Horse Feathers At Vinyl

The Bowery Presents: Horse Feathers w/ David Ramirez Saturday March 14 Vinyl 8pm Doors // $12 ADV Tix: http://bit.ly/HorseFeathersATL Twitter: @krshorsenews Horse Feathers - http://horsefeatherstheband.com/ Some quick true/false facts about the band Horse Feathers and their new album, So It Is With Us: 1. The record was partially recorded in a barn in a beautiful pastoral setting in rural Oregon (true, but hasn't everybody done this now?) 2. The band lives in Portland, OR (also true, and they are consciously and unconsciously living breathing stereotypes just like the ones portrayed in Portlandia) 3. Horse Feathers last album charted on Billboard by selling fewer records than they had in the past (true, but maybe more a comment on the music industry as a whole?) 4. For this album, the band was influenced by the following: Pentangle, Talk Talk, Paul Simon, The Band, Van Morrison, John Wesley Harding era Bob Dylan, Desire era Bob Dylan, and Abner Jay (not what you would have guessed, right?) Justin Ringle, the man behind all ten years of Horse Feathers, has the following to say about the making of this album, and the current state of his band: "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." So It Is With Us will be released on Kill Rock Stars on October 21, 2014. David Ramirez - http://davidramirezmusic.com/ A man and his guitar... honest, unfiltered and true. In a landscape filled with Top 40 beats and harmonizing folk groups, a lone singer- songwriter definitely has his work cut out for him. But David Ramirez isn't looking to top the charts. He just wants to tell the truth. "I grew up on 90's alternative radio. It was fun and easy. In college someone gave me a Ryan Adams record, which led me to discover folks like Bob Dylan. From those guys I learned about the power of words and melody and their ability to affect change in people. That honesty made me want to connect with people through music". Being just as drawn to artists like Dylan and Adams as he is to The National and Arcade Fire is perhaps what draws both young college crowds and folk traditionalists to his live shows. In 2012, Ramirez played over 175 shows in theaters, clubs, bars and listening rooms from Burlington, VT to San Diego, CA. A Fall 2012 co-headline tour with Noah Gundersen saw many sell-out shows and grew his loyal fan base. "I've been humbled by the response I've received from people. Not only do they come to a show or two but they seem to be in it for the long haul. Touring can be tough, but knowing that people around the country are excited to be a part of my music brings so much joy and meaning to the miles". Ramirez's career has spanned 2 full lengths and 3 EP's. His 2012 independently released album, Apologies debuted at #2 on iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts and #23 on Billboard Folk, garnering praise from The New York Times, American Songwriter and PASTE. Hometown magazine Austin Monthly calls Ramirez "one of Americana's great undiscovered songwriters..." His latest release is The Rooster EP. Produced in 6 days by Ramirez and Danny Reisch (Shearwater, Okkervill River, White Denim), the 5 songs explore new sounds and test the limits of the folk/singer-songwriter genre. "The songs themselves are still rooted in folk, but I wanted to experiment with different sounds and textures. It's subtle but it's strong". David Ramirez knows no luxury. All he needs is an acoustic guitar and the words in his mouth to share his story. One that is honest, unfiltered and true.