I’m not really sure what Drug Horse Cartel is, and honestly I don’t think that much matters (UPDATE: see below). The important thing here is that it’s sponsoring one hell of a showcase this Friday night at Local 506, with some of the best bands currently playing in the area. Among the scheduled bands is The Love Language, Max Indian and the haunting Mount Moriah, with Jenks Miller (Horseback, Un Deux Trois), Heather McEntire (Un Deux Trois) and Jame Wallace (Max Indian). Jenks and Heather answered five questions for us about their new CD and why they resurrected the band after a hiatus.
1. Where is Mount Moriah, and why is it inspiring enough to name your band after?
JENKS MILLER: Depending on which source you’re reading, Moriah is either a mountain range referenced in the Book of Genesis, or the location in which the Christian God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. While Mount Moriah is not a Christian band, we are a southern band, and therefore the thematic qualities of this Biblical passage (devotion, tribulation, redemption) resonate with our understanding of place and culture.
2. The band’s activity level seems to have waxed and waned over the years. Why are you playing more and recording now?
JENKS MILLER: Mount Moriah was originally created maybe five years ago with a radically different lineup, and we were in the middle of making a record when the band drifted apart. That sound was a lot rougher (mostly because my singing leaves something to be desired), a sort of drunken, back-porch rambling sound. A couple years later, Heather played me some songs she had written that were absolutely gorgeous, sleepy Americana. We were playing together as Un Deux Trois at the time, but these new songs were different and warranted a new approach. I suggested we resurrect the name “Mount Moriah” for her new songs. We asked James to join us on drums and built the arrangements from Heather’s solo demo recordings.
3. Tell us about the new CD.
HEATHER MCENTIRE: We picked Brian Paulson to help direct the production and engineering of this record. In late September, we tracked basic instrumentation out in Mebane, and have been worked consistently on vocals and various overdubs since then at Brian’s home studio in Carrboro. We finish recording on Friday and will be released late spring. Sonically, the record has changed a lot from my initial bedroom demos into a more robust, full-band sound - but still intimate and minimal when it’s called for. It’s a very personal record for me, lyrically, one that I have been wanting to document for years now; these narratives have finally found the instrumentation that brings them to life. It’s like a giant exhale.
4. What’s the last truly inspiring movie you saw?
HEATHER MCENTIRE: I saw The Fantastic Mr. Fox last weekend. It was incredible! One of my favorite films, hands down.
5. If you had the choice to take lessons in hammered dulcimer, shape-note singing or clogging, which would you choose and why?
HEATHER MCENTIRE: Shape-note singing sounds pretty interesting, although I don’t know how to read music so I’m not sure how well I’d do at the whole thing. I love congregational-style singing, so it would be neat to learn about such a southern tradition.
UPDATE: Thanks to James Wallace for e-mailing and explaining Drughorse Collective to me:
hey Karen, the Cartel thing was a mistake. we are called the
Drughorse Collective. one less drug reference i guess. We are a big
group of friends that play in a number of groups the entire list is
the same as the bill for the 506 show. We all help each other record
at our home studios and play together as much as possible. We started
calling it a collective because we all truly love each other’s music
and wanted to help put the word out as hard as we can. It really
began because of the home studios and the albums that all took shape
at the same time and with a shared lo-fi aesthetic. Jeff Crawford’s
first record, Something for Everyone was recorded at his house and
Carter Gaj and i played on it and helped record it. Around the same
time Carter and I began work on the Max Indian record at my house and
we met Stu Mclamb who was recording the first Love Language record.
Josh Pope and Tom Simpson were also recording The Light Pine
album(bassist and drummer for The Love Language) and we all met and
bonded over our shared diy visions. Hope that helps!
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