WITH TAMMA HICKS, STEAM MAGAZINE
I don’t know if you know but we went on vacation not too long ago. And like many South Texans we headed north to a cooler place! Yep, we went way north… All the way to Seattle, WA! The goal of the trip was to be with family and friends, get some relaxation time, and of course do a little work too. We took one day to hang out in Snohomish, a small town known for its antique stores, which meant a stop at the Oxford Saloon. The Oxford is a throw-back-in-time bar that opened in 1909 and is said to be haunted; although the only spirits we saw were the kinds being poured by our friendly bartender. It was here that we had the good fortune to meet Steve Fossen for a beer. We had, and this is important because there could be a test at the end, Diamond Knot IPA which is brewed locally by Pat Ringe and crew. That is locally to Steve in Mukilteo (Muckill-tee-oh) Washington. Although you may not know Steve Fossen by name, you know his music; in fact I bet there’s one of his songs on a classic rock station right now!
“Wouldn’t it be great to be in a band” to being in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame? I mean, oh my gosh!!! SF I know! It was a dream that we’d started when we were 14 years old. For the first two years that Roger and I had our instruments we played in separate bands. Then when we were 17, in the basement of my parent’s home, we shook hands and decided we were going to start a band and see what we could do with it. I called Don Wilhelm (singer, guitar, and keyboards) who we both knew and he got a hold of his friend Ray Schaefer (drums). And the rest is history. At this point Steve leans over and whispers into the mic… I just took a sip of IPA.
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An amazing history! It must have been breathtaking to get a call saying that you’ve been nom-
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So tell me the story of how Heart came to be. SF Roger Fisher and I met in junior high school when we were 13. We talked and daydreamed of being in a band and play instruments all through 8th and 9th grades. Then when we were sophomores we couldn’t stand it any longer and that’s when we got our instruments and began playing.
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How does it feel to go from being in 8th grade and saying,
was “Kick It Out” by Heart. And when the song finished the DJ said, “Hey, did you hear that Heart has been nominated for the Hall of Fame?”
STEAM And that’s how you heard about it? SF Yeah. I almost ran off the road! I was just shocked, so I drove home and called Somar and asked if she wanted to go to Cleveland. I spent the next three months as a basket case; I couldn’t sleep, I’d wake up thinking about it, I was just nuts over it. Then December came around and they announced that we didn’t make it, so it was really, really disappointing. …I just took a sip of IPA. I spent the next year just kind of commiserating over the fact that we didn’t make it, but it is what it is. September 2012 rolls around and the nominations are announced and we’re on the list for the second year in a row. This time I was much calmer and I just felt this confidence about it. And I got very sick which took my mind off the nomination. I developed “glomerulonephritis” which is a very serious syndrome that breaks down the filters in the kidneys depleting protein in your blood causing your muscles to fill with fluid, so I swelled with 65 pounds of water weight. I found an excellent doctor who knew exactly what needed to be done. Seven months after the onset of this terrible syndrome, there we were playing in Los Angeles at the induction ceremony in April 2013. They pronounced me cured just a year ago.
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inated for the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, let alone being told you’re in. I mean I probably would have fainted! SF Well, here’s what happened… I had just dropped Somar [Macek, Steve’s girlfriend] off at work and I was driving home. “Owner of a Broken Heart” by Yes had just finished playing on the radio and the next song
Wow, you are one fortunate man! Now I know we could keep going on these subjects, but I really want to hear about your current project, Heart By Heart. When did you start putting this group together? SF Somar and I began putting Heart By Heart together in 2008 along with Michael “Mike” DeRosier (Heart drummer ’75-82) but it’s only become solid about 18 months ago with the addition of Lizzy Daymont on vocals and rhythm guitar and Bob Rivers on keyboards. Our lead guitarist is Randy Hanson, who won an Oscar