Sixteen Horsepower
Jetset Records
Sixteen Horsepower singer/songwriter David Eugene Edwards was raised by his grandfather, a traveling Nazarene preacher. His exposure to the rhetoric of hellfire and eternal damnation still guides him spiritually and musically. The group's instrumentation is old-fashioned by design, featuring banjos, bandoneon, stand-up bass, and accordions and their lyrical content is similarly anachonistic, containing endless references to the Old Testament.
The Denver-based group released their self-titled debut album in 1995 on A&M Records. The group followed their debut with two more albums on A&M, 1996's Sackcloth 'n' Ashes, which featured the Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano on fiddle, and 1997's Low Estate produced by PJ Harvey collaborator John Parrish. All of these albums defined Sixteen Horsepower as spooky, spiritual, and sonically powerful, both on record and in live performance. After some lineup changes, the group released the as hypnotic Secret South on Razor & Tie Records. Then after a needed rest from the road and the release of a live album entitled Hoarse, the group convened to record the album Folklore for release by Jetset Records in 2002. The album combines all of their influences, from Nick Cave to Bob Dylan, with an intensity and darkness rarely combined with such beauty.
Justin Sinkovich
last updated:
09/17/02
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