Horsepower

1968: David Eugene Edwards born the grandson of a Nazarene preacher. For a good portion of his youth, he is raised by his grandparents. His earliest memories are of travelling from town to town in Colorado listening to his grandfather's fire-and-brimstone sermons. Married at 17, Edwards left his grandfather's church (with the old preacher promising eternal damnation) to seek a more individualistic Christian path. 1982: Edwards' first band, a punk one: RMC (Restless Middle Class). 1984: David Eugene Edwards and Keven Soll meet at an Echo & The Bunnymen concert. 1984-1985: Jeffrey-Paul Norlander starts his first band; Pavilion Steps. Edwards is one of the bandmembers, he plays the guitar. They recorded a 7 song cassette called Snow Songs in May of 1985. 1986: Edwards, Norlander and Slim Cessna are in a band called Bloodflower. They leave Colorado for the Boston area, eventually settling for a communal existence in Revere, a Boston suburb. Bloodflower play "three or four times" before moving back to Colorado. 1987: Bloodflower release a 4-track 7" 'Come, Faithful and True', with Edwards on guitar. 1988: Norlander starts the Denver Gentlemen. At first with only Edwards. Shift/click here to download "Holiday" from The Denver Gentlemen. This was recorded in 1995, after the first line-up with Edwards. However Edwards does appear as a guest-musician on the demo. (MP3, 4 min. 06 sec., 2,96MB, 96kbps). 1989: The L.A.-based band Passion Fodder release their 'Woke Up This Morning' album. The Passion Fodder line-up includes the Frenchmen Jean-Yves Tola (who is trained as a classical flautist and jazz drummer) on drums and Pascal Humbert on bass. 1989 or 1990: Norlander, his brother and Edwards relocate to Los Angeles. They meet up with Tola and Humbert at Roger Corman's Hollywood Studios building movie-sets. Tola later joins the Denver Gentlemen. Humbert keeps playing with Passion Fodder. 1991: Norlander is the first to return to Denver where he puts together new combinations of the Denver Gentlemen (with among others Slim Cessna). 1992: Edwards moves back to Denver. Right before the move he starts 16 Horsepower with Pascal Humbert. Tola joined soon after. They only did one show in L.A. at Café Largo. One month after Edwards, Tola moves to Denver too. Humbert doesn't. He stays in L.A. and works as a duo with actress/musician Eszter Balint. In Denver, Soll takes on the bass duties. 16 Horsepower officially starts. 1994: 'Shametown' 7" is released. 1995: '16 Horsepower' EP is released. Later that year advance copies and promos of 'Sackcloth 'N' Ashes' are distributed. 1996: 'Sackcloth 'N' Ashes' (produced by Warren Bruleigh, who had previously worked with among others the Violent Femmes) is released. In the annual best-of list in Dutch magazine OOR as voted for by Dutch critics, 'Sackcloth 'N' Ashes' reaches number 4. Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes (one of Edwards' influences, other favourites include Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Joy Division, The Birthday Party/Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Gun Club and the Hungarian band Muzsikas) is a special guest on the album. He plays the violin. Original 16hp-member Humbert rejoins the band. As a guitar player (though he primarily is a bass player). For what Edwards and Tola describe as musical reasons, Soll is "relieved" in a uncermonious way of his duties ("like a divorce over the phone" Soll says, but he also states that he has no hard feelings and is proud of what he contributed to the band). Soll, a luthier by trade, goes back to building guitars. His shop, The Guitar Clinic, is located at 49 Kalamath Street. In 1999 he resurfaces in The Kalamath Brothers. Soll is replaced by Rob Redick, a former guitar tech. He is not declared an official member of the band. Edwards and Tola say they want to evaluate the situation following their next series of live performances. 1997: Redick is officially out of 16hp. "It was kind of a mutual unhappiness" says Tola. In 1999 Redick becomes Candlebox' bass player. Humbert picks up the bass again (and the double bass for the first time). Norlander (who loses his last name in the process, because "it seems weird that every time I read about 16hp, everybody has three names.") joins the band to add violin, cello and guitar to the 16hp-sound. 'Low Estate' (produced by John Parish, who also played several instruments, and engineered by Jeff Powell) is released. It reaches number 9 in the 1997 OOR-list. 1998: Norlander isn't accompanying the band any longer on their European tour, since according to Edwards: "he preferred to be closer to his home and family." And there's a hint of musical differences. Early in 1999 Norlander and Rebecca Vera (who plays cello) form a new band named Hoitoitoi. Steve Taylor, who used to be the guitar technician for the group for almost two years, joins 16hp as a full-member guitarist. He started to play on some songs during 16hp's 1996 European tour. And he is also featured on one Low Estate track. Taylor used to be in a band called Hoss with Redick. 1999: February, 16hp are dropped from the now defunct A&M. In July they sign a new recorddeal with Glitterhouse (for Europe). Later that year they sign with another recordlabel for the US, Razor & Tie. 2000: 'Secret South' (self-produced, engineered by Bob Ferbrache, a onetime lap-steel player for 16hp) and 'Hoarse' (mail-order only) are released, in March and April respectively. Secret South does not make the 2000 Oor-magazine top 10. Elin Palmer, who plays violin on Secret South and who is Asher Edwards' - yes, his daughter - violin teacher, joins the band on tour. But as from July, she's no longer in the line-up. Asher Edwards plays violin on Secret South too. Hoitoitoi's Vera complements the string section. - October 2000, 'Transmission Of All The Good-Byes'. The debut album of Humbert's (instrumental) solo-project 'Lilium' is released. - December 2000, 'Introducing...The Denver Gentlemen' is released on Absalom Recordings. All the tracks were recorded in 1995. Edwards was not a part of this Denver Gentlemen line-up. 2001: - March 2001, 'Hoarse' is released regularly by Glitterhouse in Europe. - April 2001, Denver magazine Westword's award for 'the best recording' of the previous year goes to 'Secret South'. 16hp finishes top at local newspaper Denver Post's survey of Colorado's best underground bands. - May 2001, European summertour is cancelled because of interpersonal problems within the band. It´s a break, not a break-up. - June 2001, Checkered Past releases Hoarse in the U.S. - September 2001, Glitterhouse announces it will release an album by "Woven Hand" (David Eugene Edwards' new side/solo-project) in 2002. - October 2001, With hindsight Sackcloth 'N' Ashes is named the best album of 1996 by OOR magazine in its 30th birthday edition. - October 2001, Woven Hand makes its live debut in Denver, followed by 4 shows in Europe. Edwards is accompanied by Daniel McMahon (on pump organ, guitar and mandolin). 2002: - January 2002, Glitterhouse announces the release of the 'Woven Hand' album for March 2002 and the release of the new 16hp album for June 2002. Both releases are said to be followed by tours. Steve Taylor and Daniel McMahon appear as guest musicians on Woven Hand beside Edwards. - March 2002, 'Woven Hand' is released. Subsequently Woven Hand tours as a four-piece, with McMahon, former Slim Cessna's Auto Club drummer Ordy Garrison, ex-Denver Gentlemen cellist Paul Fonfara besides Edwards. - June 2002, 'Folklore' is released by Glitterhouse. Steve Taylor is not credtited and will not tour with the band. The reasons for Taylor's departure: wanting to spend more time at home with his family (See Norlander 1998). On the following tour Edwards, Tola and Humbert are joined by McMahon and another former member of Slim Cessna's Autoclub, John Rumley, on banjo, guitar and bass. In August New York recordlabel Jetset Records releases 'Folklore' in the U.S. - September 2002, the production 'Blush', of contemporary dance company Ultima Vez, premières in Brussels. Choreography and direction by Wim Vandekeybus. Music by Edwards, who was approached by Vandekeybus to write music for this production when Woven Hand played Brussels in April 2002 . 2003: - February 2003, Woven Hand's 'Blush Music' is released by Glitterhouse. In the tour line-up Paul Fonfara is replaced by Shane Trost who plays bass and trumpet. - March 2003, Soundsfamilyre releases Woven Hand's debut album in the U.S. - May 2003, 'Blush' becomes available from Glitterhouse (mail-order only) as a Woven Hand - Ultima Vez release. This is the original score of the dance production. - May 2003, Lilium's second album 'Short Stories' is released on Glitterhouse. Lilium is now a joint Pascal Humbert and Jean-Yves Tola project. There are guest appearances by (among others) Kal Cahoone (vocals), Daniel McMahon (vocals), David Eugene Edwards (vocals), Jim Kalin (vocals and guitar), Tom Barman (vocals), Kelly O'Dea (violin), Dana Colley (saxophone), Billy Conway (drums), Stewart Kimball (electric guitar) and John Grant (vocals). - July 2003, 'Olden' is released on Glitterhouse in Europe and Jetset Records in the U.S. 'Olden' contains demos from 1993 and 1994, interviews and live tracks recorded at Denver's Mercury Cafe in October 1994, when Soll was still in the band. - July 2003, Woven Hand, in the same line-up as earlier this year, accompanies Ultima Vez live during a selected number of Blush performances (which also happens in February and May 2004). - August 2003, Twist & Shout Records releases 'Short Stories' in the US. This versions features three extra tracks with original music for the short film 'The Rain Has Forgotten Us', directed by Mary-Lyn Chambers. - September 2003, Soundsfamilyre releases 'Blush Music' in the U.S. - October/November 2003, 16hp tour as three-piece band, playing predominantly pre-Secret South material. - Première of Searching For The Wrong-Eyed Jesus, a (road) movie directed by Andres Douglas based on/inspired by a Jim White Album. The movie is set in the South of the U.S. and Edwards is included in the theatrical release playing solo versions of Wayfaring Stranger and Phyllis Ann. 2004: - April 2004, First 16hp US tour (shows outside Denver/Boulder area) since February 2001. Again as a three-piece band. - May/June 2004, David Eugene Edwards plays solo gigs in Scandinavia as part of a Sounds Familyre package tour (with Br. Danielson and Sufjan Stevens). - July 2004, A six-date European tour, as a trio. - September 2004, Consider The Birds is released in Europe on Glitterhouse. - November 2004, European tour as "David Eugene Edwards of Woven Hand". David Eugene Edwards is accompanied by Ordy Garrison on drums. 2005: - March 2005, 16HP double-DVD is released on Glitterhouse in Europe and Smooch Records in the U.S. - April 2005, Band announces break-up saying that an accumulation of differences, mostly political and spiritual, separates them and prevents them from going any further. Lilium and Woven Hand will remain active. - April 2005, Belgian Peter van Laerhoven (guitar) makes his Woven Hand live debut as part of three-piece act with Edwards and Garrison. - May 2005, world première of Puur, another Ultima Vez production, which features music by Edwards. And acting in footage shown during the perfomance. - December 2005, Live, another double-DVD is released by Glitterhouse in Europe. 2006: - January 2006, Searching For The Wrong-Eyed Jesus is released on DVD. By Plexi in the UK and by Image Entertainment in The U.S. (in March). The DVD Extras contain 16 Horsepower playing an acoustic version of Poor Mouth. - June 2006. Mosaic is released on Glitterhouse. - July 2006. Pascal Humbert is fourth member of Woven Hand live. - September 2006. Sounds Familyre releases Mosaic in the States. - September/October 2006. David Eugene Edwards, billed as Woven Hand, is the main support act for Norwegian band Serena Maneesh on much of its US tour. Sources: Boston Phoenix, Melody Maker, OOR, RayGun, Rolling Stone, Westword, Glitterhouse and various 16hp fans