An Horse Interview: SXSW 2010

Things have certainly happened quickly for An Horse. Since forming in Brisbane, Australia in 2007, the folky indie pop duo – singer and guitarist Kate Cooper and drummer Damon Cox -- have become bi-continental road veterans, conquering audiences through North America and their native land, opening for names such as Tegan and Sara, and Death Cab for Cutie. That was even before the pair released their debut album 'Rearrange Beds' in 2009. Cooper spoke with Spinner at 7 a.m., Melbourne time, while completely deprived of caffeine, ahead of the band's SXSW performances. She apologizes, saying her answers would be a lot more exciting if she'd had some coffee, but there's none in her friend's house, where she's staying. At least, none with caffeine and there's no point in coffee without it, she says. If it isn't real, Cooper wants no part of it. Which pretty much sums up An Horse's earthy barebones pop ethic.

Describe your sound in your own words.

That's a really difficult question. The word I would use to describe our sound is honest. Well, I think we sound really heavy metal, but I'm told that we sound like pop music. But as long as it's honest pop, that's fine.

You think An Horse sounds heavy metal?

Sometimes when we play I feel like we're a heavy band. I'm thinking, "Wow, this is brutal and awesome." And then someone will come up to us and say, "Wow, that's great pop." I'm like, really? I always think we're this huge heavy band and in reality we're pop.

Maybe it's that raw quality that makes you think that.

It's me still wishing that we were Fugazi.

How did your band form?

Damon and I are from Brisbane originally, and it's a really small town. We worked in a record store together. We were doing what you do when you work in a record store -- playing CDs for each other, talking about music. We were both kind of bored. We were already playing music separately and one day we decided to get together after work and play, and it just clicked. We didn't intend to start a band, it just happened. But we had spent about two years talking about records and putting on music for each other before we even played a note. We really dissected music for two years and I think that helped us a lot.

How did you come up with your band name?

It's totally a grammar nerd thing. It really came from a friend who was arguing with me about the letter "h." We were disagreeing about whether it should be preceded by "an" or "a." But he eventually had a sweater made for me that said "An Horse." He was making fun of me, but I really liked the way it sounds. Some people hate it, but I think that's just people who are really into grammar and think it's a mistake. I'm like, dig a little deeper people.

What are your musical influences?

Damon and I have a lot of common ground musical influences like Fugazi, Nirvana, Neil Young and Sonic Youth. We were really lucky to be able to hang out in a record store and listen to records all day. I really love Sleater-Kinney. That was one of the first bands that I obsessed over musically.

What's your biggest vice?

Chocolate. I have to have chocolate. The thing with chocolate is consistency, no mater where you are. Like, Cadbury's in Australia is different to the Cadbury's in America. Its creamier, it tastes much better. Lindt is always a good bet wherever you are. Toblerone, too. You always know what you're going to get.

What's in your festival survival kit?

Well, this is going to sound really boring, but I have to have sunscreen and a hat. I have fair skin so sunscreen, a hat and protecting myself from sunburn takes precedence over being cool. Skin is so important. Actually, I'd probably take a book too. I know I should be hanging out and partying, and being wild, but I'd probably be in a quiet corner reading.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

Well, let's see now. That would probably be Data from 'The Goonies.'

Beatles or Stones?

The Rolling Stones was the first concert I went to, so it has to be the Stones. My mum and dad took me; it was the 'Voodoo Lounge' tour. They got me out of school early so I could go and see them. I thought, "Wow, these guys are old." Then I saw them a few years ago and thought, "Wow, now these guys are really old."

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

We've seen a lot of weird and crazy stuff, and a lot of weird and crazy stuff has happened. Sometimes our fans can be weird and crazy. They are awesome, but they can be a little crazy. There was one who baked a cake with our faces on it, but the eyes and noses were missing. We get a lot of cakes. One fan gave us a bottle of water that was from Cape Cod, because that was where 'Jaws' was filmed and I'm a big 'Jaws' fan. But, the cake without the eyes and nose was creepy, especially when we proceeded to eat our own faces.