What do you call a band that wears its Outlaw Country and Classic Country & Western influences on its sleeve with dashes of ‘80s Alternative, rock and good time bar-band thrown into the mix? In this case you call them Nineteen Hand Horse, a band that’s anything but a one-trick pony. Nineteen Hand Horse brings a rich pedigree to its debut album, “Revel” out now available for download/purchase.
Northern California-based Nineteen Hand Horse brings authenticity, country soul and a wealth of experience to “Revel” along with the unique male/female singer/songwriter partnership of Nathalie Archangel and Mark Anthony Montijo, a pair that harkens back to the glory days of George and Tammy, Johnny and June, and Dolly and Porter.
‘Revel’ is Nineteen Hand Horse’s debut album, but the band are no strangers to the music industry. Nathalie Archangel, a Double Platinum songwriter for her work on Bette Miller’s “Some People’s Lives” spent the early part of her music career recording well-received but under-promoted pop albums for Columbia and MCA. These did foreshadow the future as Nathalie penned a couple of wonderful duets and enlisted the likes of Frankie Valli and Howard Jones as vocal partners.
Mark grew up on a horse ranch a stone’s throw from Spade Cooley’s old place near Willow Springs, CA, where the sounds of Bakersfield on AM country radio were as abundant as sage brush, keggers and hot desert nights. Moving to Los Angeles, Mark formed a power trio called Dogs on Fire that landed Duran Duran’s coveted opening-act slot at the Los Angeles Forum but ultimately broke up prior to hitting big. Mark and Nathalie both left the music industry in disappointment and disgust.
Sometime after coincidentally both settling into work in healthcare, the two met, fell in love and were married.
Nineteen Hand Horse was formed when Nathalie and Mark met Mark “Lemonade” Monroe, an Ohio native and harmonica/woodwinds player who has accompanied Loretta Lynn, Jerry Reed, and Shania Twain. The new band’s very first rehearsal consisted of working out the harmonies to the Sons of the Pioneers’ classic “Tumblin’ Tumbleweeds.”
In time, they added some wonderful like minded musicians to their makeshift posse; among them drummer/singer Lowell Stephenson, bass player Ralph Ruiz and guitarist Brad Sears, who owns and operates Consumer Music, the shop/conservatory/studio trifecta where “Revel” was recorded between 2018 and ‘20 with the assistance of engineer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and vocalist James “Jae-E” Early. With James’ addition to the lineup, Nineteen Hand Horse — 19HH to their friends — is complete.
“Revel’s” 10 tracks reveal the rich history of the band, a sound that marries the grit, honesty and clarity of an old Sun Records session with the tasteful modern wizardry of today. Over that are some of the sharpest, most clever lyrics since Cole Porter or Townes Van Zandt. The tracks take the listener through a funny, occasionally poignant often arch and always entertaining journey across decades and paradigms. Standout tracks include the title track - which unapologetically tears into how our society treats its elders, ‘The Withering Romance of Trains’ (which may include the first mention of a Tesla in a country song) and ‘Better as a Goddess (Than a Lover).’
Renowned locally for their riveting live performances, Nineteen Hand Horse have shared their influences to the joy of fans and are soon to host a regular YouTube show entitled “Horsin’ ‘Round @ The Songbird Lounge” which will be filmed at Consumer Music studio and is loosely modelled on “The Marty Stuart Show” and a Bay Area flavoured “Hee Haw.” Nathalie states that she believes in setting the bar at nearly unattainable.
Nineteen Hand Horse is recognized as one of the only groups to preserve the traditions of both outlaw country and country & western, while infusing some incredible music influences outside of those genres, which is no easy task.
Leading up to the pandemic, Nineteen Hand Horse was gearing up for a major rollout of their album and a tour. According to Mark, “We were beyond ready to perform our songs and tell the kind of stories that resonate with real life angst and joys - but - like everything and everyone else, we will have to be patient and wait.” Nathalie, Mark and their three adult daughters are all health professionals and put their commitment to caring for people in these dire times above all else.
Alan Mercer: Nathalie! I downloaded your album and started playing it immediately and I couldn’t believe how great it is!
Nathalie Archangel: Oh, that makes me so happy. I think it’s some of the best work I’ve ever done. I really appreciate that. However - It’s a challenge to get traction out there.
AM: I understand. It takes devotion. I do think it’s good timing to release new music. Everybody is looking for something new to listen to in 2021. This will get everyone off to a good start musically. Tell me about the formation of the band.
NA: When Mark and I came up to the Bay area we happened to meet up with this great harmonica player, Mark “Lemonade” Monroe and played together for a bit before Mark moved back to Ohio. So - we put it down for a while and didn’t seriously put a band together until 2017. At that time, I had a bit of an epiphany about music in general. I was always a pop musician; pop music spoke to me. It made sense when I was younger - It is, after all, the music of younger people. It’s not supposed to speak to the older people. I heard once that pop and Rock should be the sound track equivalent of flipping off your parents! Well I’m past that stage now...
AM: And most of it doesn’t speak to me.
NA: I’m with you. You know, I arrived a little late to the Country music party. It was my husband, Mark who got me interested. I liked and appreciated it all my life, but I didn’t embrace it.
AM: Why not?
NA: I didn’t think it had anything to do with me... I understood that Loretta Lynn was genuine and superb but I didn’t relate to her in the way I related to Debbie Harry or Kate Bush. I have never met a coal miner or any of his offspring — I just, in effect, walled myself off into a narrow space of pop or nothing. Mark, a psychologist by trade, recognized this and tried for some time to get me to give Country a real look. We took a couple of long trips and he insisted we listen to Outlaw Country and Willie’s Roadhouse on satellite radio and I had an immersion course in classic country. We did this a few times and all of a sudden, I’m thinking this is the coolest music ever. It snuck up on me insidiously while smacking me upside the head. Such is the power of music. I discovered Hank and his son and grandson, Ernest Tubbs, Bob Wills — I could go on and on...I took this music in and found that it gave me back my voice which - had been silent for some time. I recognize and appreciate the through line into today with artists like Shooter Jennings and Amanda Shires. I love the edgier stuff - it speaks to me. Suddenly I thought - I could do this...
AM: You have the perfect voice for it.
NA: So, I’m listening and along comes Ray Wylie Hubbard singing ‘Mother Blues.’ By the way, I think ‘Snake Farm’ is one of the world’s more brilliant songs. Now I know this music came out over ten years ago, but, remember, was new to the party.
AM: Ray Wylie Hubbard is a class act.
NA: After listening to Ray Wylie sing and talk about his life; “The days I keep my gratitude above my expectations .....” It just got me - suddenly something cracked open and I wanted to write again. I didn’t care if I was irrelevant. In fact I was going to revel in my irrelevance! Hence, the title of the album. I decided to write whatever pleased and amused me and to hell with it! I even gave myself the freedom to curse like a sailor - something I never allowed in my earlier incarnation. Well, it’s done and I hope people can relate. I try to maintain gratitude over expectation ....
AM: I think Ray Wylie would like your music.
NA: I wanted him to hear ‘Remarkable Dude’ from the second I completed it.
AM: I think I pick up on a theme in this album.
NA: I would say so. Thank you for being the first person to actually pick up on that. I think a lot of people no longer listen to albums as a whole. They just listen to songs. I don’t think albums are a thing in this weird, modern world. This album was designed as a body of work.
AM: To listen to an album from the opening note to the closing note is a remarkable experience.
NA: I wish we could be out there playing the music live in concert. I hold onto the fact that we WILL we get past the COVID-19 nightmare.
AM: We will get past it and then you all have to come to Texas. You could stay for 2 weeks and tour the state.
NA: We would love that.
AM: Your song, ‘The Withering Romance of Trains’ is a stunner! It almost knocked me to the floor the first time I heard it.
NA: (Laughter) It’s unexpected isn’t it? It goes in one direction and then suddenly jumps the track.
AM: Also, I love the song Fete Ginette. It’s a perfect zydeco song. It sounds like you grew up in Louisiana.
NA: (Laughing) I’m from Jersey you know. Sometimes you just get plugged in and everything is right, and it all works.
AM: I think Rolling Stone should name this one of the top Alt-Country albums of 2021.
NA: Thank you so much for that. When we were recording it, we felt like we were doing something truly special..
