Five Horse Johnson is:
Eric Oblander: Vox & Harp
Brad Coffin: Vox & Guitar
Steve Smith: Bass
Phil Dürr: Guitar

Reviews for The Taking Of Black Heart ...
Groove Hammer

Five Horse Johnson exploded out of Toledo, Ohio in 1996 with their debut album Blues for Henry. A raw, visceral recording, Blues for Henry came through with a growling, blues soaked passion supported by a heavy, grinding stoner groove. Eric Oblander's coarse vocals and harp playing howled with ache, anger and a thorny sense of humor. The guitar work of Brad Coffin and Phil Durr dredged up, as if from the bottom of a dirty lake, the sounds of classic rock, blues and the heavy resonance of stoner rock. Dripping with mud, each song was the gritty, jagged edged shade of it's influences. The combination of these elements with the raw production of the album genuinely gives one the sense that they are "hearing in sepia tone", if that's possible- the sense that the music is dog-eared and venerated by time.

While the production of their albums may have become more polished over the years, Five Horse Johnson has accomplished this without sacrificing the gritty and raw feel of the music, which is really saying a lot. To be able to polish and refine the recording process while holding onto the initial grimy, brooding passion of the sound indicates that the grit is truly in them and inevitably a part of every note and syllable of their work. And as such, FHJ has, album after album, demonstrated the ability to masterfully combine blues, classic and southern rock, and stoner groove at will, creating a sound and feel truly their own.

Five Horse Johnson recorded fairly consistently between 1996 and 2006, releasing 6 albums in that time. After the release of The Mystery Spot (2006), however, we saw a seven year hiatus for the band, at least in terms of releases. And now in 2013- the year of the snake- Five Horse Johnson is back with The Taking of Blackheart. And, as per their norm, they do not disappoint. For the second time since 2006's The Mystery Spot, the great J.......
more

Reviews for The Taking Of Black Heart ...
Groove Hammer

Five Horse Johnson exploded out of Toledo, Ohio in 1996 with their debut album Blues for Henry. A raw, visceral recording, Blues for Henry came through with a growling, blues soaked passion supported by a heavy, grinding stoner groove. Eric Oblander's coarse vocals and harp playing howled with ache, anger and a thorny sense of humor. The guitar work of Brad Coffin and Phil Durr dredged up, as if from the bottom of a dirty lake, the sounds of classic rock, blues and the heavy resonance of stoner rock. Dripping with mud, each song was the gritty, jagged edged shade of it's influences. The combination of these elements with the raw production of the album genuinely gives one the sense that they are "hearing in sepia tone", if that's possible- the sense that the music is dog-eared and venerated by time.

While the production of their albums may have become more polished over the years, Five Horse Johnson has accomplished this without sacrificing the gritty and raw feel of the music, which is really saying a lot. To be able to polish and refine the recording process while holding onto the initial grimy, brooding passion of the sound indicates that the grit is truly in them and inevitably a part of every note and syllable of their work. And as such, FHJ has, album after album, demonstrated the ability to masterfully combine blues, classic and southern rock, and stoner groove at will, creating a sound and feel truly their own.

Five Horse Johnson recorded fairly consistently between 1996 and 2006, releasing 6 albums in that time. After the release of The Mystery Spot (2006), however, we saw a seven year hiatus for the band, at least in terms of releases. And now in 2013- the year of the snake- Five Horse Johnson is back with The Taking of Blackheart. And, as per their norm, they do not disappoint. For the second time since 2006's The Mystery Spot, the great J.......
more