Horse the Band

Until recently, aficionados of hard rock and hardcore tended to reject each other's favorite sounds for reasons that had more to do with lifestyle than music. Fortunately, however, such nonsensical barriers are breaking down. Take today's KBPI Birthday Bash, which features relatively traditional noisemakers such as HellYeah on the same...

By Michael Roberts

May 24, 2007

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Until recently, aficionados of hard rock and hardcore tended to reject each other's favorite sounds for reasons that had more to do with lifestyle than music. Fortunately, however, such nonsensical barriers are breaking down. Take today's KBPI Birthday Bash, which features relatively traditional noisemakers such as HellYeah on the same bill as Horse the Band, a collection of California-based thrash pranksters who wouldn't have gotten a sniff at such a station a few short years ago. "Manateen," a highlight from 2005's The Mechanical Hand, features many of HTB's favorite ingredients; it juxtaposes Erik Engstrom's atmospheric keyboard lines with a stop-and-start sonic assault whipped up by guitarist David Isen and chief shrieker Nathan Winneke. Granted, the players' asymmetrical approach may unsettle listeners who are drawn to songs that remain consistent throughout rather than veering from one extreme to the other. Yet Horse the Band is wild, aggressive and raucous in ways that should appeal to fans on either side of the metal divide. Can't we all just get along?

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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