Justin Ringle, the man behind all ten years of Horse Feathers, is back with a new album So It Is With Us that’s sounding very different from previous releases, a move that was spurred by a desire to make his music ‘more fun’. After hearing ‘Violently Wild’ which you can hear below we think he’s on a winner.
This came close to being an album that never was as he recently revealed how he very nearly hung up his guitar for good after a long period of disillusionment following his 2012 release ‘Cynic’s New Year’:
“I wanted to stop. I did all the touring for my fourth record – Cynic’s New Year – and ended the year 2012 disillusioned and defeated. I didn’t touch my guitar for months, which was the longest I had gone in about 15 years. I thought that my career in music was over and wondered if I even wanted to do it anymore. After an arduous period of self-doubt and discovery, I finally arrived at the enlightened idea that maybe it should just be a little more fun. I had grown weary of talking to people after shows who said that my last record “helped them through their divorce”. I have always been flattered by that sort of thing, but I realized what I wanted to hear was how my last record helped them “have a great weekend”. If you have heard any of my previous records you will realize that this transformation from “divorce” band to “weekend” band would be a tall order. And it was! I wouldn’t say we’ve become a “party band” overnight, but I certainly tried to change things a bit.
I enlisted friends to play with me that I trusted and had known for years. Along with longtime bandmates Nathan Crockett (strings/mandolin) and Dustin Dybvig (percusion/drums/keys), I threw Justin Power (bass/vocals) into the mix to have an honest to god rhythm section for the first time. With Lauren Vidal on cello and Brad Parsons singing harmonies, we played an impromptu show at Sasquatch and people liked it. We liked it, and the unusual feeling that I had after that show – which I think is referred to as “joy” – became something I wanted to experience again. I shared more. I stopped editing myself as much. The joy of playing live became its own reward, and I dared myself to allow that joy to shape the songwriting. In the end, I was able to let it go, and I don’t own it anymore. Which also feels like joy. That’s the way it was, and so it is with us.”
Album Trailer
US Tour Dates
09/20 Medford, OR @ downtownART+SOUND
10/28 Bellingham, WA @ Wild Buffalo
10/29 Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret
10/30 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
10/31 Spokane, WA @ The Barlett
11/01 Missoula, MT @ The Top Hat
11/02 Bozeman, MT @ The Filling Station
11/04 Jackson, WY @ Town Square Tavern
11/08 Denver, CO @ The Bluebird Theater
11/09 Colorado Springs, CO @ Ivywild School
11/11 Albuquerque, NM @ Low Spirits
11/13 Austin, TX @ Holy Mountain
11/14 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
11/15 Norman, OK @ Opolis Production LLC
11/18 St Louis, MO @ The Firebird
11/19 Madison, WI @ Play Circle Theater
11/20 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
11/21 La Crosse, WI @ Cavalier Theater & Lounge
11/22 St Paul, MN @ Turf Club
11/23 Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
11/29 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
12/03 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
12/04 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Club
12/05 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
12/06 San Diego, CA @ Casbah San Diego
12/07 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
12/12 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
12/13 Eugene, OR @ The WOW Hall
releases 21 October 2014 via Kill Rock Stars
http://horsefeatherstheband.com/