GUEST REVIEW: from singer/songwriter Laura Viers.
Pure Horsehair’s Aubade is wonderful. The songs are lyrical and thoughtful and surprising. Lovely arrangements surround simple, deep songs – oil and rust and blood and sun. Good, good, music for the soul. It’s pastoral and calming, yet twisted too, like a barbed-wire fence.
I toured with Garrett and Shahzad (the two members of the group) in
Europe and found them to be both wonderful travel mates and incredibly thoughtful and emotive musicians. They have one song in
particular that’s in 5/4 time – it’s magical and mysterious and I don’t know (a) how they possibly came up with it, and (b) how Garrett can sing and play it at the same time. 5/4 sometimes doesn’t sound that musical to me, but this song is the essence of music, MUSE – ic. It makes touring something really special when I get inspired night after night by the act I’m playing with. That was certainly the case with Pure Horsehair.
These fellows don’t tour much, but if you live in the NYC area, go and check them out. Garrett plays finger-style guitar and sings beautifully, and Shahzad plays everything from electric guitar to some random oil drum he found backstage, to funny metal ‘ding’-sounding heart-shaped sticks, to unfastened cymbals that come crashing down onto the stage. Shahzad is eloquent and does all the talking; Garrett sits shyly and smiles at his dear comrade. It’s quite an experience to share!
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