All too often in music there is an aura of hype that surrounds new acts that is nearly impossible for them to live up to or maintain. One new country band is taking that hype and living up to that promise and then some- A Thousand Horses. The group is led by frontman Michael Hobby, Bill Satcher (lead guitar), Zach Brown (lead guitar and vocals) and Graham Deloach (bass and vocals.) A Thousand Horses has burst onto the country scene and this week will release their highly anticipated debut album, ‘Southernality.’ The guys have struck a huge chord with fans through their style of Southern rock and country sound and just this past week, their first single, ‘Smoke’ hit #1 on Mediabase and Billboard Country Airplay charts! Recently, lead singer Micheal Hobby sat down to speak with us here at New England Country Music.
Michael and Bill grew up together in South Carolina while Graham grew up in Georgia, all three guys played together in different bands for a few years. They met Zach through a mutual friend in Nashville and the guys formed a bond which led to A Thousand Horses coming together in 2010. Each member of the group brough there own influence with them as Michael told us, “We’re a mix of Southern rock and country. It’s all of our influences from blues, classic rock, Southern rock to country.” They hit the road and started gaining a loyal following of fans throughout the country as well as generating buzz amongst the Nashville music community. I, for one, got to see these guys play at The Ryan Center at The University of Rhode Island a few years back as they opened for Kip Moore. They blew the roof off of the place and instantly made a few thousand new fans, myself included.
As with any tale there are always some bumps in the road and A Thousand Horses have had their share. Back in 2010, the band had signed a record deal with Interscope Records but were released from the label before they could release any music, “Everyone faces their obstacles that you have to fight through. Our mentality has always been head down and keep going, keep working hard. It certainly made us stronger as going through that as a band and as friends can be a real bummer and discouraging. We just used it as fuel to the fire.”
The guys would land on their feet though as they had a great friend in their corner, record producer Dave Cobb (known for his work with Jamey Johnson Jason Isbell) Hobby explained, “Dave was always a believer in us from day one when we started. We got to where we are today by him taking a chance on us.” A Thousand Horses was soon signed to label Republic Nashville which is part of Big Machine Label Group. After signing with their new label the band decided to switch things up a bit as they took their four man band and turned it into a nine person powerhouse! The expansion included a keyboard/fiddle player (Brian Purwin), a drummer (Ryan Scarborough) and three amazing female backup singers (Kristen Rogers, Whitney Coleman and Morgan Hebert.) Hobby took a few minutes to explain the changes,
“It’s more a natural progression of what we wanted to be as a band. The more you play, songs change and ideas change. We’ve always used female backup singers on some of our recordings and demos. Always liked that approach, kind’ve like how Skynyrd does it. We love having them (backup singers) as we also added a keyboard player and a fiddle guy who’s killing it. Makes for a bigger show, louder show and a bit more excitement… it’s a cool dynamic.”
The culmination of all the years of hard work was when the band released their debut single to country radio, ‘Smoke.’ It was an instant hit with fans as it’s original sound and message resonated with people. The success has certainly caught the band by surprise, “We didn’t expect how well it’s been received but we’re very grateful for it. It’s a relationship song about someone you can’t have or know you shouldn’t have but it’s an addictive thing. It’s a romantic love song in a way.” And ‘Smoke’ is just a taste of what fans can expect when their debut album ‘Southernality’ is released this Tuesday with other potential hit songs like ‘Travelin’ Man’ and ‘Landslide.’ The album is one of the most highly anticipated rookie releases in recent memory and is spectacular from top to bottom. We asked Hobby what he thinks fans can expect from this effort,
“People can expect a good mixture of all different types of songs and all different types of us. From our song ‘Smoke’, to songs like ‘(This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial’, to heavier more high energy songs lke ‘Landslide’ and ‘Travelin Man.’ It’s a good wide range of who A Thousand Horses is as our own debut to the world.”
A Thousand Horses puts on one helluva live show as well, which will be on full display this Summer as they open up for Darius Rucker. New England fans already know what they bring to the table as the guys just recently rocked the Country 102.5 (WKLB) Street Party in the pouring rain. For those who haven’t seen them yet, Hobby gives you alittle glimpse, “Our live show is very high energy, loud, a lot of interaction and just a good time. That’s what music is about to us, going to a show and getting away from it all.” The guys know that they wouldn’t be where they are without the support of they loyal fans and make it a point to never forget that. Be it at a live show, riding down the road or on social media, they are thankful they can make an impact through their music,
“Social media has always been great for us. For instance, when we played with Kip Moore at URI, we’ve been able to stay in touch with all those fans this entire time. One cool thing we’ve seen since our single came out is how many people tweet at us, ‘Hey, I remember when I saw you guys play… and so excited to hear you on country radio.’ That’s where you look back and say that’s awesome as you really did make an impact on these tours.”
The huge success of ‘Smoke’ has allowed the guys certain experiences to cross off of their bucket list. One of the big ones for Hobby was when the band was able to open for Greg Allman, “That was surreal as we were opening up for a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and legend. We were like little kids on that one.” I’m sure this won’t be the last thing the members of A Thousand Horses get to cross off of their bucket lists.
This is just the beginning of the story for what is sure to be a a hugely successful career for A Thousand Horses and keep your ears open as the band will be releasing ‘(This Ain’t No) Drunk Dial’ as their next single. We can’t thank Michael Hobby enough for taking the time to speak with us here at New England Country Music. It’s truly a pleasure to be along for this ride and can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings for this great group of musicians.
Make sure you get over to iTunes right now and pre-order ‘Southernality’ here. Then go follow the band on Twitter, like them on Facebook and check out their website.
This interview was conducted by NECM contributing writer Mike Sullivan. You can follow me on Twitter.