Quarter Horses: Morning In Antiquity

"Quarter Horses is a self-described “gospel noir” group based in Miami, FL." You can find them at https://www.facebook.com/quarterhorsesmia.

This past Saturday the 22nd, local band Quarter Horses brought a taste of self-labeled “gospel noir” to Miami Book Fair International, performing a morning show in a portable auditorium on NE 2nd Avenue called The Swamp. The group was founded in 2012 by percussionist Emile Milgrim and consists as well of Novy Græy for lead vocals and guitar, and Jonathan Trigoura on bass guitar and keyboard. The group performed two covers, six songs from their first LP in the works Leitmotifs, and one song from their upcoming EP Sub Rosa Victoria.

Spruced up in dapper black vests, grey and blue dress shirts, with matching arm bands, the three humbly and eagerly began the performance with their rendition of “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.” After realizing both of his guitars were on, Græy asked the crowd if he could restart the song, to which everyone responded happily. They then introduced us to swirling feedback, minimal ritualistic chimes of the tambourine, and incantational vocals, before diving into rhythmic grungy bass lines and blues-guitar sounds. Several songs such as The Näcken and The Love of Souls were composed of variegated drum parts and interesting time measure changes, steadily and effortlessly executed by Milgrim. Trigoura’s supporting vocals complemented Græy's voice quite nicely, who himself possesses a sonic continuum, from a Gregorian bellow full of stamina to a pure, gliding ethereal falsetto that floated through the temperamental air of the book fair. Nimble on his feet, he danced upon the stage and spastically executed his piercing guitar licks, most notably in the song The Night-Mare. Near the end, their mysterious, sly cover of Tom Waits’ Way Down in the Hole had toddlers dancing and spinning at the foot of the stage and everyone else’s heads bobbing.

If you are familiar with Græy’s work with the art-music collective {in-boxes} - in which Milgrim and Trigoura also take part in - you will appreciate the spiritual basis of lyrical content and accompanying darker, somber tonalities of Quarter Horses’ music. They are an encouraging example of continuity and unity. For example, while Milgrim has the final say for the band’s sound and direction, she has welcomed Græy to write all lyrics and embed concepts close to his heart in the band’s music. This includes the idea behind Leitmotifs: nine Symbolist paintings of his choice were interpreted lyrically and sonically. The result is a unique look at topics such as the end of the age and Book of Revelation in The Haloes, salvation and temptation, relationships, and analogies taken from personal experiences in songs such as Beata Beatrix and Hope. The one song played from Sub Rosa Victoria, titled Amor Est Mihi Stimulus, explored an account of apostle Paul’s writings, in which he speaks of a thorn in his side, drawing parallels to Græy’s own application of the biblical narrative, as well as that of Adam in the garden of Eden before Eve was created, from the Book of Genesis. A song composed of soft and sweet melodies, aching vocals, all circling around a slow tempo, it honestly caused me to tear up, as I listened to the bittersweet situation in the lyrics unfold.

The crowd was attentive and supportive all throughout the set, the dynamic of the show being somewhat intimate anyway. Even when the power cut out on the entire building during the last song, with two minutes left for an outro, drummer's hands coming down, the audience gave robust applause. One of the audio engineers, Steven, was on stage twice sharing his gratitude and praise of Quarter Horses’ excited attitude and earnest heart. Overall the experience was excellent and down-to-earth, though I could have sat there for another hour and a half (!) listening to this gospel noir music of great quality and artistic thought. Please enjoy a snippet of the show and an interview after the show, found on YouTube.

Set list included:

Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

The Haloes

The Night-Mare

Beata Beatrix

The Näcken

The Love of Souls

Amor Est Mihi Stimulus

Way Down in the Hole (Tom Waits)

Hope

Photos taken by the author, please enjoy! (Apologies for the lack of a slideshow option...)

From left to right: Emile Milgrim, Jonathan Trigoura, Novy Græy, me