Horse Feathers: Beards and Folk

Before I start my post, I think you should know something about me: I love beards (on men). I'm fully supportive of facial hair in general, but man, beards really get me. Yes, I'm one of those weird hipster girls. I've come to embrace this fact.

Anyways, when it comes to music, I automatically associate beards with folk. I know this isn't always the case (Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, Electric Owls). But one case in which it is true is with Horse Feathers.

Horse Feathers, like Haley Bonar and Basia Bulat, is one of the musical groups that I keep coming back to time after time. When I'm asked who my favorite artists are, they come after my beloved Haley.

Horse Feathers started with just head man Justin Ringle, but has since been playing with a cello player and a violist/saw player.

I had the chance to see them perform at the Cedar Cultural Center last April. The richness and simplicity of the strings and the low key tones of Ringle's voice created what I can only describe as 3-D sound. I felt as though the music surrounded me, enveloping me into the essence of the music. And like I've mentioned with Local Natives, Horse Feathers is the type of group that is so much greater performing live, proving that they are in fact great musicians. Because of this fact, I strongly recommend you download both of their Daytrotter sessions. You can also snag some free finds from Kill Rock Stars Records.

Here they are performing a Tiny Desk Concert. It starts with my favorite song of theirs "Working Poor."