Steve Fossen and Michael Derosier are founding members of the iconic, classic rock band Heart — formed in 1975 and disbanded in ’82. Though the original band’s time came to an end, the two founding members started a new group to carry on its sound and music — Heart by Heart.
“That’s part of the reason that Mike, Somar and I put the band together — we really wanted to play the music as faithfully to the recordings and concerts that Heart did back in the ’70s,” Fossen said. “We have acoustic guitars, keyboards, electric guitars, bass, drums and singing and harmonies — and we ask the sound people and the light people to recreate what it was like to see a band in the late ’70s, early ’80s.
“We have a lot of laughs, a lot of fun and we meet a lot of people — it’s very gratifying.”
On Tuesday, Feb. 3, Heart by Heart will take the stage at The Fox Tucson Theatre. The classic rock band features Fossen on bass, Derosier on drums, joined by Somar Macek, Lizzy Daymont and Chad Quist. The group’s setlist includes various fan favorite songs from Heart’s discography, including “Magic Man,” “Barracuda” and “Crazy on You,” as well as deeper cuts like “Mistral Wind” and “Love Alive.”
One of Heart by Heart’s goals in performing, Fossen said, is to recreate the magic of the era the music comes from. Many of the audience members and their current fans remember Heart as a band and associate the songs with many good memories of their youth. Fossen said that after every show, various listeners tell them about how much they loved Heart’s music when they were young — often with tears in their eyes.
Heart by Heart was formed in the early 2000s, years after the original group disbanded. Fossen said that he and Derosier were hired to play at a party in downtown Seattle, backing up Macek’s singing. According to Fossen, Heart by Heart started out as a hobby, but gained notoriety quickly and began touring and performing at venues across the country.
The bass player and original Heart member said that he has many fond memories of traveling and performing on the road. Fossen recalled a time in which he found himself locked on the band’s private plane after forgetting something on board.
“Everybody was getting off and jumping in the limos and I forgot something on the plane, so I went back and retrieved it from my seat — which was halfway back the plane,” he said. “Everyone else thought I exited the plane already, so they jumped in the limos and they took off — and of course, when you leave the plane, you don’t leave it unlocked.
“I was sitting in the locked plane and it took them about five minutes, but they realized I wasn’t there, so they came back and got me.”
Fossen’s origins as an artist go back to his adolescence when his father rented him a bass when he was 15 years old. He said that he was very inspired by the music of The Beatles and was always interested in listening to and analyzing music. The bassist said his father expected his musicianship to be a short-lived hobby and that the instrument would eventually sit in a corner collecting dust — but once he picked it up, he said he never put it back down.
“I love the sound of bass, I love the way they look and I like the fact that their strings are fatter — not these teeny, tiny strings like they have on guitars,” Fossen said. “I like a big, full sound and my personality is more like a semi truck instead of a sports car.”
The bass and the drums, the bass player added, drive the song — creating a strong foundation for the quickness and rainbow of colors of the guitar players, singers and keyboard to build on. The combination of each of their sounds and talents, he said, creates a satisfying experience.
With the showtime rapidly approaching, Fossen said he is happy to have another opportunity to visit Tucson — noting the welcoming nature of the venues and people.
“I distinctly remember being in Tucson back in the Heart days, but I was younger then and didn’t appreciate going to different cities as much as I do now,” he said. “The Fox Theater looks like a nice place to play and they’re very accommodating to our wishes and it’s great to see and meet the people and have breakfast at the local diners — it’s a lot of fun.”
Heart by Heart
WHERE: The Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress Street, Tucson
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3
COST: $24 to $64 all in
INFO: foxtucson.com