dee addario (banjo) jason aviss (trombone, french horn) sarah ayton (piano, accordion) jason mccrimmon (drums / percussion, dulcimer) jordaan mason (guitar, singing saw, accordion, glock, banjo, noise / tapes, autoharp, percussion, illiteracy) kristina born (flute, glock) cory laktovich (cello, electric bass) dan scarfone (guitar) keith hamilton (singing saw) d. alex meeks (singing saw, percussion)
the new york crew:
cheryl ernst (regular and bass clarinet) kate larson (organ, clarinet, glock, piano, singing saw) matt gordon (percussion, piano, accordion, glock) simon thrasher (guitar, percussion) matt ross (mandolin)
past:
bryar gray (electric bass) jordan o'jordan smith (singing saw, autoharp, banjo) richard laviolette (drums) chris yang (upright bass) shaun brodie (trumpet) eric padget (trumpet) lowell sostomi (banjo, harmonica, percussion)
most of us sing.
Influences
dictionaries and books full of words, henry darger's "in the realms of the unreal," "songs of love and hate" by leonard cohen, the life's work of jean genet and david lynch, unmade beds, magic sounds from the hudson galaxy region past present & future (holy haunted head / guardian owl / klessa / l'hiver / red sled choir), sparkwood & 21 / the death of laura palmer, michael nyman film scores, jackson mac low, housework, strangers, biology textbooks, whatever jailer, tom waits (the island years and onward), living rooms, diane cluck, long greyhound bus rides, power outs, jeff mangum, bill callahan, the plague mass, the homosexual gregg araki films, bob flanagan / supermasochist, art terrorists everywhere, jeff burton's "the other world," family portraits and old photo albums, idatel (r.i.p.), horses, jeunet & caro, brandon freels, wedding ceremonies, "confusion is sex/kill yr idols" by sonic youth, home-made museums, haircuts, nineties alternative fm radio stations, "sweet england" by shirley collins, the films of andy warhol, friction, small towns near lakes, the moz, bruce labruce, queer theory, mental & physical illnesses, 1990, and 2012.
here's a video of us at the boat in toronto playing a song by the band klessa (featuring cheryl and kate from klessa, on clarinet and organ respectively, and keith hamilton from hamilton trading co. on saw):
semi-illiterate songs about sex and sickness and the decline of (stupid fucking) western civilization. these are sometimes sung entirely alone with only a guitar, but mostly these days they are accompanied by varying groups of instruments and singers known as the horse museum.
our album divorce lawyers i shaved my head is now available! three years in the making, the album is an epic full band recording of 14 songs that tell the story of a failed marriage between two people of confused identities and genders, complete with suicidal horses, shotguns, carnival horns, a henry darger-inspired glandolinian war, unexpected male birth, semen, haircuts, sickness, and the end of the world in 1990.
here's some stuff people have been saying:
"probably the most authentic music i've heard in ages, nasal jeff magnum-esk howlings, dizzying lyrics, the horns of jericho, a wonderful album...my ears have been pollinated this summer..."
- nocturnal weeks
"the fevered energy of the iconoclastic horse museum made me feel like i was at a group séance for the dead."
- eye weekly
"in my philistine knowledge of music, i would say that the band sounded like a cross between the epic melting pot of the arcade fire, mixed with the ambitious conceptualness of the who’s tommy, and the personal exorcism and sexual obsession of nan goldin’s photography."
- steven goetz, photographer
"that album is mind-blowing, it's absolutely brilliant... for me that is a perfect example of the sort of music i love. that just sounded live."
- the waiting room
"the more i've listened, the more i've been able to appreciate mason in all his yowling, sex-and-sickness-obsessed glory." - i (heart) music
"while [the horse museum] isn’t the most accessible band in toronto, it is attempting something weighty and substantial and is well worth giving a chance." - now magazine
hey! come to london anytime to play. there's the empowerment infoshop, and lots of other houses where we can put something on. but actually i'm going to be in toronto next weekend, i was wondering if you'd like to hang out/play a show then? it'll be saturday the 14th. i would really love meet you, and to see dee again.
your music is soooo moving i drives me insane! i've started covering your wonderful song divorce at shows, i hope that's ok with you. the london folk think you're incredible. all the best! -davita
Hi There jordaan mason and the horse museum Your music is great. So you are. Thats why I am big fan of yours jordaan mason and the horse museum. Keep up the good work. I am proud being your fan. D
"Divorce Lawyers" is one of the best albums of the year. I'm so excited about its existence and how slightly uncomfortable it makes me feel while I'm also swooning to its beauty and brilliance.
I wanna take the long bus ride to see you guys on the 12th. How do I go about getting the address to wherever the hell that place is?!
I miss Jordaan Mason, it is nice to be next to someone else with the rarity of having two 'aa's in your name. Also, I cannot wait until I can afford the new record, the songs in capitol letters bring me back to my wintertime experience in Toronto.
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