TRACK LIST

1. The Job
2. Keep On Diggin’
3. Black Heart Baby
4. Mexico
5. Beating In My Hand
6. Quick On The Trigger
7. Smash & Grab
8. Hangin’ Tree
9. You’re My Girl
10. Shoot My Way Out
11. Die In The River

ALBUM INFO

The blues means many things to many people. To some, the purists, it is the scratchy honesty of Robert Johnson with his devil-fueled fretwork. To others, it is the giants that followed him, from Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters to the Kings – Albert and BB. To others still, it is the rock ’n’ roll that those old guys influenced, be it Cream, the Stones or early Fleetwood Mac.

The truth, of course, is that the blues is whatever you want it to be. If a group of musicians wants to drink a few beers or a quart of bourbon, smoke some unfiltered cigarettes, plug in a guitar, see what happens and call it the blues, who are we to argue?

When Five Horse Johnson formed back in 1995, referring to itself as a Blues Band, a few brows might well have been furrowed. However, this is a band that has always understood that the blues isn’t a formula, but a way of looking at the world; their take on the blues is as a dirty, sensual thing, enhanced with a healthy dose of humor.

Five Horse Johnson is now seventeen years and six albums into its career, with a seventh about to drop. The band has dug out a niche of its own, combining their love and respect for traditional blues and classic rock to become one of the most loved and respected bands in the stoner rock community. Always a freight train live, the band has toured hard with the likes of Clutch and Halfway to Gone, in the process gathering fans, friends, and drinking partners all over the world.

Five Horse Johnson’s new album, The Taking of Black Heart is due for release via Small Stone Records in January 2013. It is the band’s first full-length record since 2006’s The Mystery Spot, which saw Five Horse Johnson, with the help of Clutch’s Jean Paul Gaster helming the drums, create its strongest album up to that point.

That record saw Gaster and Steve Smith provide more power than a Super Hemi. Brad Coffin’s guitar never sounded lither and his voice never stronger. Eric Oblander’s harp, meanwhile, is as sharp as a tailfin, his gravelly vocal delivery a growling, howling counterpoint to Coffin’s gruff style. Other collaborators on The Mystery Spot included Roadsaw/Antler’s Craig Riggs and Big Chief’s Phil Durr and Mark Dancey. Durr is now an official member of the band.

During the time away, Durr has been working with fellow Small Stone band Luder, while Oblander was chosen to front a semi-reunited Necros opening for hardcore heroes Negative Approach at St. Andrew’s Hall (the band was named Sorcen – Necros spelled backwards).

Now though, Five Horse Johnson is back, preparing to rip the world a new orifice all over again with The Taking of Black Heart, which again features Gaster on drums and is produced by J Robbins of Jawbox (who also contributes some organ and percussion).

The Five Horse Johnson lineup for the album is Eric Oblander (vox/harp), Brad Coffin (vox/ guitar), Steve Smith (bass) and Phil Dürr (guitar). The album also includes a special guest appearance from Robin Zander of Cheap Trick, who contributes vocals on the song “You’re My Girl (I Don’t Want To Talk About It)”.

The Taking of Black Heart was recorded at the Magpie Cage in Baltimore, MD. The vocals were recorded at Kozy’s Chop Shop at Sunroom Studio in Detroit, MI by Bill Kozy and Erik Maluchnik. “You’re My Girl (I Don’t Want To Talk About It)” was produced by Bill Kozy. The album was mastered by Chris Goosman at Baseline Audio Labs in Ann Arbor, MI. Fine arts are by Mark Dancey, and textiles are by Vince Williams at Creative Print in Warren, MI. Executive producer is Scott Hamilton. Robin Zander appears courtesy of Cheap Trick.

Five Horse Johnson is not a band that makes apologies. A decade into its life, compromise is not an option. The truth is, this is hard, heavy, dirty blues rock ’n’ roll for people that like that sort of thing. This music is for people who like the sound of an engine roaring or the feeling obtained by following a cold beer with a shot of good whisky. Five Horse Johnson will gladly kick your ass, and then wait for you to say thank you.

Credits

Five Horse Johnson is:
Eric Oblander: vox & harp
Brad Coffin: vox & guitar
Steve Smith: bass
Phil Dürr: Guitar

Additional Musicians:
Jean Paul Gaster: drums
Robin Zander: vox on “You’re My Girl (I Don’t Want To Talk About It)”
J. Robbins: organ, percussion

Recorded and Produced by J. Robbins.
Recorded at The Magpie Cage / Baltimore, MD.
Vox recorded by Bill Kozy and Erik Maluchnik at Kozy’s Chop Shop at Sunroom Studios – Detroit, MI.
“You’re My Girl (I Don’t Want To Talk About It)” produced by Bill Kozy.
Mastered by Chris Goosman at Baseline Audio Labs – Ann Arbor, MI.
Fine Arts: Mark Dancey.
Textiles: Vince Williams at Creative Print – Warren, MI.
Executive Producer: Scott Hamilton.
Robin Zander appears courtesy of Cheap Trick.

TRACK LIST

1. The Mystery Spot
2. Ten-Cent Dynamite
3. Call Me Down
4. …of Ditch Diggers and Drowning Men
5. Gin Clear
6. Rolling Thunder
7. Feed That Train
8. Keep Your Prize
9. Three Hearts
10. The Ballad of Sister Ruth
11. I Can’t Shake It
12. Drag You There

ALBUM INFO

When Five Horse Johnson formed back in the year of 1995, and announced themselves as a Blues Band, their friends may have thought they had cause to worry. After all, it is a well-worn banality that white boys can only ever hope to mimic the blues, isn’t it? The band has always understood that the Blues isn’t a formula, but a way of looking at the world; their blues is a dirty, sensual thing (it ain’t for nothin’ that their new catalog number is 69, people!), and while retaining a more than healthy dose of humor, they are completely and 100% free of the goofy hardy-har-har trappings of some of the other wannabes out there trying to be “bluesy” (hear that, J. Spencer?).

Over the past decade, Five Horse Johnson has happily and thankfully proven the doubters wrong. Never apers, over the course of 6 albums, Five Horse Johnson has honed out a niche all their own, combining their love and respect for the Blues, Classic Rock and other, less dog-eared influences of their youth to become one of the most loved and respected bands in the Stoner Rock community. Always a right freight train live, the band has spent a lot of time on the road with the likes of Clutch, Halfway To Gone, etc., gathering fans, friends, and drinking partners all over the world.

Now, however, with The Mystery Spot, and with the help of their good friend and newest collaborator, Clutch’s Jean Paul Gaster helming the drums, Five Horse Johnson has created their strongest album to date. The power is there in spades, and the influences are still clear ( wait, do I hear a bit of Captain Beefheart in there?). The Mystery Spot is a polished affair, but it’s like the polish on a muscle car: it doesn’t slow the vehicle down one bit’ in fact, one may find that the car slips through the air even better, and it makes better use of it’s enormous engine, J.P. Gaster and Steve Smith provide more power than a Super Hemi. Brad Coffin’s guitar has never sounded more lithe, his voice never stronger. Eric Oblander’s harp is as sharp as a tailfin, his gravelly vocal delivery a growling, howling counterpoint to Coffin’s gruff style. Other collaborators on The Mystery Spot include Roadsaw/Antler’s Craig Riggs and Big Chief’s Phil D and Mark Dancey all doing what they do best. The Mystery Spot is a powerhouse of a record, a focused affair that makes the listener want to reach for the bottle, the smokes and the volume knob all at the same time. All dexterity aside, we predict there will be a lot of ugly spillage, especially when Five Horse Johnson goes back on the road to bring this baby to the people. We here at Small Stone suggest you don’t bother cleaning up, go with the feeling, ’cause the feeling is good, goddammit!

credits

Five Horse Johnson is:
Brad Coffin: vox & guitars
Eric Oblander: vox & harp
Steve Smith: bass

Additional Musicians:
Jean Paul Gaster: drums on all tracks
Iann Ross: additonal guitar solos on “Gin Clear” and “Drag You There”
Phil Durr: 2nd guitar on “…of Ditch Diggers and Drowning Men”
Craig Riggs: keys, backing vocals
Dave Unger: keys
Rob Lohr: slide solo on “…of Ditch Diggers and Drowning Men”

Basic Tracks recorded at Effigy Studios – Ferndale, MI.
Basic Tracks produced and recorded by Bill Kozy.
Assistant Engineer: Josh Brown.
Overdubs were recorded by Sam Vail at Vailcode Studios – Ypsilanti, MI.
Additional Tracking a Mad Oak Studios – Allston, MA.
Produced and Mixed by Craig Riggs at Mad Oak Studios.
Mastered by Chris Gooseman at Solid Sound – Ann Arbor, MI.
Fine Arts: Mark Dancey.
Textiles: Vince Williams @ Creative Print – Hazel Park, MI.
Executive Producer: Scott Hamilton.
Jr. Executive Producer: Steve Smith.

TRACK LIST

1. Cry Rain
2. Cherry Red
3. Soul Digger
4. Three at a Time
5. Blood Don’t Pay
6. Love 2 Loose
7. Sweetwater
8. B.C. Approved
9. Sawhill
10. Yer Mountain

ALBUM INFO

The city of Toledo Ohio should really consider marking 1995 as a pivotal year in its cultural history (small book that would be), for it was then that Steve Smith (bass), Eric Oblander (vocal/harp), and Brad Coffin (vocal/guitar) decided to cut the crap and get down to the business of playing blues based rock the way they heard it in their punk and classic rock infested heads. Thus, the Glass City’s finest band, Five Horse Johnson, was formed. The band came flying out of the gates like Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They quickly found themselves sharing the stage with the likes of Big Jack Johnson and War after just two weeks of being a band; that is just how long it took FHJ to put together their first set. Their next several years were spent in the dingy little clubs of America honing their craft.

Since then, with the addition of Mike Alonso on the drums back in 2000 (their fifth and final drummer by the way), FHJ’s hard acid blues has made the band critical darlings, one of the most talked about acts among everyone from NYC hipsters, to the tattooed boogie rockers of Austin, TX. Not to mention Europe, where they seem to be received with open arms in just about every city and country that they roll into. They have played with an astonishing array (not to mention number) of bands; a long list that includes Raging Slab, Thornetta Davis, Southern Culture On The Skids, Big Sugar, Hubert Sumlin, Junior Kimbrough, and R.L. Burnside. More recently they have shared stages with Clutch, Deep Purple, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Nebula, Robin Trower, Jesus Lizard, Cheap Trick, Johnny Winter, Iggy Pop, Atomic Bitchwax, Bad Company, Queens Of The Stone Age, Nashville Pussy, Monster Magnet, Halfway To Gone, and have become one of the leading lights in what some people refer to as the new underground rock movement. Their live show has always been intense, but after 800+ shows, it has become a runaway freight train, period.

With four albums, four European and several US tours, and copious amounts of beer under their belts, Five Horse Johnson is preparing to drop their fifth full length album on an unsuspecting, but ready public. “The Last Men on Earth” will be rolling onto shelves this Fall and it is a recording firmly rooted in FHJ’s unique brand of Hard Liquor Rock: guitars, groove, and grind. Influenced by the likes of Aerosmith (the early years), ZZ Top, Howlin’ Wolf and Captain Beefheart, the feel of their new record is that of a band that has finally found its stride. FHJ has become so tight as a result of their continuous touring over the last several years that the sledgehammer attack of albums past has become a full-fledged wrecking ball. Tighter, stronger, American style rock without the pretenses of what passes for Rock & Roll these days, Five Horse Johnson’s “The Last Men on Earth” will convert the masses out of today’s 60’s Garage fashion show into the early 70’s arena where it so rightfully belongs… Saddle up, you are about to be run of of town!

Credits

Eric Oblander: vox & harp
Brad Coffin: guitar & vox
Steve Smith: bass
Mike Alonso: drums & percussion

Additional Musicians:
Phil Durr: ridiculator & guitar solo on “Cry Rain”
Ethan Daniel Davidson: backing vox on “Blood Don’t Pay”

Executive Producer: Scott Hamilton
Produced by Al Sutton.
Engineered by Al Sutton, Dave Allison, Sam Vail, & Mr. Robert Burrows.
Mixed by Al Sutton.
Recorded and Mixed at Rustbelt Studios – Royal Oak , MI.
Mastered by Chris Gooseman at Solid Sound – Ann Arbor, MI.
Fine Arts: Mark Dancey.

Blues: a. a song, originating with American blacks, that is marked by the frequent occurrence of blue notes, and that takes the basic form, customarily improvised upon in performance, of a 12-bar chorus consisting of a 3-line stanza with the second line repeating the first. b. the genre constituting such songs.

~Dictionary.com

The blues means many things to many people. To some, the purists, it is the scratchy honesty of Robert Johnson with his devil-fueled fretwork. To others, it is the giants that followed him, from Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters to the Kings – Albert and BB. To others still, it is the rock ’n’ roll that those old guys influenced, be it Cream, the Stones or early Fleetwood Mac.

The truth, of course, is that the blues is whatever you want it to be. If a group of musicians wants to drink a few beers or a quart of bourbon, smoke some unfiltered cigarettes, plug in a guitar, see what happens and call it the blues, who are we to argue?

When Five Horse Johnson formed back in 1995, referring to itself as a Blues Band, a few brows might well have been furrowed. However, this is a band that has always understood that the blues isn’t a formula, but a way of looking at the world; their take on the blues is as a dirty, sensual thing, enhanced with a healthy dose of humor.

Five Horse Johnson is now seventeen years and six albums into its career, with a seventh about to drop. The band has dug out a niche of its own, combining their love and respect for traditional blues and classic rock to become one of the most loved and respected bands in the stoner rock community. Always a freight train live, the band has toured hard with the likes of Clutch and Halfway to Gone, in the process gathering fans, friends, and drinking partners all over the world.

Five Horse Johnson’s new album, The Taking of Black Heart is due for release via Small Stone Records in January 2013. It is the band’s first full-length record since 2006’s The Mystery Spot, which saw Five Horse Johnson, with the help of Clutch’s Jean Paul Gaster helming the drums, create its strongest album up to that point.

That record saw Gaster and Steve Smith provide more power than a Super Hemi. Brad Coffin’s guitar never sounded lither and his voice never stronger. Eric Oblander’s harp, meanwhile, is as sharp as a tailfin, his gravelly vocal delivery a growling, howling counterpoint to Coffin’s gruff style. Other collaborators on The Mystery Spot included Roadsaw/Antler’s Craig Riggs and Big Chief’s Phil Durr and Mark Dancey. Durr is now an official member of the band.

During the time away, Durr has been working with fellow Small Stone band Luder, while Oblander was chosen to front a semi-reunited Necrosopening for hardcore heroes Negative Approach at St. Andrew’s Hall (the band was named Sorcen – Necros spelled backwards).

Now though, Five Horse Johnson is back, preparing to rip the world a new orifice all over again with The Taking of Black Heart, which again features Gaster on drums and is produced by J Robbins of Jawbox(who also contributes some organ and percussion).

The Five Horse Johnson lineup for the album is Eric Oblander (vox/harp), Brad Coffin (vox/ guitar), Steve Smith (bass) and Phil Dürr (guitar). The album also includes a special guest appearance from Robin Zander of Cheap Trick, who contributes vocals on the song “You’re My Girl (I Don’t Want To Talk About It)”.

The Taking of Black Heart was recorded at the Magpie Cage in Baltimore, MD. The vocals were recorded at Kozy’s Chop Shop at Sunroom Studio in Detroit, MI by Bill Kozy and Erik Maluchnik. “You’re My Girl (I Don’t Want To Talk About It)” was produced by Bill Kozy. The album was mastered by Chris Goosman at Baseline Audio Labs in Ann Arbor, MI. Fine arts are by Mark Dancey, and textiles are by Vince Williams at Creative Print in Warren, MI. Executive producer is Scott Hamilton. Robin Zander appears courtesy of Cheap Trick.

Five Horse Johnson is not a band that makes apologies. A decade into its life, compromise is not an option. The truth is, this is hard, heavy, dirty blues rock ’n’ roll for people that like that sort of thing. This music is for people who like the sound of an engine roaring or the feeling obtained by following a cold beer with a shot of good whisky. Five Horse Johnson will gladly kick your ass, and then wait for you to say thank you.

• Copyright© Small Stone Recordings