Coronary Bypass : Wilson Sisters Show Off Their New Band’s Tunes in a Concert That Largely Ignores Heart Classics

Led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, the Seattle-based group Heart was one of the first female-fronted hard-rock outfits to sell millions of albums. Its first two releases in the late-’70s featured well-crafted melodies and Ann’s powerful vocals on such radio-friendly songs as “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You” and “Barracuda.”

Yet Heart soon lost its way, at least artistically. The band continued to sell millions of records during the ‘80s, but the music became increasingly bland and cliched as overblown “power ballads” and aimless guitar solos became the norm. But the sisters stayed the course to keep their product moving.

Now, the formulaic Heart has all but disappeared. Ann and Nancy have found new relevance in a spinoff group called the Lovemongers, which made an impressive Orange County debut Sunday night at the Coach House.

Also featuring longtime friends Frank Cox (guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Sue Ennis (keyboards, vocals), the Lovemongers is eschewing the corporate rock mentality in favor of a grass-roots approach: The band’s forthcoming album, “Whirlygig,” is due next week on the tiny indie label Will Records, and its current tour is stopping in club-size venues.

Judging by the acoustic-based quartet’s decidedly low-key yet involving performance, this invention works. This time, the only apparent requirements are to play music for the joy of it and to take a few risks. How else to explain such unexpected treats as covers of Elton John’s “Harmony,” the Burt Bacharach / Elvis Costello collaboration “God Give Me Strength,” KC and the Sunshine Band’s “Get Down Tonight” and a stirring finale of Led Zeppelin’s “Battle of Evermore”?

Toward carving out its own identity, the group offered thought-provoking original material ranging in style from folk-tinged to neo-psychedelic rock. Themes included the superficiality of the fashion world (“Miracle Girl”) and the sadness of domestic violence (“City on the Hill”) to the innate bond between mother and daughter (“Two Black Lambs”) and the anticipation of a blossoming romance (“Kiss”).

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The emphasis on new material resulted in only a smattering of Heart songs, much to the dismay of the fans who yelled out their favorites. To their pleas, Ann responded, “It’s really tough to have a past. I’m sorry, this group doesn’t know any of those songs.”

That was a fib because they did play several selections belonging to that other band. But instead of milking the mega-hits, the Lovemongers served up the more obscure “Love Alive” and “City’s Burning” and reinvented “Crazy on You” as a slow, soulful inspirational delivered on the strength and conviction of Ann Wilson’s vocals.

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All of the band members contribute to the songwriting, and Cox sang two of his own--the trippy “Heavy Sedation” and “Vegas Genes,” a delightfully campy take on the City of Sin.

Whether or not the Lovemongers reach beyond a cult-sized following seems to matter little. The Wilson sisters have reclaimed their careers, and respectability, while having fun once again.

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Throughout her well-received, eclectic opening set, Elaine Summers proved she’s an emerging talent. Drawing material exclusively from her debut, “Transplanting,” the Seattle singer-songwriter capably mixed such disparate elements as roots-rock, funk, pop and a touch of the blues.

Summers and her four-piece band indulged in frequent guitar-centered jams but rarely strayed far from each song’s emotional core. Highlights included a “very demented nursery rhyme,” as Summers described “Witness”; a grungy cover of an obscure Troggs tune, “Our Love Will Still Be There;” and an uptempo pop-rocker about loss of innocence, “Tell Me About It.”