INTERVIEW: On the new album, 9 Horses continues to roar

Photo: Joe Brent is the frontman of the band 9 Horses, who recently released the album Strum. Photo courtesy of Emma Mead / Provided by AMT PR with permission.

9 Horses, the instrumental trio, are back with a new album called Strom, which was released today, June 7. This recording and performance project features multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Joe Brent, Grammy-nominated violinist Sara Caswell and bassist Andrew Ryan, according to press notes. Together they are pioneers in the arena of progressive jazz, with some improvisation thrown in along the way. Their resulting creativity led to Stroman instrumental thesis lasting more than an hour.

Brent said the inspiration for the album title came from the instruments that were used to create this sonic output. Mandolins, guitars, basses, banjos and pianos can be heard on the record, plus 9 Horses have fun with fiddles, drums and even people. Songs include “Jenny-Pop Nettle Eater,” “Americannia” and “The House That Ate Myself,” though the album is meant to be experienced as a whole rather than cut into different pieces.

Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Brent to talk about 9 Horses and the band’s new album, their third recording effort, which is being released on Brent’s label, Adhyâropa Records. 9 Horses are also gearing up for an album release concert at Brooklyn’s Williamsburg Music Center on June 22. The questions and answers have been lightly edited for style.

What were the early days of 9 Horses like and what prompted the decision to become a trio?

I was once a primordial puff of prebiotic compounds, amino acids, and social anxiety. I got pretty good at playing the mandolin because it was easier than cell division and talking to girls. Eventually we evolved into a complex organism, too complex for anyone to understand, especially Kim! Then the other bodies started giving me the validation for my mandolin playing that I wasn’t getting from my counselor, so I focused my cellular energy on that. Finally, we attracted Sara through osmotic depletion and evolved into a non-adsorbing solute symbiotic molecule with polymer coils and a repeat space. Andrew was eventually sucked through our membranes by cell adhesion and we have been slowly feeding on his cytoplasm ever since. Soon he will be reduced to the cellular essentials of bass playing: namely, a passport and a Subaru.

What can listeners expect from the new album?

Long stretches of ecstasy, accumulating first in the thigh, but then spreading into vapors and humours. Expect this to be punctuated by moments of deeply wistful nostalgia. Your one true love is waiting for you, just beyond the veil. They miss you. they love you You will be together soon.

Why did you gravitate towards an acoustic, organic sound over synths on this recording project?

We used synths heavily in our last project. But then one day I woke up and looked in the mirror and, to my horror, I had grown an organic outer shell of shiny blazers and Ray-Bans. My hair was shaped like the Sydney Opera House and I had opinions about clubs that were “washed out”. It was a nightmare. I immediately started a regimen of acoustic guitar therapy and am just now coming out of it. This recording may have saved my life. He could have saved himself your life.

Releasing the album on your own home gives you maximum flexibility and creativity, right?

It allowed me to harness the power of two dichotomies: 1) the only art worth paying attention to is that which was created to the artist’s despair, and 2) the only music worth listening to is that which was created to his despair. the label that released it. Of course, I’m also a label boss and bandleader. The label continued to complain about the lack of a single, while the band insisted that the album must be considered as a whole to be understood as a coherent artistic statement. The label wanted more pop anthems; the band wanted more industrial sludge. The record company hired a professional photographer to make the cover; the band took a selfie with a Polaroid, then faxed it. The making of this album is the story of conflicting considerations, and its birth was difficult, violent and painful. Play two ends in a violin solo.

What inspired the song “The House That Ate Myself”?

If you stare too long at a sign written in Copperplate font, your eyes will bleed. Then your stomach will expand, your skin will peel off, and your esophagus will fill with bees. I suppose this goes without saying.

How difficult is it to learn mandolin versus guitar?

Little known fact: They are actually the same tool. Mandolinists are freaking huge.

What can audience members expect at the album release concert?

Instruments are detuned by the repeated act of playing them. We solve this without any tuning and then not playing.

By John Soltes / Editor / [email protected]

9 Horses’ new album is called Strum. They will play an album release concert on June 22 at the Williamsburg Music Center in Brooklyn. Click here for more information and tickets.