The Heaters

In the closing years of the 1970s, Los Angeles trio the Heaters looked ready to break through. Blending mainstream rock with new-wave energy, the group opened shows for Van Halen and Cheap Trick yet encountered persistent difficulties translating their sound to tape. Ariola issued the band’s self-titled debut in 1978; two years later they moved to a major label for Energy Transfer, though neither album attracted significant notice. Lead singer Mercy Bermudez and sisters Maggie and Missy Connell continued on their own, purchasing a four-track PortaStudio and laying down tracks that foregrounded their girl-group roots. Those homemade recordings stirred local interest in Los Angeles, drawing admiration from Phil Spector and a contract offer from Rhino that the musicians declined before disbanding. The PortaStudio material finally surfaced in 2016 when Omnivore Records released it as American Dream: The PortaStudio Recordings.