Hey! Horse Feathers
Poor form as it may be to mention the same band twice in two days, we’ve just heard back from Justin Ringle, founder of Portland’s Horse Feathers. He’s out on tour with the band (he’s probably just finished at the Luminaire in London) so we just asked him a few short and sweet questions. Here’s what he said…
How’s everything going with the tour?
Great thus far… we have just finished our first few UK dates and a short stretch in France and Belgium and have been floored by the response from the majority of the shows.
Horse Feathers has a fairly unusual format – recording with some members and touring with others. Who’s currently involved, besides yourself?
Right now I am playing with Nathan Crockett on violin and saw, Catherine Odell on cello, and back home in the States Samuel Cooper on banjo, mandolin, percussion, and violin.
Was it always your intention to work with other musicians?
I started by writing the songs by myself and did open mics when I first moved to Portland, but after I started playing with accompaniment, principally strings, I have really wanted to have those instruments in the mix for recording and performances.
Does Portland have a close-knit folk community generally?
Yes, musicians in Portland generally play in more than one band and there is a lot of musical trading going on. At times it almost seems more like a jazz scene in the way musicians move from group to group for sessions or shows.
And who out of the city should we be listening to right now?
There are a couple of promising new folk bands that I really enjoy. Ah Holly Fam’ly plays a type of orchestral folk with woodwinds and amazing female vocals behind a male frontman. Also there is The Old Believers, which is composed of a guy and gal from Alaska who sing together and just make great tunes.
Your label Kill Rock Stars has an amazing roster with the likes of Deerhoof, Marnie Stern, the Decemberists and Xiu Xiu. Which in particular are you a fan of?
I have to say I am partial to Xiu Xiu quite a bit. I say them play in Portland last year and it was absolutely one of the most original live shows I have seen in a long time. But I think that all the artists on KRS are amazing in their own rights. We have played with Thao, The Shaky Hands, and Panther, and have enjoyed it every time!
Have you thought about what direction you might take Horse Feathers next? Is there a chance you might ‘go electric’, for example?
I would like to avoid the stigma with going ‘electric’ with being called Judas and all that – however I have been working on some new material that I would describe as being a little more forward with a bit more banjo, mandolin, and old time feel. But we’ll see.
Possibly related to this:
Tags:
ah holly fam'ly • horse feathers • kill rock stars • portland • samuel cooper • the old believers • xiu xiu
One response to “Hey! Horse Feathers”
Leave a comment
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Really want to get down to the Horse Feathers gig on Weds, but don’t finish work till fairly late. Any ideas what time they’ll be on? Cheers, Chris.