band out of time: 16 horsepower

A little more than ten years ago, I moved to Denver (long story) and begin looking for some local gigs. I had come to know a couple different booking agents while still living in Chicago and rang them up the moment I touched down in the Mile High city. I ask for a gig and he responds with his own question: "Wanna open up for Sixteen Horsepower?" The gig is two weeks away - just enough time for me to put a live band together and get a few rehearsals under our belt before the show.

That is probably the only reason I am aware of Sixteen Horsepower. Sure, they'd just been signed to A&M, but, unless you were looking, they were an easy band to miss.

If you were lucky enough to catch them live, though, holy crap.

I remember standing out front watching the band, not knowing what to expect, and having my ass handed to me on a stick. These guys created a completely singular sound, familiar yet entirely their own. The band was able to rock incredibly hard, yet leave plenty of room for subtle instrumental nuances and vocal inflections that showed immense originality.

It was like being shoved into a time machine that took you back in time and into the future at the same time. For the next hour, one song after the other came and went, leaving a permanent mark on my psyche. The next day, when trying to describe the band to a friend, all I could think of was the word "Appalachia".

This might not make sense to you, but, to me, they were like something you found when you got off the main road and took the backroads until it got dark, the hazy gleam of nearby oil lanterns providing the only light as you wander into the heart of a strange town where time seems to have stopped completely still.


The band eventually began doing away with the more obvious rock influences and began to favor more folk-based arrangements, albeit with David Eugene Edwards ever-emotive singing still very much driving the material.

The band went on to create a number of great albums, both for A&M and a few indie labels before cashing in their chips in 2006. Edwards and longtime 16HP member Pascal Humbert are now in the band Woven Hand, which isn't too hard of a stone's throw from what they were doing in 16 Horsepower.

Poor Mouth
For Heaven's Sake
American Wheeze
Flutter
Alone And Forsaken
Sinnerman
Blessed Persistence
Heart And Soul
Black Soul Choir/Phyllis Ann
Haw