With the arrival of its second full-length album, Denver band Tin Horn Prayer has hit its stride. Founded a few years ago as a side project by former Blackout Pact frontman Mike Herrera, the act has evolved to include five other local musicians from Denver's punk and rock circles. Those roots firmly fuel the gritty Americana and folk music that is found on the local band's latest effort, "Grapple The Rails".
When Andy Thomas (guitarist/vocalist) and Eric Epling (guitarist) started playing with Herrera, "we didn't think it was a band," Thomas tells Corey Jones of OpenAir during a recent in-studio session, which you can access below. "We sat down and all played acoustic guitars. I don't think our intention was to ever turn it in to a full band, but eventually it's become what it has today."
Tin Horn Prayer peppered the 2010 release "Get Busy Dying" with songs Herrera, Thomas, and Scooter James primarily wrote individually. But the follow-up features a more collaborative and consistent approach from the band (which also includes Ethan Steenson on bass and Dan Gilbert on drums), and the members are confident they've improved their musicianship and found their niche. "It was a mix on the first record, and now it's meshed together," Hererra says. The band recorded the new album with Chris Fogal, who owns and operates a local studio called Black In Bluhm and also fronts local band The Gamits. Florida-based label Paper + Plastick, founded by Vinnie Fiorello of the band Less Than Jake, released "Grapple The Rails" on November 6, 2012.
Tin Horn Prayer will celebrate the album's release with a headlining set at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on Friday, November 30. The band recently stopped by OpenAir to play four new songs in the CPR Perfromance Studio. The guys also spoke about Tin Horn Prayer's history, working with Paper + Plastick Records, and their dream tour with Tom Waits (whose song "Sins of My Father" inspired the band's name). Listen to the OpenAir session HERE.
