Horse Thief: FUV Live At CMJ 2014

Horse Thief (courtesy of the artist)
by Kara Manning | 09/29/2014 | 10:30am

Meet the artists playing our 'FUV Live at CMJ' showcase on October 21st, including Horse Thief.

Horse Thief's shimmering psychedelic folk broods with an edgy, gnarled beauty, as deftly realized on the Oklahoma quintet's impressive debut, Fear in Bliss. Horse Thief will be joining Happyness, Son Little and Elle King for WFUV and The Alternate Side's CMJ Music Marathon showcase, FUV Live at CMJ, on Tuesday, October 21, at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City from 5-9pm.

The showcase, the very essence of FUV's mission of music discovery, will be broadcast live on 90.7FM WFUV, also streaming online. In addition, a 12-inch vinyl EP, featuring one song from each band, will be recorded and pressed at Rockwood Music Hall that night and given away to FUV listeners at the event. FUV Live at CMJ is supported by Squarespace.

Led by singer and songwriter Cameron Neal, Horse Thief hails from Denton, Texas—home of Midlake—but made its way to Oklahoma City where Neal and his compadres were embraced by the Flaming Lips' management and eventually signed by Bella Union. The group recorded Fear in Bliss with producer Thom Monahan (Vetiver, Pernice Brothers, Devendra Banhart) in Los Angeles, but the songs resonate with the restless rumination of a long drive on a lonely, desert highway, far removed from urban chaos. However, anticipating Horse Thief's imminent arrival in the very chaotic environs of New York City for CMJ and the FUV showcase, we wondered if Cameron was fond of the five boroughs, especially since the group will be making its fourth visit to the city this fall.

"I always enjoy just walking around the different neighborhoods trying to find a good place to get coffee or a second hand book store to find something for the rest of the tour," replies Neal. "The amount of culture and variety of people in New York City always creates interesting times for people-watchIng."

Are there other CMJ bands that Horse Thief is eager to catch? "We are all big fans of Bombay Bicycle Club and I'm personally going to try and catch at least one of Courtney Barnett's sets," he says. "Mainly stumbling upon new bands is something we all enjoy doing and what I think these festivals are all about. Always trying to find something new to listen to in the van."

Below, watch Horse Thief's video for "Devil" from Fear in Bliss.

FUV Live at CMJ is free to the public (first come, first served) and doors open at Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen Street, at 4:30pm. Full line-up and set times:

5pm-5:40pm: Horse Thief
6pm-6:40pm: Elle King
7pm-7:40pm: Son Little
8pm-8:40pm: Happyness


Funding for WFUV's ongoing coverage of live concerts and festivals comes from The Agnes Varis Trust, supporting affordable access to the arts, education and healthcare.

Weekdays at Noon

Ticket Giveaways from WFUV