Horse Feathers

Horse Feathers

Horse Feathers is an American indie folk group from Portland, Oregon, active from 2004. The project begins with singer and songwriter Justin Ringle, who moves to Portland from Idaho in 2004 after fronting several rock bands there and starts performing acoustic material at open mics under the Horse Feathers name.

Formation and early recordings

In 2005, multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick hears some of Ringle’s demos and offers to help develop them. The pair records the debut album, Words are Dead, at Skyler Norwood’s Miracle Lake studio in February 2006. It is issued that September on the Portland label Lucky Madison.

Later in 2006, Heather Broderick joins on cello. By 2007, the act is working with a rotating group of instrumentalists supporting Ringle’s guitar and vocals.

Albums and lineup changes

Ringle and the Brodericks return to Miracle Lake in late 2007 to record House With No Home, released on Kill Rock Stars in spring 2008. After Peter Broderick leaves to pursue music in Europe, Nathan Crockett is brought in on violin. Heather Broderick later leaves for other projects, and Catherine Odell joins on cello. Sam Cooper joins as a multi-instrumentalist at the start of 2009, completing a four-piece lineup.

Later activity

As a group, Horse Feathers continues touring and releases Thistled Spring on Kill Rock Stars in 2010. The listed members are Peter Broderick, Sam Cooper, Nathan Crockett, Dustin Dybvig, Catherine Odell, Brad Parsons and Justin Ringle.