Front Porch Musings

Man, it is colder than a witch’s tit. Luckily I’ve been jamming this album for the past couple of weeks and it’s helped to keep my mind off of the frigid cold. Horse Operas, not to be confused with ‘Horse Opera’ is a sweet 3 piece band that formed in Austin a few years ago. Hailing from Louisiana, Okalahoma, and Alabama respectively; Henry, Travis, and Josh crossed paths via work and other pet projects at the time. Henry handles most of the vocals and a guitar, Travis also supports on guitar and ukelele, Josh mans the drums, and Bill handles the keyboard, but I don’t know where he’s from. Since they’ve left Austin, some guys picked up the name, minus the plurality, so don’t fall for it. Anyhow, the guys have all left Austin for different parts of the Midwest, in the pursuit of greater things… Their wives.

Dead Man’s Music is the group’s first full-length album, and it was released in November on Southern Love Records. With two of the guys in Chicago, and the third in Iowa, they would get together every few months to play shows somewhat hap-hazzardly, without practicing their material. Apparently the album came together the same way. I couldn’t tell, but if anything, it adds some real character to the finished product.

I would say that these guys fit nicely within the whole “Americana” or “Alt-country” niche, however one might choose to define it. Nonetheless, with influences ranging from Johnny Cash to Nirvana and the Dead Kennedy’s, I’m quite attracted to the stiff-upper lip sensibilities that come through in some of the tunes. The music is very simple; there’s a guitar, sometimes two, a ukelele, and some pretty easy to follow drum-beats. Simple formulas bring great results, as their songwriting and changing tempos are what makes this music fun to listen to.

The album features two all instrumental tracks, “Mud Bath” leads off the album, and “Mud Bath 2″ comes in the later-middle part. Both of the tracks are really cool, and not something that a lot of bands are doing. Knowing how these guys live so far apart and don’t play together all the time, it kinda gives you the feeling that you’re just hanging out as they’re just jamming around to find something that might stick.

In the title track “Dead Man’s Music” you can feel the Johnny Cash influence almost like a slap to the face. It’s raw, and it’s straightforward, and it’s got that twang to it that we all need to hear from time to time. It’s a cool song about how chasing that rock n’ roll dream can change a man, and how the music that we listen to, or play rather, influences generations for years to come. “He sings drink, they get drunk. He sings smoke, they get stoned, like they don’t have a mind of their own”

Another great track is “Factories.” Once the guitar riff started this thing out, it reminded me instantly of Nirvana, which hasn’t happened for a while, and that is awesome. Nirvana’s “Nevermind” was the first cassette I ever purchased, along with Garth Brooks’ “In Pieces.” Kinda lame huh? Anyhow, this song tells a story of a small town essentially going out of business. No one working at the factories, streets emptying out, the dying of the American working class. Reminds me a lot of DBT’s “Puttin People on The Moon.”

“Hammer and Nail” might be my favorite track on the album. This guy sleeps with a chick once, and her father forces the two to marry, and he’s stuck working for him for the rest of his life. I hope the sex was good! This track really gets rocking at the choruses, more so than one might think possible with an acoustic and a uke.

Finally, I’m going to mention “Love Me Hard and Then I’ll Die” because I think that might be one of the coolest song titles I’ve ever encountered. I mean, as doods, what more are we really looking for? This one is definitely a great sing-along tune, and shows how much these guys can do.

All around, this is a really well done album. Quite refreshing actually. Many of the albums that I’ve been into this year have had a lot going on musically. Some of our favorite bands are really pushing themselves musically to do new things, and take their tunes to a new level. It’s really cool to hear guys that are just getting started recording together and think of where they could take this thing. Word has it that the guys are making their way west, and are setting down some roots in Arizona. Keep your ears peeled for some touring in 2010. In the meantime, buy the album, and check out their Myspace for more info.

Stay Warm,

Brain

Buy Dead Man’s Music

Horse Operas Myspace