03/07/25
Westport Bowery, Kansas City, MO
It was a typically windy March day for Heater to blow into the hearts of attendees at the Westport Bowery, to perform a twenty-two-song set. Having sold advanced tickets, and with the decently sized venue holding about 200 people, the show was close to a sellout. The venue offers a bar for adult beverages as well as taking cards, but if you visit the Westport Flea Market restaurant side it is cash only. So, make a mental note. The lights and sound were perfect, as the kids nowadays say, “That shit was FIRE!”
The story of Heater has an interesting story of how they found each other and became a band. Ethan (16, lead guitar) and schoolmate Ivan (17, bass) began jamming together with Ethan teaching Ivan how to play the bass. Ethan was in a music program where he formed a friendship with Sam (14, drums), and Ethan and Oscar (14, rhythm guitar) were introduced through their dads, who are good friends. Wanting to bring in a lead singer, Abby (17, vocalist) was introduced to the band by Ethan, and they discovered four of them were in the same music program, School of Rock.
The setlist was packed full of cover songs from different genres of rock. 90s alternative grunge to heavy metal, and the audience didn’t mind the mix. When it’s good rock n roll, who cares? At least the kids are not sitting in front of a screen. The band is tight, and the sound reflects that. From Ethan’s high energy and carrying the heavy riffs to the bang on the drums from Sam. These kids have put in the hard work, and it shows.
While I was interviewing the band, I asked who their influences were:
Oscar quickly replied, “Dimebag Darrell, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Scott Ian.”
Ethan- “Slash, Jimmy Page, Jeremy Benson.”
Ivan- “Mike Starr and Frank Bello.”
Abby- “Robert Smith, Maynard, and Brandon Boyd.”
Sam- “Lars Ulrich and Tommy Lee.”
When asked if the kids had any plans or goals for the future, Abby wants to pursue college to learn how to care for animals, Ethan wants to attend Musicians Institute, Sam and Ivan want to go to college but not sure for what, and Oscar just wants to take it day by day. But they all agreed there would be music involved, and they have hopes of releasing an album someday.
Heater offers this advice for young people wanting to pursue music: “Don’t give up, don’t be too hard on yourself, keep practicing, get rid of social media, and don’t procrastinate. We banter back and forth but at the end of the day music is what makes us happy, and we don’t can’t care if we get up there and bomb. We’re doing what makes us happy.”
