The Painted Horses

As far as first impressions go, the Painted Horses are skipping the small talk and getting personal.

On “In the Garden,” the Santa Cruz, California-based indie folk trio found a touching way to honor a beloved family member.

“I have a strong emotional attachment to ‘In the Garden,’ I think mostly because I wrote it shortly after my grandfather passed away,” lead singer and songwriter Denys Kozakis tells CMT Edge. “My grandfather lived in our family house when I was growing up and we were very close. In a way, he felt like a father figure to me, so it was a whole new experience losing someone that important in my life.

“Although the song is not a literal translation about losing my grandfather, it is about a loss that many can relate to, and hopefully a reminder that life goes on.”

Driven by acoustic guitar and Kozakis’ heartbroken vocals, he’s uplifted in the chorus by harmony singer Natosha Wengreen, who provides a gentle push into whatever comes next. Bassist Jon Payne adds a sturdy foundation, and later on, a downright happy piano melody helps everyone turn a corner.

For Kozakis, writing about something so close to home just felt right.

“All of the songs on the album, including ‘In the Garden,’ seem to relate in a way,” he says. “It wasn’t planned, but I think it’s hard not to let a little bit of myself and my experiences into each song that I write. Even the album, called Ponderosa Pines, is named after the street I grew up on.”

Look for the band’s debut album to arrive in March, with Californian tour dates scheduled through September.

Enjoy the positive outlook of the Painted Horses’ “In the Garden” in this CMT Edge exclusive. - CMT Edge

The Painted Horses might just become your new favorite Bay Area Americana band. Their debut album Ponderosa Pines, set to be released March 27, is full of the folk trademarks: gorgeous acoustic guitar lines, charming, weaving harmonies, and singalong melodies. But the trio delivers the music with such a strong sense of pastoral serenity it transcends the conventions and instantly transports you to another era, one blissfully free of sprawling strip malls and congested highways and corporate logo eyesores dotting the landscape. It's music that makes you slow down your hectic, stressed-out urban existence, a soothing meditation on all the natural wonders taken for granted on a daily basis.

Their new single "Much Too Long" is out now, a groovy little jam with a lovely string arrangement and delicate vocal delivery. Guaranteed to make you feel pretty damn good for nearly five full minutes. - The Bay Bridged

Ponderosa Pines, the debut album from the Santa Cruz-based country/folk trio The Painted Horses is an enchantingly beautiful, honest and assured 10 song set that will immediately transport you to another time and place.

From the first song, the band, anchored by singer/songwriter/guitarist Denys Kozakis, the dazzling harmonies of Notasha Wengreen and the steady hand of bassist Jon Payne, fill your ears with sweet sounds. “Weight of the See” starts things out right with a slow late-night honky tonk shuffle that makes the most of Jason Crosby’s versatile talents on violin and on piano—Crosby’s light touch on the keys immediately invokes Floyd Cramer.

Keeping the momentum strong, “Much Too Long” is a mellow, languid ballad featuring the exquisite banjo work of Jeff Wilson, who also provides the drums on Ponderosa Pines. Crosby’s multi-tracked violins add depth to the chorus sections and the harmonies of Kozakis and Wengreen shine eloquently.

Kozakis’ voice, which brings to mind a little bit of Jim James and a little bit of Robin Pecknold, but with a much purer country edge, is at its best on songs like “White Mule”, when the high lonesome of Dan Lebowitz’ steel and Wengreen’s sympathetic, telepathic harmonies make Kozakis’ sturdy melodies truly transcendent.

The single “In the Garden” and the twilight-tinged ballad “Georgia” bring out the longing and the wistfulness in Kozakis’ voice, and Crosby’s gospel-like organ on Georgia beautifully underscores the sweetness of the lyrics “take it easy, we can wear our hearts right out in this song/because you’d believe me if I told you this is right here where we belong”.

No country-fied album would be complete without a trip to pure honky-tonk land, and The Painted Horses bring us there with “September Rain”. What could be a clichéd genre exercise in less sensitive hands, becomes a reminder of the simple power of a good country song.

The Painted Horses, while they specialize in the mellow and midtempo, add a bit of an ominous edge to their approach on “I Wanna Tell Ya,” which matches Kozakis’ breathy, heavily-echoed voice with some heavy drums and atmospheric organ. The song gives a little bit of a hint that the group could amp up the intensity if it wanted to.

The last track, “Black Water”, is Wengreen’s star turn as she takes the lead vocal—making you wish she had a few more lead spots on Ponderosa Pines. Kozakis’ voice sounds perfect in harmony under Wengreen’s sensuous, sinuous lead.

While they don’t in any way directly imitate the classic Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris dynamic, that sense of vitality and completeness is certainly a driving force in how Kozakis and Wengreen approach their singing. It always feels like the two voices are trying to find each other, and when they do, it’s brilliant.

The Painted Horses, who are currently touring to support Ponderosa Pines—which drops on March 27th, 2015, are a revelation if you like your Americana free of hipster irony and pretension. - The Rainbow Hub