With a delicate country twang that plays perfectly with the indie rock sound, Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses will murmur his emotionally complex songs to intimate rooms of thousands when the band begins its "Acoustic At The Ryman" Tour in early 2014. The group, originally called Horses, is known best for its melancholy lullaby-like “No One’s Gonna Love You” and the more anthemic “Is There a Ghost,” though they have several songs pulled from their four albums—"Everything All the Time," "Cease to Begin," "Infinite Arms" and "Mirage Rock"—that have enjoyed critical and popular acclaim. With the latest tour comes an accompanying release, "Acoustic At The Ryman," which pares down the sound even further.
Co-founded by former Seattleites Bridwell and then bandmate Mat Brooke in 2004, the Band of Horses collective has seen several lineup changes, with the current group including Bridwell, Creighton Barrett, Ryan Monroe, Tyler Ramsey and Bill Reynolds. In an unusually democratic move, they collaborate together on song lyrics, instrumentation and show experience to create a lush, confessional sound for each concert and a unique feel for every album. Tickets are on sale now for the February shows. As fans scoop up seats on the West Coast, they are also no doubt replaying the beloved tunes from their significantly more upbeat 2012 album release, "Mirage Rock," which features the songs “Slow Cruel Hands of Time” and “Knock Knock” and isn’t a particularly easy album to play on the road. Bridwell jocularly laments his lack of musician prowess, but it’s clear from his latest works that practice is paying off, and his fans can look forward to many more years of his sweet, sentimental and lyrically complex melodies.
