Consolation by Gary Heffern (CD)

Gary Heffern is the epitome of the punk rock poet. From his musical beginnings as the lead instigator and vocalist of iconic San Diego new wave post-punk band The Penetrators, to his years spent in Seattle writing songs, singing and creating artistic mayhem with a colorful cast of characters, many of whom you'll find on Drums & Wires, the Heff is a deeply soulful, one-of-a-kind artist. 
 
Distinguished music journalist Charles Cross captured the essence of Heffern's music in his liner notes for the tour-de-force album Consolation where he wrote "In Heffern's songs there is a constant struggle between darkness and light, between failed dreams and reckless prayer, between a world where all hope is lost and a consoling friend offers a sliver of deliverance."
 
A select list of artists that Heffern has collaborated with over the years includes Michael Shuler, Chris Eckman (The Walkabouts), Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, Minus Five), Earl Brooks (Crop Circles), Carla Torgerson (The Walkabouts), David Berger (Tina Chopp, Crop Circles), Marty Jourard (Motels), Jesse Sykes (The Sweet Hereafter), Alejandro Escovedo, Chet Kane, Peter Case, and Terri Moeller Pearson (Terri Tarantula, The Transmissionary Six, The Walkabouts).