James Williamson  
& the Pink Hearts 

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www.straightjameswilliamson.com

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PRESS RELEASE:  
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME GUITARIST JAMES WILLIAMSON UNITES WITH FRANK MEYER AND PETRA HADEN AS "THE PINK HEARTS"  

ABOUT 

A 2010 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Stooges, James Williamson is now set to make his most stylistically diverse musical statement to date with his new group, JAMES WILLIAMSON & THE PINK HEARTS. Fronted by Los Angeles-based vocalists Frank Meyer (The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs) and Petra Haden (That Dog, The Haden Triplets), the Pink Hearts’ repertoire encompasses everything from feral rockers to soul-searching balladry. The debut album Behind the Shade was released by Leopard Lady Records in June 2018.

Recorded in Berkeley (instrumentation) and Los Angeles (vocals), Behind the Shade is a thoroughly modern rock album which also evokes the most stirring elements of Seventies rock ‘n’ roll. “You Send Me Down” is an exuberant party starter with keyboards funky enough to have been lifted from the Billy Preston songbook, while “Pink Hearts Across the Sky” (a sure-fire favorite at AAA Radio) is resilient Americana with a crystal clear vocal performance by Haden worthy of Linda Ronstadt. The lonely, late-night afterglow of Alejandro Escovedo’s “Died a Little Today” (the album’s sole cover and a CD-only bonus track) features a plaintive vocal by Haden accompanied by swooning lap steel. “Destiny Now” pairs melodic rock guitar with vocals reminiscent of ‘90s college rock favorites Madder Rose and Bettie Seveert.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, Meyer’s raw, rabble-rousing vocals throw kerosene on the riff-driven assault of “Riot on the Strip” and “The Revolution Stomp.” Meyer also has room to get contemplative on the buzzing underground strut of “Miss Misery” and the tough-as-nails rocker “Judith Christ.” “This Garden Lies” is another standout as Meyer’s passionate tale of love gone wrong is propelled by violin, sax, and a blazing Spanish trumpet.

Meyer, a consistently impressive songwriting force on the album, penned all of the lyrics and co-shares the lead vocals. Haden’s violin graces five tracks and her voice appears throughout the album, either singing lead, on duets with Meyer, or providing harmonies. Williamson supplies all of the riffs, guitar parts, and most bass parts. In addition, Behind the Shade features a wide array of talented accompanists. Michael Urbano (Smash Mouth, Bourgeois Tagg, Todd Rundgren, John Hiatt) provides inventive percussion and driving drum patterns. Gregg Foreman, Hervé Salters, Paul Roessler, Nick Hart, and Audrey Vera guest on keyboards and piano.  Additional musicians on the sessions are Jason Carmer (bass), Don Rooke (lap steel), Geoff Yeaton (saxophone), Tony Peebles (saxophone), and Steffen Kuehn (trumpets).

James Williamson is best known for co-writing with Iggy Pop, and playing all the guitars on, 1973’s seminal Raw Power album by Iggy & the Stooges. That album’s lead track, “Search and Destroy,” has become a rite of passage for any self-respecting rocker and has been covered by Pearl Jam with Mudhoney, Def Leppard, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sid Vicious, The Dead Boys, and countless others.  Dropped by CBS Records, The Stooges disbanded in February, 1974, although Williamson continued to work with Pop, off and on, throughout the 1970s.  This period yielded the demo collection Kill City (1977), the infamous live album Metallic K.O. (1977), and produced a pair of Pop solo albums, New Values (1979) and Soldier (1980, pre-production). After a long break during which Williamson lived in Silicon Valley and worked as a technological developer, he reunited with Pop, in a version of the Raw Power lineup of The Stooges, in 2009. Following several tours which played on multiple continents, The Stooges released a final studio album, Ready to Die (2013), produced and co-written by Williamson. Although The Stooges played their final live dates in September 2013, it wasn’t until June of 2016 that Williamson released an official statement on behalf of the band saying that The Stooges were no more.

MEDIA BREAKS  

Billboard (interview w/ James)  
Guitar World (interview w/ James)  
Premier Guitar (interview w/ James)
Mojo Magazine (“Last Night a DJ Saved My Life” feature)
Classic Rock Magazine (“Riot on the Strip” video premiere + feature interview)
Classic Rock Magazine (interview w/ James)  
Los Angeles Times (album review)  
LA Weekly (James named "Best Comeback" in annual music issue)  
LA Weekly (interview w/ James to advance L.A. concert)  
Uproxx (interview w/ James)  
Gigwise / UK (interview w/ James)  
Rock & Folk Magazine / France (interview w/ James about The Stooges & Pink Hearts)  
AXS.com (interview w/ Frank regarding his role in the Pink Hearts)  
Please Kill Me (interview w/ James) 
The Strange Brew / UK (career-spanning podcast interview w/ James)  
The Vinyl Guide / Australia (career-spanning podcast interview w/ James)  
Stereo Embers (career-spanning podcast interview w/ James)  
There's Something Hard In There (career-spanning interview w/ James)  
Uncut Magazine (album review)  
Record Collector Magazine (album review)
The Big Takeover (album review)
Music Connection (8/10 album review)  
Über Röck (album review)  
100% Rock / Australia (8/10 album review)  
Spill Magazine / Canada (4.5/5 album review)  
Mojo Magazine (album review)  
The Big Takeover (song premiere of album track "This Garden Lies")  
LouderSound.com ("Riot on the Strip" video premiere + Q&A w/ James)  
Vive Le Rock ("Riot on the Strip" video post)  
Spill Magazine / Canada ("Riot on the Strip" video post + Q&A w/ James)  
Long Island Pulse (interview w/ James about Iggy & Bowie)  
Songfacts.com (interview w/ James about co-writing the Raw Power album)
Rolling Stone (exclusive album announcement)  
GuitarWorld.com (album announcement)  
Blabbermouth.net (album announcement)  
Sportskeeda (interview w/ James regarding his favorite sports team, The Warriors)
California Rocker (interview w/ James)  
PunkNews.org (album announcement)  

VIDEO

James Williamson and the Pink Hearts
"Riot on the Strip" video (Leopard Lady Records, 2018)

Noisey Presents:  
'Guitar Moves' with James Williamson