About us

Careless Hearts are an indie/roots rock band from San José, CA. They have released three full albums, a 7-inch, and an EP of original songs, and have been gigging steadily since late 2005.

Careless Hearts are:

Paul Kimball: lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
Brian Michael: lead guitar, vocals
Brian Dupras: bass
Eric Powers: drums

Accomplishments:
Named “Writers of the Week” in August 2009 by American Songwriter magazine

Named “DIY Top Pick” in March 2007
by Performing Songwriter magazine

The band’s song “Yolo County Line” licensed by Palm, Inc. for the launch of the company’s highly publicized phone, the Pre.

REVIEWS AND PRESS

Careless Hearts began as pure San Jose alt-country. After building up a following in the South Bay and elsewhere since 2005, their career took an unexpected left turn in 2009 when they found themselves backing Iggy & the Stooges guitarist James Williamson at the Blank Club, Williamson’s first performance in 35 years and a warm-up for his return to touring with Iggy Pop. (The Blank Club performance was released as the 2010 album James Williamson and the Careless Hearts.) The event was a turning point in the Careless Hearts’ career; afterward, they released a three-song EP that found their finely crafted roots thunderstruck with Iggy’s (and Williamson’s) fiery “rawk” influence. It remains to be seen what direction the Careless Hearts take next, but with the band’s proven talent and new adventurousness, their next record is sure to be a welcome surprise no matter what… Metro, 9.21.12

Fans of Wilco and the Old 97s at their peak would be smart to check out how effortlessly the Hearts have transplanted a heart full of napalm into their roots music…Metro, 6.22.11

Careless Hearts fuse the storytelling of old school country with the raw power of classic rock into a modern sound that is both intricate and uplifting… The Gilroy Patch, 3.17.11

There was a simpler musical time, say 50 years ago, before rock n’ roll and country split and become estranged brothers. Careless Hearts still straddles this divide, beating out twangy, folk-infused rock. The rhythm and the tune bore down into the heart of country, the guitar pulls it back into modern rock n’ roll, and the lyrics are folktastic (though entirely evoking the dusty rural country life of America, rather than some citified folk rock). The Hearts boys are out with their sophomore effort, Heart’s Delight, and I couldn’t be more delighted with the results…. Heart’s Delight shows clear growth from their first release, but hasn’t lost any of the gritty musical luster… Search for the Last of the Hardcore Troubadours, 10.9.08

The first CD for San Jose’s Careless Hearts was a warm up for the direction they’ve established on their newest, Heart’s Delight. They’ve upped the ante and gone for a big, full, though not over the top alt-rock sound. The twang influences are still there, but this band’s twang influences were holding them back as can be heard on the first CD, where its more country-fied songs often sounded like full-bodied rockers wanting to break free. Heart’s Delight has a sound to match the strength of the songs. Two, maybe three of the 11 songs on the CD would fit into a country mix, but the rest are rockers that represent the thinkin’ person’s alt-rock band that the Careless Hearts have become. They’ve followed their muse to a better place… HicksWithSticks.com

One of many young Bay Area acts playing alt-country and folk-rock, San Jose’s Careless Hearts earns an advantage over its contemporaries not through innovation or technique or even personality, but through unmitigated honesty. From sad country songs to upbeat blues, even a rocking cover of Bob Dylan’s “Isis,” it all feels true… East Bay Express, 10.17.08

On October [22nd], the Careless Hearts will release their sophomore album,Heart’s Delight. If you liked their first album as much as me, then there’s more to love on this one! Their twangy rock sound ranges from early Whiskeytown like on “Starlings’ Darlings,” to the Grateful Dead like on my personal favorite, “I Like The Way Your Sun Shines,” to straight-up honky-tonk rock like “Hell Of A Man.” You’ll have to wait a few weeks for this one, but it’s definitely worth the wait… HickoryWind, 9.14.08

Reviews for Careless Hearts, our debut album:

“Careless Hearts’ audio stew: start with a Wilco base, chop up some REM, throw in some tumbleweeds, season with some ripe Neil Young, and serve with some coleslaw, biscuits and corn on the cob.” …Zero Magazine, 6.2008

“Careless Hearts’ self-titled debut has a lot to offer the country rock-loving masses, California and Nashville alike. Primarily a country band disguised as a rock outfit, the California-based ensemble covers a lot of ground, scratching out rowdy dance floor busters and just as easily swinging a ballad… they have the right kind of talent. ” …West Coast Performer magazine, 4.2007

“A GREAT band.” …Ray Randall, AmericanaRoots.com, 4.2007

“The San Jose-based Careless Hearts call themselves alt-country, but we say they’re purveyors of good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. The kind that’ll have you singing along and tapping your foot before the end of the first chorus. The kind with more hooks than a convention of pirates at a bait-and-tackle shop. You’ll be sucked in by the first line of the first chorus of the first song, a delightful three-and-a-half-minute number called “Chattering Teeth.” Lead singer Paul Kimball alternately wails and whines (in a good way) while powerhouse drummer Craig Heitkam never lets up. Lyrical gems like “I’m shaking like a junkie in a film by Gus Van Sant” are the icing on this cake. They’ve also included a straight-up country ballad (“Old Ways Die Slow”), complete with a honky tonk and a cheating heart. But we’re still calling these Hearts rock perfection.” …Performing Songwriter magazine, 3.2007

“Check out San Franscisco Bay Area twangers, Careless Hearts. Their self-titled debut is full of sad songs influenced by traditional country songbooks juxtaposed with rockin’ twang channeling the likes of The Band, the Stones and more recently Two Tons of Steel”… Twangville.com, 2.15.2007

“Can’t Tell a Man and Never to Return showcase the range of the country music spectrum influencing Careless Hearts. The first clearly has sprung, like a green sapling, directly from American roots music. You can almost hear the old Kentucky hills in the rhythm and the lyrics. The second is a story of isolation and tragedy, a very traditional American song theme, though here the sound is updated, relying more on the last two decades of alternative rock music than it does on the beginning of the last century.”…Hardcore-Troubadours.com, 2.19.07

“Careless Hearts are an alt-country band winning hearts and minds from San Jose to San Francisco, and have just released their first CD. The songwriting on this CD is its first attention getter. They takes their listeners into places new and familiar, but rarely in expected ways. Their sound covers bases from Wilco to the Velvet Underground and points in between. ”Chattering Teeth,” which kicks off the CD, tackles the nervous energy of situations that bring about clicking teeth and knocking knees. “22 Filmore” wraps love lost into a local package by comparing it to the release of the air breaks on a well-known San Francisco bus line. They have are other stories, some dark, some personal and some uplifting, and all for your entertainment pleasure. As HWS has said before, these guys are single-handedly kicking the long dead carcass of South Bay twang back to life.” …HicksWithSticks.com, 11.16.2006

“Careless Hearts’ music is a mostly upbeat blend of country and rock that should please fans of Rank and File or the Old 97′s”… San Jose Mercury News, 10.06.06

“Careless Hearts could be compared to the Donny and Marie Show of the ’70s: they give us that perfect blend of country AND rock ‘n’ roll entertainment, minus the skits.” …The Wave magazine, 1.25.2006