New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Heaters were one of L.A.�s hottest live acts in the late �70s, opening for heavyweights like Talking Heads, Van Halen, and Cheap Trick. The band�s explosive stage technique, visual smarts, great pop songwriting, and Mercy Bermudez�s soaring lead vocals � the sound of Phil Spector mixed with the energy of punk � made them the band to see on the Sunset Strip. Sadly, their debut album (one of the most highly anticipated releases of the day) was plagued with problems and captured none of their magic. It was a commercial failure, with little exposure in radio and no sales. A second album �sounded� better, but met the same fate.
However, sisters Maggie and Missy Connell along with Mercy Bermudez kept recording on a Portastudio, concentrating on the girl-group side of their sound. They created tracks that would become a Holy Grail for not only Heaters and girl-group fans, but for anyone who was lucky enough to have heard them. Rhino Records loved the material and wanted it re-recorded it for a new release, but the three thought the songs should be released as they were, and turned down the deal. That was more than 30 years ago.
American Dream: The Portastudio Recordings, due out August 19, 2016 on Omnivore Recordings, is the first-ever official release of those 10 tracks from Maggie, Missy, and Mercy as the Heaters. Their glistening harmonies, which drew on the golden era of girl groups, the �50s and �60s, and were filtered through the �80s, will finally be widely available � in the 21st century! But great music is timeless, and the time has come for the true sound of the Heaters to reach the masses the way it was intended.
According to Maggie Connell: �Today anyone with a computer can record an album at home. That was not the case when Missy, Mercy, and I began the Porta Project. Before 1983, album making was like an occult science � available only to the chosen few. Young musicians were blindfolded novices and producers were High Priests. So there was something subversive about recording yourself . . . like Toto defrocking the Wizard of Oz by discovering the �man behind the curtain.� Today technology has created a more level playing field . . . along with greater freedom. Yet I wonder if that freedom has led to better music. There is something enlivening about pushing against limitation, and having something to prove � if only to yourself. So, I�m grateful for my part in this record � and for all the frustration that inspired it.�
With the full cooperation, and liner notes, by the band, we can finally turn up the Heaters!
Track Listing:
1. American Dream
2. All I Want To Do
3. 10,000 Roses
4. Every Living Day
5. Just Around The Corner
6. Sandy
7. I Want To Love Again
8. Rock This Place
9. Love Will Be Hurrying To You
10. I�ll Meet You There
