High Horse by High Horse

High Horse is comprised of fiddler Carson McHaney, cellist Karl Henry, guitarist G Rockwell, and bassist Noah Harrington; the band draws from their varied musical backgrounds to explore and perform original compositions and tunes from diverse folk traditions. Based in Boston, they met and honed their skills at the Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory.

In early March, the band ventured to Great North Sound Studios in rural Maine for three days of music-making, hard work, and high-spirited good times. What resulted was a 12-track album reflective of their diverse influences that is hard to classify under any one genre. It is the complex and beautiful music brew of their individual journeys, experiences, and influences in music, coming together to create a unique and totally original sound in the acoustic music world.

Nothing else really sounds like High Horse, in part owing to their unique combination of instruments (featuring cello as a utility infielder, at once filling in as the second “fiddle” role, then joining the rhythm section to add extra oomph), and in part due to their extraordinary instrumental and vocal acumen. The four-movement suite which makes up the centerpiece of the album is a perfect showcase for their unique sound. Beginning with a gentle, wind-swept texture evocative of western movie music, the second part adds a muscularity as the texture thickens and the tempo quickens; the third part of the journey finds High Horse in wistful repose, a gorgeous string band elegy worthy of Nickel Creek or the Appalachia Waltz recordings of Yo-Yo Ma, Stewart Duncan, and Edgar Meyer. And in the 4th, their hair finally comes down and the song lifts off with a fiery instrumental breakdown.

Assisting on the recording are world-renowned engineer (and 6th member of the Punch Brothers) Dave Sinko, producer/mandolin-powerhouse Jacob Jolliff, and guest musicians Kat Wallace and Jacqui Armbruster. Together, they’ve crafted a genre-bending collection of music that will captivate and transport listeners.

High Horse is fiddler Carson McHaney, cellist Karl Henry, guitarist G Rockwell, and bassist Noah Harrington.