released June 26, 2011

The Heaters are:

Steve Pearson – Guitar, Vocals
Don Short – Guitar, Vocals
Keith Lilly – Bass, Vocals
Ken Deans – Drums

Thanks to Don, Steve, Keith and Ken for agreeing to let you listen to and buy this live recording. Also thanks for about five years worth of rockin' Pacific Northwest clubs.

There was a live radio broadcast coming up soon after the Shire show on Thanksgiving Day 1979. This required some thought because where I lived and where my parents lived had really crappy Seattle FM radio reception. There were hills in the way of the radio signals. My brother Brian and I conspired to eat Thanksgiving dinner at my parents home with the family and then go to his dorm at the University of Washington, which had way better FM reception, in time to record The Heaters live at the Showbox. It had almost everything the Shire Tavern show had, except the smoke, beer & bodies. This would do very well until they released an album. In some ways I prefer it still.

What the Seattle bars, or any local bar, wanted out of local bands were songs that their clientele would relate to, dance to and drink more beer to. The Heaters/Heats managed to hit every mark. They could fill a tavern with enthusiastic dancing, drinking fools until closing. Their audience not only shouted out the names of the covers they wanted to hear, they called out the names of the Heaters/Heats songs too! I think the local bars started to realize that maybe some of the original music in town did have a draw. This is what the Heaters/Heats (and other bands of the late 70's/early 80's) did to help the new underground rock of Seattle and the Northwest.
Howie

Original t-shirt design by Jim Sorenson
Cover photo and design by Howie Wahlen