Kate Cooper of An Horse lulls you in with her straight forward and contagious riffs, and keeps you coming back for more with catchy lyrics you'll find yourself singing long after the album has ended. Coupled with Damon Cox's atmospheric drumming, the duo are an undeniably perfect combination.
Both are native Australians, who met working in a record store together. They packed up and moved to the states together relatively recently. The plan was to tour their new album and figure the rest out later. In the short time that they've been making music together they've done multiple tours in Australia, Canada and America, playing with bands such as Tegan and Sara, Death Cab for Cutie, Kaki King, and currently with Wintersleep and Appleseed Cast. With only one EP, Not Really Scared and the recently released full length, Rearrange Beds, under their belt, they're taking the US by storm and don't show any signs of relenting.
SuicideGirls caught up with Kate two days after An Horse headed back out on the road.
Chris Goodman: I was on your band's MySpace site earlier and I noticed a picture of you two with your feet above your heads. I take it you two are expert martial artists? Or maybe the high kicks are some sort of tour preparation?
Kate Cooper: (laughs) Sometimes it's a pre-show ritual. I think it started in the days working in the record store with absolutely nothing to do. I think I said to Damon, "Look how high I can kick above my head." Damon could kick that high as well. Out of boredom we started doing that but it's good to stretch the muscles.
CG: Right, or if you have to kick someone in the face...
KC: I think the actual danger is kicking ourselves in the face but we've sort of perfected it. Though it's taken some time.
CG: So, when did the band get together? You were playing some solo shows first, right?"
KC: Well, sort of. The band has been going on eighteen months. Before that every now and again I would play a show by myself to get some money to pay a credit card bill or something like that. The songs were vastly different but I was using the name An Horse...Or I had a few times. Mainly because I didn't want to use my own name because it sounds very boring. But yeah, the band's been together for about eighteen months.
CG: So you toured with Death Cab for Cutie in Australia. Was that your first tour?
KC: The first tour we went on was in America with Tegan and Sara. The tour with Death Cab was our 2nd or 3rd tour and that was a pretty cool one.
CG: Right now you guys are on the road with Wintersleep? You've got some US and Canadian dates?
KC: We're actually on our way to Portland right now. Seattle tomorrow. Then we head up into Canada, which will be cool.
CG: Have you played there before?
KC: We were up there earlier this month, actually. For the first time we did Montreal and Toronto and a couple of other small places. Small places, but they were really awesome, it was cool.
CG: And eventually you're meeting up with Appleseed Cast and you're doing some more shows in the States?
KC: Yes, that's correct. Next month.
CG: So, is there any sort of routine you have for when you tour. Do you pack up any favorite books or CD's or anything like that?
KC: There is a routine for sure. But before we were always going back to a place in Australia so you just kind of packed what you needed, but this time around Damon and I actually don't have houses anymore. It was silly to be on tour so much and paying rent. So now we kind of have our lives in our suitcases more or less. You'd think that it takes a lot of thought to pack but not really.
You'd be surprised what you pick up along the road, too. People give us things and so now we have a frisbee. I can't wait to have some time to play that. We were given some random stuff at SXSW too. God knows when we'll have time to use the frisbee but it's nice to know we have it in the van when we need it. I guess, since were cooped up in a van all day, all we want to do is run in a field. I also just bought these amazing Styrofoam gliders, which I haven't even got to play with yet. We pass those big pastures and we kind of look at each other and say we'd like the be out there throwing the frisbee or the gliders. But we have to sit in the car and drive to the next town. All of that stuff will come out but we just have to wait for the right time.
CG: Do you or Damon do any tour diaries, either for yourselves or online?
KC: Well, our website was just finished being built and that has a blog section. We blog a little bit on the MySpace. But the point to the website is to use that a little bit more. But us personally, we do a little bit of writing. You know there's not that much to tell. "Sat in the car for 10 hours today..."
CG: So you don't have the Henry Rollins-esque "I stared at the woodgrain in the floor for three hours today" filled notebooks?
KC: Maybe, but I don't know if I would tell you if I did it or not.
CG: For being together only eighteen months you're really getting out there. You played on Letterman, I also read that Kaki King is covering one of your songs? All of these tours, too...
KC: Yeah, it's a bit crazy isn't it? And yep she did cover a song. We actually just toured with her before we left Australia. There is also a possibility that she will be joining us for some dates in New York to play along which is amazing. She's really killer and a lot of fun to tour with. The tour was awesome but it's always a little bit tiring touring Australia since you have to fly everywhere. There's a lot of early mornings and long flights. It's lovely touring with a friend though and we've been really lucky as far as touring with amazing people. I think we know how lucky we really are.
CG: One of your songs got used in a TV commercial also?
KC: Yep, it was for Mercedes in Australia. It helped us come back to America a couple of times. But we didn't get the Mercedes' like I was hoping though.
CG: It's great that you tour so much. That's where you really can connect with the fans. And let me say that for being a two-piece you have one of the most crushing sounds I have ever heard from a band live. Of course the album and the EP were great but you guys are incredible live. I don't know if it has anything to do with the Fender Mustang you play, which I've never seen anyone else use, or Damon's drum kit, but it's such a full and intense sound.
KC: Well Damon plays a big kit. And my Mustang, well, it doesn't have Mustang pickups in it. It has kind of homemade ones in it actually but I didn't make them. A friend of mine does and they're awesome. I think the combination is what makes it big. We didn't even intentionally go for that sound, it just kinda of worked for us.
CG: You have your bridge pinned too. So that means no Jimi Hendrix style dive bombs.
KC: If it got to the point where we had guitar techs or something I would love to unlock the bridge and be able to play around but it's just the tuning that's the issue. When you start messing around with the whammy bars the tuning starts going out. I like to keep the set kind of fast, you know? But it would be awesome to have a tech and be able to jam away and pull out the wammy bar and make all sorts of crazy noises.
CG: Then when you break strings someone just hands you another guitar, ha.
KC: Totally
CG: Even though it was only released on March 17th, you finished Rearrange Beds a while back. Are you working on new stuff right now or just focusing on touring with the album?
KC: We are focusing on touring at the moment because it takes up every moment of every day. Literally. We've been up since six thirty this morning driving. We do have a new song we've been playing and we're doing a cover of The Jealous Sound too. But after these dates with Appleseed we'll have some time. I'm not sure how much time though. We'll have a couple of weeks or a week or something and I think Damon and I plan on spending that time catching up on sleep and writing. Just going into a practice room and writing. God knows where though -- somewhere here in America.
CG: Once this tour's done you guys are trying to find a home base?
KC: Pretty much. People keep asking us where we'll go. If you ask us we'll tell you the places we're interested in living. If you ask our agent he'd probably tell you were going on tour again. So we'll see. I'm so happy to be on tour though. Moving makes me happy. The not moving is the more disconcerting part of it. I am really keen to catch up on sleep but also to get some writing done though.
CG: It seems like you guys came out of nowhere and just blew up over here. You don't usually hear about band popping up that quick. Seems like it went from 0 to 60 in no time at all.
KC: Yeah. Pretty much since we got the Tegan and Sara tour in December or January last year it's been full on. But it doesn't necessarily seem that fast to us. Every day is actually really hard work. Every now and again when we get to stop, we'll look at each other and we're like, "Holy shit, we were on Letterman!" And we're on tour in America, and that's pretty cool, but I don't think we get to think about it too much. We just try to play the best we can every night and write good songs and mainly just do what we love doing. Playing shows with people and connecting with the audience hoping they walk away happy so we can walk away happy. I believe this might be the hardest job in the world but it's also the most rewarding. You know, lawyers and doctors complain about working long hours...But if you're playing in a band it's actually the worst paying job in the world but it's worth it.
CG: Let me ask you one more question, and I know this is going to be hard to answer; Of course you guys are hard working and all of that fun stuff but what percentage of the bands success would you attribute to having the name An Horse. A name that's really weird and hard to say but kinda fun at the same time.
KC: I would attribute about two percent. Most people in America hate the name. They call it awkward and bland. But I like it. I like the way the words fit together. People who get it -- get it.
Both are native Australians, who met working in a record store together. They packed up and moved to the states together relatively recently. The plan was to tour their new album and figure the rest out later. In the short time that they've been making music together they've done multiple tours in Australia, Canada and America, playing with bands such as Tegan and Sara, Death Cab for Cutie, Kaki King, and currently with Wintersleep and Appleseed Cast. With only one EP, Not Really Scared and the recently released full length, Rearrange Beds, under their belt, they're taking the US by storm and don't show any signs of relenting.
SuicideGirls caught up with Kate two days after An Horse headed back out on the road.
Chris Goodman: I was on your band's MySpace site earlier and I noticed a picture of you two with your feet above your heads. I take it you two are expert martial artists? Or maybe the high kicks are some sort of tour preparation?
Kate Cooper: (laughs) Sometimes it's a pre-show ritual. I think it started in the days working in the record store with absolutely nothing to do. I think I said to Damon, "Look how high I can kick above my head." Damon could kick that high as well. Out of boredom we started doing that but it's good to stretch the muscles.
CG: Right, or if you have to kick someone in the face...
KC: I think the actual danger is kicking ourselves in the face but we've sort of perfected it. Though it's taken some time.
CG: So, when did the band get together? You were playing some solo shows first, right?"
KC: Well, sort of. The band has been going on eighteen months. Before that every now and again I would play a show by myself to get some money to pay a credit card bill or something like that. The songs were vastly different but I was using the name An Horse...Or I had a few times. Mainly because I didn't want to use my own name because it sounds very boring. But yeah, the band's been together for about eighteen months.
CG: So you toured with Death Cab for Cutie in Australia. Was that your first tour?
KC: The first tour we went on was in America with Tegan and Sara. The tour with Death Cab was our 2nd or 3rd tour and that was a pretty cool one.
CG: Right now you guys are on the road with Wintersleep? You've got some US and Canadian dates?
KC: We're actually on our way to Portland right now. Seattle tomorrow. Then we head up into Canada, which will be cool.
CG: Have you played there before?
KC: We were up there earlier this month, actually. For the first time we did Montreal and Toronto and a couple of other small places. Small places, but they were really awesome, it was cool.
CG: And eventually you're meeting up with Appleseed Cast and you're doing some more shows in the States?
KC: Yes, that's correct. Next month.
CG: So, is there any sort of routine you have for when you tour. Do you pack up any favorite books or CD's or anything like that?
KC: There is a routine for sure. But before we were always going back to a place in Australia so you just kind of packed what you needed, but this time around Damon and I actually don't have houses anymore. It was silly to be on tour so much and paying rent. So now we kind of have our lives in our suitcases more or less. You'd think that it takes a lot of thought to pack but not really.
You'd be surprised what you pick up along the road, too. People give us things and so now we have a frisbee. I can't wait to have some time to play that. We were given some random stuff at SXSW too. God knows when we'll have time to use the frisbee but it's nice to know we have it in the van when we need it. I guess, since were cooped up in a van all day, all we want to do is run in a field. I also just bought these amazing Styrofoam gliders, which I haven't even got to play with yet. We pass those big pastures and we kind of look at each other and say we'd like the be out there throwing the frisbee or the gliders. But we have to sit in the car and drive to the next town. All of that stuff will come out but we just have to wait for the right time.
CG: Do you or Damon do any tour diaries, either for yourselves or online?
KC: Well, our website was just finished being built and that has a blog section. We blog a little bit on the MySpace. But the point to the website is to use that a little bit more. But us personally, we do a little bit of writing. You know there's not that much to tell. "Sat in the car for 10 hours today..."
CG: So you don't have the Henry Rollins-esque "I stared at the woodgrain in the floor for three hours today" filled notebooks?
KC: Maybe, but I don't know if I would tell you if I did it or not.
CG: For being together only eighteen months you're really getting out there. You played on Letterman, I also read that Kaki King is covering one of your songs? All of these tours, too...
KC: Yeah, it's a bit crazy isn't it? And yep she did cover a song. We actually just toured with her before we left Australia. There is also a possibility that she will be joining us for some dates in New York to play along which is amazing. She's really killer and a lot of fun to tour with. The tour was awesome but it's always a little bit tiring touring Australia since you have to fly everywhere. There's a lot of early mornings and long flights. It's lovely touring with a friend though and we've been really lucky as far as touring with amazing people. I think we know how lucky we really are.
CG: One of your songs got used in a TV commercial also?
KC: Yep, it was for Mercedes in Australia. It helped us come back to America a couple of times. But we didn't get the Mercedes' like I was hoping though.
CG: It's great that you tour so much. That's where you really can connect with the fans. And let me say that for being a two-piece you have one of the most crushing sounds I have ever heard from a band live. Of course the album and the EP were great but you guys are incredible live. I don't know if it has anything to do with the Fender Mustang you play, which I've never seen anyone else use, or Damon's drum kit, but it's such a full and intense sound.
KC: Well Damon plays a big kit. And my Mustang, well, it doesn't have Mustang pickups in it. It has kind of homemade ones in it actually but I didn't make them. A friend of mine does and they're awesome. I think the combination is what makes it big. We didn't even intentionally go for that sound, it just kinda of worked for us.
CG: You have your bridge pinned too. So that means no Jimi Hendrix style dive bombs.
KC: If it got to the point where we had guitar techs or something I would love to unlock the bridge and be able to play around but it's just the tuning that's the issue. When you start messing around with the whammy bars the tuning starts going out. I like to keep the set kind of fast, you know? But it would be awesome to have a tech and be able to jam away and pull out the wammy bar and make all sorts of crazy noises.
CG: Then when you break strings someone just hands you another guitar, ha.
KC: Totally
CG: Even though it was only released on March 17th, you finished Rearrange Beds a while back. Are you working on new stuff right now or just focusing on touring with the album?
KC: We are focusing on touring at the moment because it takes up every moment of every day. Literally. We've been up since six thirty this morning driving. We do have a new song we've been playing and we're doing a cover of The Jealous Sound too. But after these dates with Appleseed we'll have some time. I'm not sure how much time though. We'll have a couple of weeks or a week or something and I think Damon and I plan on spending that time catching up on sleep and writing. Just going into a practice room and writing. God knows where though -- somewhere here in America.
CG: Once this tour's done you guys are trying to find a home base?
KC: Pretty much. People keep asking us where we'll go. If you ask us we'll tell you the places we're interested in living. If you ask our agent he'd probably tell you were going on tour again. So we'll see. I'm so happy to be on tour though. Moving makes me happy. The not moving is the more disconcerting part of it. I am really keen to catch up on sleep but also to get some writing done though.
CG: It seems like you guys came out of nowhere and just blew up over here. You don't usually hear about band popping up that quick. Seems like it went from 0 to 60 in no time at all.
KC: Yeah. Pretty much since we got the Tegan and Sara tour in December or January last year it's been full on. But it doesn't necessarily seem that fast to us. Every day is actually really hard work. Every now and again when we get to stop, we'll look at each other and we're like, "Holy shit, we were on Letterman!" And we're on tour in America, and that's pretty cool, but I don't think we get to think about it too much. We just try to play the best we can every night and write good songs and mainly just do what we love doing. Playing shows with people and connecting with the audience hoping they walk away happy so we can walk away happy. I believe this might be the hardest job in the world but it's also the most rewarding. You know, lawyers and doctors complain about working long hours...But if you're playing in a band it's actually the worst paying job in the world but it's worth it.
CG: Let me ask you one more question, and I know this is going to be hard to answer; Of course you guys are hard working and all of that fun stuff but what percentage of the bands success would you attribute to having the name An Horse. A name that's really weird and hard to say but kinda fun at the same time.
KC: I would attribute about two percent. Most people in America hate the name. They call it awkward and bland. But I like it. I like the way the words fit together. People who get it -- get it.
nicole_powers:
Kate Cooper of An Horse lulls you in with her straight forward and contagious riffs, and keeps you coming back for more with catchy lyrics you'll find yourself singing long after the album has ended. Coupled with Damon Cox's atmospheric drumming, the duo are an undeniably...
joey:
I really love An Horse. They played here with Tegan and Sara and they were awesome.