Concert Reviews

A Thousand Horses Bring “Southernality” Back to Dusty Armadillo

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A Thousand Horses returned to the Dusty Armadillo stage on Saturday March 25. With no opening act to warm up the crowd, concert-goers were eager to greet the band with cheers and applause when they entered the stage shortly after 10 PM. The band hit the ground running with some rockin’ tunes including “Burn Like Willie,” “Trailer Trashed” and “Heaven Is Close.” Their sound can be identified as having notes of American rock, country, soul and blues. They may be a group of men, but are anything BUT a “boy band” with this gritty style and sound of music.

The audience really got into the next two songs, “(This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial” and “Southernality” which were the second and third singles released off their debut full-length album “Southernality,” which was released in 2015. These are clearly crowd favorites, as everyone in the room was singing along.

Several band members exited the stage as the four original members of A Thousand Horses slowed things down a bit for a few acoustic songs. They showcased some brand new music (“Just For Tonite”) that will be included in their sophomore record, which the band is currently working on. This was followed by a cover of the classic Travis Tritt tune, “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)” and another acoustic original, “Back to Me.”

The full band, including the two “Horsettes,” as the women singing backing vocals are fondly called, returned to the stage to finish out the night with several more southern rock songs. It is obvious that their album “Southernality” truly earns this name. The band, which was formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2010, also has roots in South Carolina as this is where founding members Michael Hobby and Bill Satcher grew up writing songs since the age of 15. Satcher’s cousin Graham DeLoach and Zach Brown both hail from the state of Georgia. These incredibly talented men have writing credits on all 13 tracks from their debut album and will no doubt be writing many songs on the second one too.

One of these songs we can look forward to on the as-yet untitled new album is “Preachin’ to the Choir.” Horses singer Michael Hobby calls this song “the working people’s anthem.” This tune is the first song the band has ever recorded that they have not had a hand in writing, but they all agree the song’s message was impossible to resist. It speaks to them and their fans (the 9 to 5 crowd) who “work hard, love hard and play hard,” according to Hobby.

A Thousand Horses were very interactive with their Dusty fans, taking selfies and videos with them while performing additional songs that showcase their signature sound, including “First Time,” “Sunday Morning,” “Landslide” and several more on their 17 song set. They showed their great appreciation to the crowd and thanked them profusely, particularly prior to performing their first number one single, “Smoke,” which was a smash hit. This song made them the first country group to reach No. 1 on the country charts with their debut single since the Zac Brown Band accomplished this feat in 2008 with “Chicken Fried.”

The band is off to an excellent start in 2017, picking up right where they left off with an even bigger sound, on the cusp of releasing a highly anticipated second album, and their gospel-infused new single, “Preachin’ to the Choir,” which is sure to climb the country airplay charts.

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