Musicians overcome loss by forming new band

NEW YORK — Some bands are created by giddy accidents or random meetings. Others are created cynically for the bottom line. The new band Roadcase Royale was created to overcome loss.

Nancy Wilson, guitarist of the legendary band Heart, was recovering from a family crisis that had estranged her from her sister, Ann.

Singer Liv Warfield was mourning the loss of her mentor, Prince.

They decided to join forces, blending Wilson's rock with Warfield’s R&B.

“It’s been this amazing kind of confluence of really good luck and bad luck where we both had losses in our lives,” said Wilson. “We’d already met. We’d already talked about maybe doing something together. And we decided, ‘Let’s be the people that really do something when they say they're going to do it.’”

Like musical step-parents, Wilson brought to the project three members of Heart — keyboardist Chris Joyner, bassist Dan Rothchild and drummer Ben Smith. Warfield recruited guitarist Ryan Waters from Prince’s backing band.

They named themselves Roadcase Royale, a title inspired by the combination of the scuffed instrument containers from Heart and the aristocracy of Prince .

The band’s debut album, First Things First, came out this fall and has something for everyone — rock ’n’ roll that's funky, lyrics that are sometimes socially conscious and sometimes fiery.

“It’s all coming from the soul, from experience and from life. You learn how you can break all the rules that you feel confined in. It’s so natural. I love it,” said Wilson.

The band’s roots stretch back to 2015, when Heart was booked for shows at the Hollywood Bowl. They were looking for an opening act and were advised to check out a singer who had electrified Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. That was Warfield.

In 2016. Heart was rocked when Ann Wilson's husband was arrested for assaulting Nancy’s 16-year-old twin sons.

“The molecules of Heart may never amass once again but it remains to be seen. This is where I want to be, Roadcase Royale,” said Wilson.