HORSE the Band

The Altar Bar

Dec. 7

7 p.m.

(412) 263-2877

Some bands want to tour the… HORSE the Band

The Altar Bar

Dec. 7

7 p.m.

(412) 263-2877

Some bands want to tour the world. Others want to produce a personal musical masterpiece. HORSE the Band has accomplished both.

After completing a 45-country tour and releasing its new record Desperate Living, the band has seen some amazing places, survived the most unusual circumstances and worked with several talented artists completely unrelated to its self-proclaimed genre of Nintendocore.

Despite several line-up changes over its 10-year career, lead singer Nathan Winneke believes the band is having the best year yet.

“Right now, we have my dream lineup. Everyone’s pretty stable, easy going and there’s no animosity. We’re all on the same page. Right now, I’m really enjoying what I’m doing,” he said.

In March, the band decided to embark on a three-month tour across Asia, Australia and Europe known as the Earth Tour.

Without any offers to tour from any bands or booking agents, HORSE the Band decided to tour alone, spending $100,000 by maxing out five credit cards and hoping for only one thing: that they wouldn’t die.

“We wanted to do something that would change our lives,” Winneke said.

Fortunately, the band survived the incredible trek but came close to disappearing from the map in the mountains of Western Europe after its GPS died on the way to the Ukraine.

Instead, the band ended up in what is known as “Europe’s Black Hole,” Transnistria, a frozen conflict zone where soldiers guard the border.

After 12 hours of painful searching for a way around on dirt roads and through gypsy encampments, the band reached the Ukraine and missed its scheduled show.

Near the end of the tour, Winneke broke his shoulder but still went on to play the last eight shows.

“I managed to survive with vodka and Advil,” he said.

Regardless of these setbacks and only attaining a profit of $1,000 from the tour, the experience of connecting with fans from Belarus to Singapore was well worth it for the group, as it plans to continue the Earth Tour throughout the rest of the globe.

Considering all the troubles the band went though, it comes to no surprise that its new album is called Desperate Living.

Released in October, the album keeps the sounds of Nintendocore’s 8-bit video game keyboards while exploring new avenues of metal, punk, classical and experimental music to become what Winneke describes as “the heaviest prog band of all time.”

The song “Rape Escape” features classical pianist Valentina Lisitsa playing a 100-year-old Prokofiev piece written after the composer’s best friend committed suicide.

Even though Lisitsa had never been asked to play for a heavy metal band, she gladly agreed to do the project.

“She played so fiercely she broke a string on the piano,” Winneke said. “If you’ve ever seen the inside of a piano, you’d know how hard that is.”

Jamie Stewart, from the experimental indie rock group Xiu Xiu, sings on the song “Shapeshift.” Originally, he only planned on helping the band with sound production, but when Winneke asked him to sing, he couldn’t resist.

“He has the voice of an angel,” Winneke said, “and I hope to work with him again.”

He said that working with some of the band’s biggest influences outside of its own genre has been “heartwarming.”

The band is currently on tour through the U.S.s supporting Norma Jean, but with all its experience on the road, the band members have no problem supporting a show themselves.

“In Boise, Norma Jean didn’t show up, and we had to keep playing for a long time,” Winneke said.

Hopefully when HORSE the Band takes the stage at the Altar Bar on Dec. 7, the show will go on without a hitch.

Check out the band’s Myspace page here.