The Launch Box featuring Band of Horses
If you like: The Shins, Modest Mouse, and The Lumineers
The Seattle indie rock band known as Band of Horses, formed in 2004, by multi-instrumentalists Ben Bridwell and Mat Brooke. They founded the group after an eight-year run with Carissa’s Wierd, and an early concert alongside Iron & Wine. Band of Horses was signed by Sub Pop in 2005 and reissued their self-released EP later that year, at the same time returning to the studio to record its full-length debut.
Everything All the Time dropped in March of 2006, but despite it’s success, Brooke did not go on tour with them, and officially left the group by July to focus on his other project, Grand Archives. Bridwell along with now-permanent band mates Rob Hampton (bass) and Creighton Barrett (drums), began playing stateside shows and touring Europe in support of the band’s debut.
Official video of “The Great Slat Lake” from Everything All the Time.
After the tour, Band of Horses relocated to South Carolina to be closer to their families. Soon after, they began recording their second album Cease to Begin, which was released in October of 2007. It peaked at number 35 on the Billboard charts, giving the band a taste of commercial success as well as critical approval. Although Band of Horses spent most of the following two years on the road, they also found time to return to the recording studio, where they began working on a third album in 2009.
Infinite Arms was a collaborative effort between Bridwell, Barrett, and new members Ryan Monroe, Tyler Ramsey, and Bill Reynolds. The album hit shelves in mid-2010, and earned a Grammy for its country-rock sound.
Watch the video for “Laredo” below. The distinctive vocals make it stand out from the rest of the tracks on Infinite Arms.
Their fourth album, Mirage Rock, was preceded by the single “Knock, Knock,” arriving in September 2012.
They released a live album in 2014 called Acoustic at the Ryman, which was a compilation of tracks recorded in a stripped-down fashion.
In the spring of 2016, Band of Horses debuted a new single “Casual Party” from their forthcoming fifth studio LP, Why Are You OK, which hits shelves Friday June 10th, 2016 – here’s the video!
Find Band of Horses on:
Info from: Allmusic.com, Wikipedia, Pandora