heart Pills more than satisfy that quota. And now the group consisting of Josh Ingersoll (guitar/vocals), Silas Thompson (bass), Sarah Bodeau (keyboards), and Matt Haapala (drums), after releasing a slew of demos and a self-titled EP, is busting out of the gates with a full-length record called To Paul, From Dad 1951. “Our album has a very live feel to it. Gritty, at times melodic, and a fairly raw lo-fi sound courtesy of Ben Hinz (of The Ronald Raygun, who produced the album) who had been an avid audience member for forever before we decided to actually record anything,” said Ingersoll. “We never really set out to create a certain sound, but certain themes have sort of naturally appeared and that process is quite satisfying.” Ingersoll added that the record, out August 3, was pressed onto vinyl through Dwarfcraft Global Media, but it will be available digitally as well. The Heart Pills’ high-energy live sound has garnered a reputation of lively, big-sounding songs and unconventional instrumentation. Whether it’s a giant garbage contraption used as a percussion instrument or reading Craigslist missed connections over a White Stripes-y rock riff, it’s surely entertaining. - Volume One --Eric Christenson

A few years ago, Josh Ingersoll handed me a CD in a cardboard slip called The Heart Pills. I skimmed over the cover, saw titles like “Country Song,” and “Happy New Year Holden Caulfield,” among others, and had one of those Blues Brothers moments of doubt. You know, who are these turkeys, anyways? Heart Pills? I’d heard of heart medication for senior citizens with cholesterol issues and heart worm pills for dogs, but I’d never heard of this: some sort of musical back story with vague underlying prerogatives for understanding the meaning of life…or something like that. At the time, I just didn’t really know.

Over the last few years, I’ve attended countless Heart Pills shows as they’ve evolved into their current outfit—Josh Ingersoll on guitar, Sarah Bodeau on organ, Matt Haapala on drums, and Silas Thompson on the bass—and, after seeing Josh take a hacksaw to his guitar strings for the hundredth time, I think I’m finally starting to feel my joints loosening, my bones filling with musical marrow, and my love for the band only continuing to grow. Now, with the release of the album To Paul, From Dad 1951, The Heart Pills seem to have found a perfect recipe for that medicine they’re pushing and are well on their way to becoming much more than FDA-approved.

Getting past the analogy for a moment, the album’s sound is as unique as it gets. Garage-punk-surf-psych-party-pop-rock would be this writer’s best shot at a description. Make no mistake about it, The Heart Pills have found a sound of their own, inherent in each of the songs, that propels the album from start to finish. It is catchy, fresh, and determined, and though many of the tracks were previously recorded by Josh alone, this is definitely a huge leap in the right direction for the band as a whole. From the instrumentation to the recording process, the effected vocals and trash can bangs, to the Beach Boys-style party interludes sprinkled throughout, this album smacks of paradox: honed upheaval, sarcastic seriousness, professional folly.

These paradoxes alone are enough to make this album a must-own, but add Josh Ingersoll’s sarcastic wit in lyrics like “thank god for fake fur, and thank god for fake tanneries,” danceable compositions like openers “Pinball City Crime Fighter,” and “Sidewalk Josie,” and sing-a-long style hooks such as those found in “Bus Ride,” and you have something that takes the Eau Claire sound to a new level. Imagine eighties punk meets seventies psych-rock meets nineties pop-rock. Now, Imagine all of that taken and craftily blended with kitchen utensil percussion, combo organ prowess, raucous Animal-style drumming, and faux country drawl harmonies. These are all components that make up the band’s sound. However, if one looks closely for the secret ingredient to The Heart Pills and their new album, it lies in the band’s ability to find creativity in sculpting appealing songs, long-standing friendships amongst outside-of-the-box thinkers, and, most importantly, a life-long love of all things music. - Peer Validated

Josh Ingersoll sits at the front of the stage, a guitar balanced on his right knee. His shins are covered by an upturned filing cabinet and his face just barely peeks through his dirty blond hair. The keyboardist, Sarah Bodeau, stands behind a monstrosity of speakers and plywood. Bassist Silas Thompson and drummer Matt Haapala round out the four-piece rock troupe.

This is The Heart Pills. They are about to blow you away.

This rag-tag band exploded onto the scene this spring, quickly sharing the stage (and sometimes living room) with some of the best-respected Eau Claire acts, including Laarks, The Gentle Guest, and Farms. The Heart Pills’ music lingers somewhere between Tom Waits, Black Crowes, and Slayer, which leaves a lot up to imagination. The group seamlessly weaves their way between country ballads and raucous rock riffs.

The Heart Pills’ genre-bending ways came naturally, Ingersoll said, adding that no one in the band is hyper-critical when it comes to practice or writing, which has allowed their sound to slowly evolve.

A contributing factor to the group’s eclectic mix would be the variety of backgrounds and influences each member draws from. Thompson and Ingersoll met over the internet in an “online lonely hearts club for musicians,” as Thompson describes it. Thompson brought with him the experience of playing in harder rock bands and cites Primus, Interpol, and Joy Division amongst his influences. When Bodeau joined the group on keys, she provided her classical background and Haapala’s experience was a bit of everything, Ingersoll said.

And while The Heart Pills may not be the first band to bridge the gap between such a wide variety of influences, they may be the first to do so with the help of metal-laden office supplies. Arguably The Heart Pills’ most recognizable feature, the rhythmic file cabinet helps add to the tin-canny campfire allure, especially at the band’s live shows.

“I like a really tin-canny sound, I guess,” Ingersoll said. “If you’re looking for something raw, a filing cabinet would do it.”

To throw yet another juxtaposition into the mix, the band matches their abrasive rockabilly with strong onstage personality and a generally light atmosphere at shows. This can include everything from 80s rock covers to poetic readings from the Missed Connections section of Craigslist. In an e-mail, bassist Silas Thompson stressed the fact that The Heart Pills’ main goal is to continue to play how they have been, without being pressured to change by outside forces.

“Ninety percent of the time we have more fun than the audience does,” he added. And given my experience as an audience member, that means they must be having a hell of a lot of fun. - Volume One

As some may have noticed, there was a feature in the Leader-Telegram Entertainment section a few weeks back on Eau Claire’s favorite folk-punk, blues and whatever else band The Heart Pills. At the time I had only had the opportunity to listen to about half of the album. However, since then the disc has been spinning nonstop in my car and apartment, and I felt it really needed a little more ink.

The first thing really worth noting about “To Paul, From Dad 1951” are the insanely quirky and infectious stories told by frontman and guitar player Josh Ingersoll. I’ve always been a big fan of Ingersoll’s unique use of outlandish and seemingly shady characters to tell his stories, but it wasn’t until a recent competition that I realized just how good his writing is. The Heart Pills’ record label Dwarfcraft Global Media - who also happen to make custom guitar effect pedals – are currently holding a giveaway on their Facebook page, in which fans who listen to the new Heart Pills record and post their favorite lyrics are entered to win products (submissions must be in by Friday). Having all those classic lines laid out, such as “I used to have a car, but it got oxidized /I used to Dewy decimal, now I just alphabetize,” and “I’m the king of all the phonies, and I’m just lookin’ for a queen” made it clear there really isn’t a weak phrase on the album. In addition, Ingersoll’s delivery combined with harmonies from keys player Sarah Bodeau are truly enjoyable. But even more impressive is Ingersoll’s uncanny ability to take very clearly dark songs and somehow present them in accessible, upbeat jingles.

Although the album was recorded at the Dwarfcraft Wail House studio, in many ways it feels like a live performance. And while those who haven’t seen them live might not understand the blemishes or the desire to make an imperfect record, the fuzz and overall looseness of “To Paul, From Dad 1951” is all part of The Heart Pills’ charm – which has made it one of my favorite local or otherwise records released so far this year. For those interested, the record can be found at the Volume One local store, as well as variety of online sources like iTunes, theheartpills.bandcamp.com and dwarfcraft.com.

Lastly, it’s a beautiful day and it’s also worth mentioning The Heart Pills will perform at 6:30 p.m. tonight in Phoenix Park as the opening act for The Jim Pullman Band, who’s new album “Jackals and Wolves” drops tonight at the show.

As always the shows at Phoenix Park are free and open to the public. - The Leader Telegram

Editor's note: Weekend Treat is a weekly recommendation of a Chippewa Valley event.

The Heart Pills' singer and guitarist Josh Ingersoll probably puts it best when describing the band's sound as "tin-can folk punk." But whatever it is, Ingersoll's imaginative tales and quips set to twangy guitar riffs and strange keyboard melodies easily make The Heart Pills one of the area's most entertaining acts.

The Heart Pills, along with Chaos Revolution Theory, FanOffBirdSafe and Michael Rambo Project, will perform at a benefit for community radio station WHYS-FM (96.3) at 9 p.m. Saturday at House of Rock, 422 Water St.

Saturday's show will be a great way to catch some of Eau Claire's finest music, as well as support local radio, bands and venues all in one fell swoop. Admission is a $5 donation. Must be 21 to enter.

- Rob Hanson - The Leader Telegram