It's a long drive back from Vegas when your band breaks up, a lesson Mike Herrerra learned from the demise of The Blackout Pact while on tour in November 2006. Undaunted, Herrerra returned home and recruited Denver transplants Josh Friedman and Matt Clark, while Ryan Kelly moved from Cleveland in January of 2007 to start the band. This new group, Sleeper Horse, would combine ragged, heartfelt punk rock with indie-rock and art-punk influences, allowing them to share the stage with such bands as Alkaline Trio, The Draft, Minus the Bear, The Gaslight Anthem, Meneguar, 3oh!3, Planes Mistaken For Stars, and many others.

The split 7-inch with Cleveland's Echoes of Harper's Ferry is available NOW! Look for the debut Sleeper Horse full length before the end of the year. D.O.O.N.E.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT THE HORSEMEN:

"Sleeper Horse has all the exuberance of the Pact, with a tighter, more dynamic sound. And Herrera's vocals, which have always had character, are even stronger here."
- Tom Murphy, Westword

"Propulsive rhythms, sharply geometric guitar lines and a dynamic, volatile lead man made a near-instant convert of me. These boys have captured lightning in a bottle with a sound that reminds me just a bit of the best moments of Q and Not U while retaining a devastatingly unique character of its own."
- Cory Casciato, Backbeat Online

"Quickly becoming one of the hardest working outfits in town, the punky, poppy hardcore quartet played with a fearsome energy that belied the fact that this was their second show in three days. While co-frontmen Herrera and Josh Friedman were the obvious focal point, the rhythm section of Matt Clark and Ryan Kelly is the group’s real secret weapon. Kelly – who inexplicably brandished a plastic sword – thundered away intensely behind his kit while Clark bounced exuberantly, playing ringing chords and pummeling basslines with nearly automatic proficiency. Meanwhile, Herrera and Friedman traded crunching guitar parts and yowling, polyp-inducing vocals...In its too-brief set, this brash foursome tread over a lot of rather well-worn ground, but did so with such obvious passion, commitment and enjoyment that the show was a joy to experience and whetted my appetite for more."
- Eryc Eyl, Westword

"It's exciting to find your new favorite band. But it's doubly exciting to find your new favorite local band. I saw Sleeper Horse twice last week, at the Larimer Lounge and the Hi-Dive, and the group has immense potential. The music reminds me of '80s punk in a really beautiful way. Keep an eye on these boys."
- Ric Baca, Denver Post