MYTHOLOGICAL HORSES
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MYTHOLOGICAL HORSES

Portland, Oregon, United States | INDIE

Portland, Oregon, United States | INDIE
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"Mythological Horses loves you!"

Daniella Cortez
More than once I have found myself in the bathroom of a seedy bar somewhere in Anchorage, squinting through a whiskey-induced haze at a sticker or piece of graffiti that reads: “Mythological Horses love you.” In those moments, I’ve always been grateful that someone, somewhere loves me. Even if I wasn’t sure who or what “they” were.
What “they” are and have been is Shawn Holley mostly, give or take a rotating cast of musicians that play with him. For over a decade Holley has been playing music and touring the United States. For a time he just went by his own name, but after awhile it seemed strange to be leaving the stage with two or three other musicians and declaring himself a solo act. “Thanks we’re Shawn Holley!” started to just sound absurd, Holley says.
In an era of auto-tune and box-office actresses making vanity albums, it’s kind of comforting to meet a grown man with purple hair and a ripped cardigan— a shorter, stouter version of Kurt Cobain. When we met downtown last week, Holley was busy thinking two or three thoughts ahead of where we were in the conversation, which makes for disjointed story telling, but an engaging character.
“For awhile we were doing 200 shows a year,” Holley says. That led to a lot of line-up changes, as not many people can tour with the voracity that Holley does. The band has changed shape many times depending on its home base and touring schedule. These days, however, Mythological Horses is once again a local Alaska band. The current line-up has guitarist Chris Vanbibber and drummer Charming Charmin.
Holley was born and raised in Alaska, and left the state in his early 20s to pursue music full time. No matter how long he was on the road, no matter how long gone, he’s always strongly identified as an Alaskan, he says, and “It’s good to be home.”
Mythological Horses have put out several albums, most of them digital releases, over the years. It’s hard to pin down their sound, though, and the whole “picking a distinct genre” thing doesn’t quite vibe with Holley. “I play silly folk songs with really fucked-up words,” he says, which is true. His songs live at the intersection of a sort of fuzzed-out grunge rock and quirky folk ditties. This confluence of sounds led to a kind of low key celebrity and has allowed him to meet and play alongside some of his personal idols, like the band Ween and Kimya Dawson and her band The Moldy Peaches. These kinds of bands and the anti-folk movement gave Holley “a home, a clique,” he says.
Mythological Horses has a serious commitment to the DIY thing, relying on guerrilla marketing techniques and almost entirely in-house resources for things like tour bookings, promotion and recording. Which means it’s a full-time, day-in and day-out commitment to make it work. “Music is my only source of income,” Holley says, “I work really hard to be this poor.”
Last year, Holley toured for nine months straight; he’s been everywhere from the huge South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, to a packed dance floor full of eager locals at the Carousel Lounge in Spenard. Despite the years spent living out of state, Mythological Horses has made it a point to play shows in Alaska as often as possible. They’ve racked up dozens of billings here in town, often at unexpected venues like the Crazy Horse Saloon on Gambell, which has hosted several Mythological Horses shows. Holley says a strong local following means they’ve never had a problem filling out shows in town; “I have a really good support structure here,” Holley says.
Now more than ever Holley needs that support structure. Last year, Holley hadn’t been feeling quite right for some time while on tour, and mentioned several times to his band mates that something was off. “They thought I was losing my mind,” Holley says.
Once back in Alaska, he was at home with a friend when things went from “not feeling quite right” to terribly wrong. He had his first major seizure on the couch in his living room, then a second one on the way to the car to get to the hospital. Once in the hospital he continued to seize, and it took several days get Holley stable enough to go home.
Holley says that in his teens he was diagnosed with a condition that results in “silent” brain seizures. This type of seizure would cause him to “space out” for a few seconds or minutes sometimes, but they never interfered much with his day-to-day life. Over the last year, however, he began experiencing intense déjà vu while on tour and could feel the seizures coming on right before they happened. “It scared the shit out of me,” Holley says.
Since that hospital stay Holley’s spent several months of recuperating and resting, not to mention adjusting to a lifestyle much different than the hard-working, hard-partying one he’s been used to for years. Holley has to take medication daily now to manage the seizure disorder, which means the drinking and drug use of his past has had to be curbed.
Holley is rea - Anchorage Press 2012


"Mythological Horses loves you!"

Daniella Cortez
More than once I have found myself in the bathroom of a seedy bar somewhere in Anchorage, squinting through a whiskey-induced haze at a sticker or piece of graffiti that reads: “Mythological Horses love you.” In those moments, I’ve always been grateful that someone, somewhere loves me. Even if I wasn’t sure who or what “they” were.
What “they” are and have been is Shawn Holley mostly, give or take a rotating cast of musicians that play with him. For over a decade Holley has been playing music and touring the United States. For a time he just went by his own name, but after awhile it seemed strange to be leaving the stage with two or three other musicians and declaring himself a solo act. “Thanks we’re Shawn Holley!” started to just sound absurd, Holley says.
In an era of auto-tune and box-office actresses making vanity albums, it’s kind of comforting to meet a grown man with purple hair and a ripped cardigan— a shorter, stouter version of Kurt Cobain. When we met downtown last week, Holley was busy thinking two or three thoughts ahead of where we were in the conversation, which makes for disjointed story telling, but an engaging character.
“For awhile we were doing 200 shows a year,” Holley says. That led to a lot of line-up changes, as not many people can tour with the voracity that Holley does. The band has changed shape many times depending on its home base and touring schedule. These days, however, Mythological Horses is once again a local Alaska band. The current line-up has guitarist Chris Vanbibber and drummer Charming Charmin.
Holley was born and raised in Alaska, and left the state in his early 20s to pursue music full time. No matter how long he was on the road, no matter how long gone, he’s always strongly identified as an Alaskan, he says, and “It’s good to be home.”
Mythological Horses have put out several albums, most of them digital releases, over the years. It’s hard to pin down their sound, though, and the whole “picking a distinct genre” thing doesn’t quite vibe with Holley. “I play silly folk songs with really fucked-up words,” he says, which is true. His songs live at the intersection of a sort of fuzzed-out grunge rock and quirky folk ditties. This confluence of sounds led to a kind of low key celebrity and has allowed him to meet and play alongside some of his personal idols, like the band Ween and Kimya Dawson and her band The Moldy Peaches. These kinds of bands and the anti-folk movement gave Holley “a home, a clique,” he says.
Mythological Horses has a serious commitment to the DIY thing, relying on guerrilla marketing techniques and almost entirely in-house resources for things like tour bookings, promotion and recording. Which means it’s a full-time, day-in and day-out commitment to make it work. “Music is my only source of income,” Holley says, “I work really hard to be this poor.”
Last year, Holley toured for nine months straight; he’s been everywhere from the huge South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, to a packed dance floor full of eager locals at the Carousel Lounge in Spenard. Despite the years spent living out of state, Mythological Horses has made it a point to play shows in Alaska as often as possible. They’ve racked up dozens of billings here in town, often at unexpected venues like the Crazy Horse Saloon on Gambell, which has hosted several Mythological Horses shows. Holley says a strong local following means they’ve never had a problem filling out shows in town; “I have a really good support structure here,” Holley says.
Now more than ever Holley needs that support structure. Last year, Holley hadn’t been feeling quite right for some time while on tour, and mentioned several times to his band mates that something was off. “They thought I was losing my mind,” Holley says.
Once back in Alaska, he was at home with a friend when things went from “not feeling quite right” to terribly wrong. He had his first major seizure on the couch in his living room, then a second one on the way to the car to get to the hospital. Once in the hospital he continued to seize, and it took several days get Holley stable enough to go home.
Holley says that in his teens he was diagnosed with a condition that results in “silent” brain seizures. This type of seizure would cause him to “space out” for a few seconds or minutes sometimes, but they never interfered much with his day-to-day life. Over the last year, however, he began experiencing intense déjà vu while on tour and could feel the seizures coming on right before they happened. “It scared the shit out of me,” Holley says.
Since that hospital stay Holley’s spent several months of recuperating and resting, not to mention adjusting to a lifestyle much different than the hard-working, hard-partying one he’s been used to for years. Holley has to take medication daily now to manage the seizure disorder, which means the drinking and drug use of his past has had to be curbed.
Holley is rea - Anchorage Press 2012


"sxsw 2010"

I can’t say I’m not proud of myself for yesterday. Twelve bands in about five hours… pretty good stuff. Felt like I was compensating for my pathetic showing on Wednesday. I actually saw enough bands just yesterday afternoon at The Spiderhouse (Which had FOUR stages set up) that I didn’t have to brave the ever-more overflowing Red River and 6th streets late into the night. But I’ll be down there tonight, one more good dive into the waters boiling over with music, then back to Athens.
Alright, I might break this up into two posts ’cause it was a lot of bands, but let’s see what I can remember:
When we first walked up, set up on this tiny little stage out front of the bar/café was Mythological Horses rocking the flip out. Oregon still has some good grunge punk, I guess. I checked on their Myspace, where they call themselves an anti-folk collective led by songwriter Shawn Holley. I dunno about all that; what I saw was a wicked, broken-speaker garage punk band, just a drummer and guitarist, both looked dirty and out of it, thrashing around in front of just a few folks. Pretty great. - Red and black 2010 Athens Georgia


"sxsw 2010"

I can’t say I’m not proud of myself for yesterday. Twelve bands in about five hours… pretty good stuff. Felt like I was compensating for my pathetic showing on Wednesday. I actually saw enough bands just yesterday afternoon at The Spiderhouse (Which had FOUR stages set up) that I didn’t have to brave the ever-more overflowing Red River and 6th streets late into the night. But I’ll be down there tonight, one more good dive into the waters boiling over with music, then back to Athens.
Alright, I might break this up into two posts ’cause it was a lot of bands, but let’s see what I can remember:
When we first walked up, set up on this tiny little stage out front of the bar/café was Mythological Horses rocking the flip out. Oregon still has some good grunge punk, I guess. I checked on their Myspace, where they call themselves an anti-folk collective led by songwriter Shawn Holley. I dunno about all that; what I saw was a wicked, broken-speaker garage punk band, just a drummer and guitarist, both looked dirty and out of it, thrashing around in front of just a few folks. Pretty great. - Red and black 2010 Athens Georgia


"What is a Mythological Horse?"

(Funhouse) Much like centaurs, hippogriffs, Sleipnirs, and the Pegasus, the band Mythological Horses are a somewhat mysterious creature. Portland anti-folk weirdo/singer Shawn Holley and his forever-changing backup band write peculiar little ditties about love, snow cones, drugs, vagina trees, and come Dumpsters. The music sounds like what might happen if you invited both Ween and Kimya Dawson to a picnic.  
KELLY O- - The Stranger 2010 Seattle WA


"What is a Mythological Horse?"

(Funhouse) Much like centaurs, hippogriffs, Sleipnirs, and the Pegasus, the band Mythological Horses are a somewhat mysterious creature. Portland anti-folk weirdo/singer Shawn Holley and his forever-changing backup band write peculiar little ditties about love, snow cones, drugs, vagina trees, and come Dumpsters. The music sounds like what might happen if you invited both Ween and Kimya Dawson to a picnic.  
KELLY O- - The Stranger 2010 Seattle WA


"A life well lived for a Mythological Horse"

I suppose you can jump to conclusions about a songwriter who inserts vulgarities into folksy love songs and hangs out with a tour manager who interrupts an interview with a reporter by saying so-and-so “says you’re a douche bag, Shawn.”
But Shawn Holley comes across as more sweet than crude in person, and far more sensitive than a song like “Cum Dumpster” would suggest. His musical persona, Mythological Horses, consists of him and a collection of musicians that changes with the gig, all a little over the top on stage and late into the night.
Now back in Alaska for a month to write a new album and seek wisdom from his roots, the Anchorage-born Holley and his mentor Wrick Luv will play solo acoustic sets in Anchorage, Girdwood, Homer and Fairbanks this week and next.
“I love Alaska,” says Holley, while sipping tea at the Middle Way Café. “Every time I come back, I love it more.”
The self-described anti-folk bent of Horses really reflects the way Holley grew up. If a kid from Spenard does too many drugs, ends up in McLaughlin too many times, and hangs out with too many friends who either kill themselves or end up in jail, it makes sense that a little “fuck” would trickle into even the good stuff.
“I had a pretty fucked up teen life,” said Holley. “I saw all my friends dying and going to jail, and I had a revelation and got out.”
By “out” he means squatting for a while, then getting his shit together long enough to put some purpose in his life in Portland. For him, that means touring 200 shows a year with his girlfriend’s band, Saucy Yoda, and making enough money to cut more songs and get to the next gig. Writing and playing drive his life these days, and coming home reminds him of why.
“I come back and see some of my friends still playing video games on the same couches, basically playing the same game,” he said. “I’m not about that. I’m scared of that movie Groundhog Day. I don’t want every day to be the same.”
So he tours. He plays music. He writes songs that ride the line between adolescent nonsense and clever parody.
His fast strumming love song “Snowcones” employs the famed Dylan line, “changing in the wind,” while talking about doing ecstasy and OD’ing under the Midnight Sun. Other tunes include “In the Sun” with its Violent Femmes-like beat and electronic pop hook in homage to the bitter cold and banal, or “Bitch of My Dreams,” a singsong-like tune with a vulgar take on the pathetic quality of loneliness.
Holley usually plays with a full band, but he also likes to mix genres, as in his remix of a Wrick Luv song, “Fight and Fuck.” Holley’s version sounds like distorted punk fried in techno. This week, Holley and Luv will strip down the sound to acoustic and take turns flipping a coin for the opening slot.
“I’ll probably just cross my legs and sit on the floor looking up at him,” said Holley, a friend and fan of Luv’s music. “Wrick Luv is easily one of Anchorage’s best talents and one of the founders of the underground music scene.”
Luv has produced several solo albums as the Tha Wrick Luv Foundation; he also writes and sings with Fats Tunamelt (check out the punk ska ditty, “Michael Moore,” if you can). Eddy Lee, the guitar player for Sporting Woody’s, will also play during the Anchorage and Girdwood shows.
A common element of all these bands, players and songs seems to revolve around the prosaic tragic-comedy of being human, which kind of explains why Holley came home again. This time, he wants to go back to his old houses and schools to sit and write some songs.
“I have to bring up these ghosts,” he said. “I have to stare at that house I hated.”
Though he can’t say what the overall concept of the album will be, he knows what it will sound like. “It’s going to be loud and very not what people are used to. Loud guitars. Loud drums. Loud singing. I’m going to let a lot out.”
Or, perhaps, Holley just needs to relive some of that crap to carry on as the man he is now, 31 years old and feeling like he has something to say. All the overdosing and dying doesn’t make sense to him, and when he writes about it, he relies on the biting humor of having been there, seen that.
Once Holley’s tour manager Carl Tuzroyluke pulled the phone from his ear, they mentioned another buddy who died on the trail, naked and strung out. Holley’s own little brother overdosed a month ago, he said.
We’re too old for that, said Tuzroyluke, who met Holley at McLaughlin. “Fuck the dying thing.”
Yep, said Holley, shrugging. “We made it past 30. Now I’m trying to do counseling through musical therapy.”
Mythological Horses will play with Wrick Luv and Eddie Lee at the S. Lounge at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8. Admission is $5, 21 and older only. They’ll also play at the same time on Friday, Oct. 15, at the Downeast Saloon in Homer; Sunday, Oct. 17, at Maxine’s in Girdwood; and Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Marlin in Fairbanks.
- Anchorage press 2010 Anchorage AK


"A life well lived for a Mythological Horse"

I suppose you can jump to conclusions about a songwriter who inserts vulgarities into folksy love songs and hangs out with a tour manager who interrupts an interview with a reporter by saying so-and-so “says you’re a douche bag, Shawn.”
But Shawn Holley comes across as more sweet than crude in person, and far more sensitive than a song like “Cum Dumpster” would suggest. His musical persona, Mythological Horses, consists of him and a collection of musicians that changes with the gig, all a little over the top on stage and late into the night.
Now back in Alaska for a month to write a new album and seek wisdom from his roots, the Anchorage-born Holley and his mentor Wrick Luv will play solo acoustic sets in Anchorage, Girdwood, Homer and Fairbanks this week and next.
“I love Alaska,” says Holley, while sipping tea at the Middle Way Café. “Every time I come back, I love it more.”
The self-described anti-folk bent of Horses really reflects the way Holley grew up. If a kid from Spenard does too many drugs, ends up in McLaughlin too many times, and hangs out with too many friends who either kill themselves or end up in jail, it makes sense that a little “fuck” would trickle into even the good stuff.
“I had a pretty fucked up teen life,” said Holley. “I saw all my friends dying and going to jail, and I had a revelation and got out.”
By “out” he means squatting for a while, then getting his shit together long enough to put some purpose in his life in Portland. For him, that means touring 200 shows a year with his girlfriend’s band, Saucy Yoda, and making enough money to cut more songs and get to the next gig. Writing and playing drive his life these days, and coming home reminds him of why.
“I come back and see some of my friends still playing video games on the same couches, basically playing the same game,” he said. “I’m not about that. I’m scared of that movie Groundhog Day. I don’t want every day to be the same.”
So he tours. He plays music. He writes songs that ride the line between adolescent nonsense and clever parody.
His fast strumming love song “Snowcones” employs the famed Dylan line, “changing in the wind,” while talking about doing ecstasy and OD’ing under the Midnight Sun. Other tunes include “In the Sun” with its Violent Femmes-like beat and electronic pop hook in homage to the bitter cold and banal, or “Bitch of My Dreams,” a singsong-like tune with a vulgar take on the pathetic quality of loneliness.
Holley usually plays with a full band, but he also likes to mix genres, as in his remix of a Wrick Luv song, “Fight and Fuck.” Holley’s version sounds like distorted punk fried in techno. This week, Holley and Luv will strip down the sound to acoustic and take turns flipping a coin for the opening slot.
“I’ll probably just cross my legs and sit on the floor looking up at him,” said Holley, a friend and fan of Luv’s music. “Wrick Luv is easily one of Anchorage’s best talents and one of the founders of the underground music scene.”
Luv has produced several solo albums as the Tha Wrick Luv Foundation; he also writes and sings with Fats Tunamelt (check out the punk ska ditty, “Michael Moore,” if you can). Eddy Lee, the guitar player for Sporting Woody’s, will also play during the Anchorage and Girdwood shows.
A common element of all these bands, players and songs seems to revolve around the prosaic tragic-comedy of being human, which kind of explains why Holley came home again. This time, he wants to go back to his old houses and schools to sit and write some songs.
“I have to bring up these ghosts,” he said. “I have to stare at that house I hated.”
Though he can’t say what the overall concept of the album will be, he knows what it will sound like. “It’s going to be loud and very not what people are used to. Loud guitars. Loud drums. Loud singing. I’m going to let a lot out.”
Or, perhaps, Holley just needs to relive some of that crap to carry on as the man he is now, 31 years old and feeling like he has something to say. All the overdosing and dying doesn’t make sense to him, and when he writes about it, he relies on the biting humor of having been there, seen that.
Once Holley’s tour manager Carl Tuzroyluke pulled the phone from his ear, they mentioned another buddy who died on the trail, naked and strung out. Holley’s own little brother overdosed a month ago, he said.
We’re too old for that, said Tuzroyluke, who met Holley at McLaughlin. “Fuck the dying thing.”
Yep, said Holley, shrugging. “We made it past 30. Now I’m trying to do counseling through musical therapy.”
Mythological Horses will play with Wrick Luv and Eddie Lee at the S. Lounge at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8. Admission is $5, 21 and older only. They’ll also play at the same time on Friday, Oct. 15, at the Downeast Saloon in Homer; Sunday, Oct. 17, at Maxine’s in Girdwood; and Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Marlin in Fairbanks.
- Anchorage press 2010 Anchorage AK


"A style that’s more aggressive"

FAIRBANKS — What are mythological horses? Pegasus? A unicorn?

For Shawn Holley and four other musicians, it’s the name of their band. After six solo albums under Shawn Holley’s name, Holley started including more musicians in his act. He felt weird calling the band Shawn Holley and didn’t like the way The Shawn Holley Band sounded. So when he came up with Mythological Horses he felt like it fit.

“It was something that’s there and something that’s not there at the same time — or maybe it’s there — and that’s mythological horses,” Holley said, via e-mail.

Holley’s band and several others — Saucy Yoda, Torture Me Elmo, Tre Wolf and The Luv Foundation — will be play at The Marlin beginning at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Based in Portland, Ore., for the past four years, Alaska is nothing new for the Mythological Horses. Holley, now 35, spent his teen years in Anchorage and he, with Mythological Horses, has made sure to tour the state during the past four years.

His band plays an anti-folk musical style, a style that’s more aggressive, often includes lyrics arguing for political or social change, and uses risqué language. More well-known acts in this genre include The Moldy Peaches and, in his early days, Beck.

Holley said he wasn’t trying to write anti-folk songs. He only realized he was writing anti-folk after the fact.

“I wrote these kind of songs before finding others who shared the same silly song writing as I do,” Holley said. “But with any genre there is a tag, and my tag is anti-folk.”

He said that Alaska hasn’t directly influenced the anti-folk band, but his life experiences have. He was born in Japan and raised in South Africa. He moved to Anchorage when he was 14. At 18, he hopped a train and began traveling around the United States before settling in Portland. But specific events, more than just his travels, have had a profound impact on his music. He has seen friends struggle with drug abuse, he has been stabbed four times and shot twice, he survived a small plane crash in northern Colorado and he was once bitten by a rattlesnake in New Mexico.

“I have a lot of stories, and that’s all my songs are,” Holley said, “(messed) up stories.”

The stories probably relate to the amount of traveling Holley and the band does. He said that they push more than 200 shows a year. In November, Holley will go on a solo acoustic tour that will take him through 10 countries, including France, Japan, Egypt and South Africa.

He, and his girlfriend’s band Saucy Yoda, will also have songs featured on the Showtime television series “Weeds” sometime next season, which starts Aug. 23.

“I better get Showtime,” Holley said.
- Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 2010 Fairbanks AK


"A style that’s more aggressive"

FAIRBANKS — What are mythological horses? Pegasus? A unicorn?

For Shawn Holley and four other musicians, it’s the name of their band. After six solo albums under Shawn Holley’s name, Holley started including more musicians in his act. He felt weird calling the band Shawn Holley and didn’t like the way The Shawn Holley Band sounded. So when he came up with Mythological Horses he felt like it fit.

“It was something that’s there and something that’s not there at the same time — or maybe it’s there — and that’s mythological horses,” Holley said, via e-mail.

Holley’s band and several others — Saucy Yoda, Torture Me Elmo, Tre Wolf and The Luv Foundation — will be play at The Marlin beginning at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Based in Portland, Ore., for the past four years, Alaska is nothing new for the Mythological Horses. Holley, now 35, spent his teen years in Anchorage and he, with Mythological Horses, has made sure to tour the state during the past four years.

His band plays an anti-folk musical style, a style that’s more aggressive, often includes lyrics arguing for political or social change, and uses risqué language. More well-known acts in this genre include The Moldy Peaches and, in his early days, Beck.

Holley said he wasn’t trying to write anti-folk songs. He only realized he was writing anti-folk after the fact.

“I wrote these kind of songs before finding others who shared the same silly song writing as I do,” Holley said. “But with any genre there is a tag, and my tag is anti-folk.”

He said that Alaska hasn’t directly influenced the anti-folk band, but his life experiences have. He was born in Japan and raised in South Africa. He moved to Anchorage when he was 14. At 18, he hopped a train and began traveling around the United States before settling in Portland. But specific events, more than just his travels, have had a profound impact on his music. He has seen friends struggle with drug abuse, he has been stabbed four times and shot twice, he survived a small plane crash in northern Colorado and he was once bitten by a rattlesnake in New Mexico.

“I have a lot of stories, and that’s all my songs are,” Holley said, “(messed) up stories.”

The stories probably relate to the amount of traveling Holley and the band does. He said that they push more than 200 shows a year. In November, Holley will go on a solo acoustic tour that will take him through 10 countries, including France, Japan, Egypt and South Africa.

He, and his girlfriend’s band Saucy Yoda, will also have songs featured on the Showtime television series “Weeds” sometime next season, which starts Aug. 23.

“I better get Showtime,” Holley said.
- Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 2010 Fairbanks AK


"IN YOUR FACE"

If you pay attention to traveling underground bands you've most likely heard of Saucy Yoda and Mythological Horses. They've done a lot of traveling across the states the past three or so years, including week long stints in Alaska. How many bands do you know of go to Alaska? Yeah, I hear the sounds of cold crickets chirping. Both bands are both solo projects of two people: Shawn Holley and Melodie Langer. Shawn takes the acoustic anti-folk punk route as Mythological Horses. It's heartfelt, funny and far from being politically correct. He's got a voice that's hard to ignore. He's get in your face- not to yell or preach- but to teach you something about yourself. - Kick Bright 2009 Orlando FL


"IN YOUR FACE"

If you pay attention to traveling underground bands you've most likely heard of Saucy Yoda and Mythological Horses. They've done a lot of traveling across the states the past three or so years, including week long stints in Alaska. How many bands do you know of go to Alaska? Yeah, I hear the sounds of cold crickets chirping. Both bands are both solo projects of two people: Shawn Holley and Melodie Langer. Shawn takes the acoustic anti-folk punk route as Mythological Horses. It's heartfelt, funny and far from being politically correct. He's got a voice that's hard to ignore. He's get in your face- not to yell or preach- but to teach you something about yourself. - Kick Bright 2009 Orlando FL


Discography

Shawn Holley 2000 CDR
Shawn Holley Farmington 2001 CDR/CASSETTE
Shawn Holley Eating Bumble Bee's 2001 CDR/CASSETTE
Shawn Holley Machinegun Teddybear 2002 CDR
Shawn Holley Tent Tapes 2003 CASSETTE
Shawn Holley Skateboard 2003 CDR
Shawn Holley Warm Tea 2004 CDR
Mythological Horses 2006 CDR
Mythological Horses Bremerton Wa 2007 CDR
Mythological Horses IDAHO 2008 CD
Mythological Horses 2009 Fuck It CD
Mythological Horses Super Joe Long Cocaine Mountain EP 2010 CD
Mythological Horses Fairview Luvin 2010 CD-CASSETTE
Mythological Horses Moriarity Sessions 2012 CDR
Songs with radio play around u.s. including indie,rock,college and internet stations
What was your name again
In the sun
Hop skip jump
Turtles
Starting to think

Photos

Bio

Growing up in Anchorage,Alaska and relocating to Seattle,Wa in his early 20's, Shawn Holley self released 7 solo albums of anti-folk songs between 2000-2004. Touring the D.I.Y. network throughout the United States alone by greyhound bus and hitchhiking. In 2006, after moving to Portland Oregon, Holley recruted a bass player and drummer, then switched band names to Mythological Horses.

Mythological Horses is an electric mutation of Holley's acoustic songs with more of a rock n roll/punkrock charged loudness. With radio play across the states and press reviews crediting the band for non stop touring and with over 70,000 song plays on myspace, Holley kept the band touring more and more around the U.S. Hawaii and Alaska reaching upwords of 200 shows a year. Over the next few years, Mythological Horses released a string of self-released albums. In 2009, Mythological Horses posters where featured in the Showtime Television Series Weeds - (season 6). At the same time, Gene Ween of the band WEEN put Mythological Horses as his top friend on his myspace page which in turn lead the band to even more gigs, a live TV appearance in New York City on MNN (Manhattan) and a headlining slot at the New York anti-folk festival.
Recently signed to Hovercraft Records in Portland Oregon,the band will be releasing a full length album summer of 2013. Along with u.s. summer tours and a European tour in October