Bark Hide and Horn
Encyclopedia
Bark Hide and Horn is an indie/folk-rock band from Portland
, Oregon
.
, and one LP
entitled National Road
. Thus far, the music on these albums has focused on the history and content of the National Geographic magazine from the years 1957 to 1967, when it was under the editorship of Melville Bell Grosvenor
. National Road
contained as its centerpiece a fictionalized narrative focusing on Melville Bell Grosvenor
and the implicit downtrodden perspectives left unaddressed by the content of the magazine.
In their initial incarnation, Bark Hide and Horn consisted of Andy Anderson Furgeson on guitar, vocals, harmonica, violin, banjo, and pedal steel and Brian Garvey on mandolin, keyboard, synth, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, percussion, and vocals. Eventually, Peter Valois on bass, vibraphone, vocals, glockenspiel, penny whistle, and percussion and Dusty Dybvig on drums, percussion, and theremin were added to the band's lineup. The band members, used to playing in larger ensembles, found that they needed to constantly switch between instruments live in order to achieve the full sound that they desired.
to find the actual roots" given the content of their songs.
, a prominent atheist, in his blog Pharyngula
for depicting mollusks and other invertebrates in a positive light. Additionally, according to an article in The Portland Mercury
, Jane Goodall
loves a song from National Road
that focuses on Ham the Astrochimp and mentions her in the lyrics.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
History
Bark Hide and Horn has released one self-titled EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, and one LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
entitled National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...
. Thus far, the music on these albums has focused on the history and content of the National Geographic magazine from the years 1957 to 1967, when it was under the editorship of Melville Bell Grosvenor
Melville Bell Grosvenor
Melville Bell Grosvenor was the president of the National Geographic Society and editor of National Geographic Magazine from 1957 to 1969...
. National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...
contained as its centerpiece a fictionalized narrative focusing on Melville Bell Grosvenor
Melville Bell Grosvenor
Melville Bell Grosvenor was the president of the National Geographic Society and editor of National Geographic Magazine from 1957 to 1969...
and the implicit downtrodden perspectives left unaddressed by the content of the magazine.
In their initial incarnation, Bark Hide and Horn consisted of Andy Anderson Furgeson on guitar, vocals, harmonica, violin, banjo, and pedal steel and Brian Garvey on mandolin, keyboard, synth, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, percussion, and vocals. Eventually, Peter Valois on bass, vibraphone, vocals, glockenspiel, penny whistle, and percussion and Dusty Dybvig on drums, percussion, and theremin were added to the band's lineup. The band members, used to playing in larger ensembles, found that they needed to constantly switch between instruments live in order to achieve the full sound that they desired.
Genre
The National Geographic-heavy content of Bark Hide and Horn's first EP and album has led some to identify Bark Hide and Horn as a naturalist-core band. Others have described Bark Hide and Horn as having "navigated around roots rockRoots rock
Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...
to find the actual roots" given the content of their songs.
In the Portland Music Scene
Bark Hide and Horn played in the 2008 PDX Pop Now Festival. Additionally, they performed at the 2008 Northwest Folklife Festival.Recognition
In addition to garnering praise from music critics for their debut album, the music has also been recognized by PZ MyersPZ Myers
Paul Zachary "PZ" Myers is an American biology professor at the University of Minnesota Morris and the author of the Pharyngula science blog. He is currently an associate professor of biology at UMM, works with zebrafish in the field of evolutionary developmental biology , and also cultivates an...
, a prominent atheist, in his blog Pharyngula
Pharyngula (blog)
Pharyngula is a blog on FreeThoughtBlogs and ScienceBlogs run by PZ Myers. In 2006, the science journal Nature listed it as the top-ranked blog written by a scientist. Pharyngula also won the 2005 Koufax Award for Best Expert Blog. The blog topics are eclectic, delving into the non-scientific as...
for depicting mollusks and other invertebrates in a positive light. Additionally, according to an article in The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon. It serves to chronicle the ever-changing Portland music scene, and generally includes interviews, commentaries, reviews, and concert dates...
, Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
loves a song from National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...
that focuses on Ham the Astrochimp and mentions her in the lyrics.
External links
,- http://wweek.com/editorial/3440/11361/ - Review of National Road in Willamette WeekWillamette WeekWillamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business and culture....
, http://localcut.wweek.com/2008/11/17/live-review-blue-horns-bark-hide-and-horn-at-backspace-saturday-nov-15/ - Live review in Willamette WeekWillamette WeekWillamette Week is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon, United States. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business and culture.... - http://www.portlandmercury.com/music/for-melville-with-love/Content?oid=868635 - Review of National Road in The Portland MercuryThe Portland MercuryThe Portland Mercury is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon. It serves to chronicle the ever-changing Portland music scene, and generally includes interviews, commentaries, reviews, and concert dates...
, http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/2006/05/bark_hide_and_horn_qa.php - Interview with Bark Hide and Horn in The Portland MercuryThe Portland MercuryThe Portland Mercury is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon. It serves to chronicle the ever-changing Portland music scene, and generally includes interviews, commentaries, reviews, and concert dates... - http://www.strandedinstereo.com/music_barkhideandhorn.shtml - Review of National Road on Stranded in Stereo
- http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/65104-bark-hide-and-horn-national-road/ - Review of National Road on PopMatters