History Music / SixteenHorsepower

* FaceOfTheBand: {{Invoked|Trope}}: David Eugene Edwards. A Netherlands TV documentary, ostensibly about the band, focused on DEE's home life and never gave the other members a single chance to speak.

* ChristianRock / NotChristianRock: They basically call into question the entire practice of labeling bands by ideology. To wit: David Eugene Edwards, the primary songwriter, is a devout Christian, and this comes across very clearly in his lyrics. None of the other band members share his beliefs. Since they never sought out the "Christian music" distribution channels, their music could not be found in Christian music stores -- yet 16HP's music was more explicitly Christian themed than just about anything that could be found in the Christian stores.

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: GothRock meets CountryMusic.

That, in a nutshell, is what 16 Horsepower sounds like: [[GothRock Gothic]] CountryMusic, with influences from bluegrass, European folk, and {{alternative country}}. The band played once in 1992 in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, then reformed in UsefulNotes/{{Denver}}, Colorado. Throughout the '90s, they made a name for themselves in the Denver music scene and in Europe, with music ranging from haunting to apocalyptic, and lyrics focusing on the fear of God, wrongdoing, and redemption. In the '00s, they began drifting apart and focusing on side projects; in 2005, they officially disbanded.

That, in a nutshell, is what ''16 Horsepower'' sounds like: [[GothRock Gothic]] CountryMusic, with influences from bluegrass, European folk, and {{alternative country}}. The band played once in 1992 in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, then reformed in UsefulNotes/{{Denver}}, Colorado. Throughout the '90s, they made a name for themselves in the Denver music scene and in Europe, with music ranging from haunting to apocalyptic, and lyrics focusing on the fear of God, wrongdoing, and redemption. In the '00s, they began drifting apart and focusing on side projects; in 2005, they officially disbanded.

* CoverAlbum: ''Folklore'' only had two original songs. The rest of the tracks are covers of Music/HankWilliams, the Carter Family, and various traditional songs. (American, French, Hungarian, Tuvan, etc.)
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: Their version of "Bad Moon Rising."

Post breakup, David Eugene Edwards focused on his musical project Music/WovenHand (which has become a SpiritualSuccessor to 16HP). Pascal Humbert started the band ''Lilium'' with help from Jean-Yves Tola, then Pascal joined ''Woven Hand'' in 2007.
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* ReviewerStockPhrases: Did you know that David Eugene Edwards is the grandson of a fire-and-brimstone Nazarene preacher? Good luck finding a 16HP album review that doesn't bring it up.
* SopranoAndGravel: DEE and Pascal Humbert harmonize to this effect on a few songs from ''Low Estate''.
* PrecisionFStrike: DEE says "fucking" twice on ''Sackcloth 'n' Ashes'', and nowhere else.
* WordSaladLyrics: Some songs on the early albums come across rather stream-of-consciousness, where individual verses may make perfect sense, but don't follow at all from the rest of the song.

* FaceOfTheBand: {{Invoked|Trope}}. David Eugene Edwards. [[http://www.16horsepower.com/loladamusica.html A Netherlands TV documentary]], ostensibly about the band, focused on DEE's home life and never gave the other members a single chance to speak.

* FaceOfTheBand: InvokedTrope. David Eugene Edwards. [[http://www.16horsepower.com/loladamusica.html A Netherlands TV documentary]], ostensibly about the band, focused on DEE's home life and never gave the other members a single chance to speak.

* Pascal Humbert: bass, guitar, vocals

[index]

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Post breakup, David Eugene Edwards focused on his musical project Music/{{Wovenhand}} (which has become a SpiritualSuccessor to 16HP). Pascal Humbert started the band Lilium with help from Jean-Yves Tola, then Pascal joined Woven Hand in 2007.

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!!Provides examples of:
* AlbumTitleDrop: On ''Secret South''.
* BawdySong: "Ruthie Lingle" and "Hang My Teeth on Your Door". Incidentally the latter is one of the few 16HP songs not penned by DEE.
* ChristianRock / NotChristianRock: They basically call into question the entire practice of labeling bands by ideology. To wit: David Eugene Edwards, the primary songwriter, is a devout Christian, and this comes across very clearly in his lyrics. None of the other band members share his beliefs. Since they never sought out the "Christian music" distribution channels, their music could not be found in Christian music stores--yet 16HP's music was more explicitly Christian-themed than just about anything that could be found in the Christian stores.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: Their version of "Bad Moon Rising".
* CoverAlbum: ''Folklore'' only had two original songs. The rest of the tracks are covers of Music/HankWilliams, the Carter Family, and various traditional songs (American, French, Hungarian, Tuvan, etc.).
* DroneOfDread: When Edwards breaks out his squeezebox, the song will either be even more ominous than 16HP's usual fare, [[InvertedTrope or it will be the most upbeat song on the entire album]].
* FaceOfTheBand: David Eugene Edwards. [[invoked]] [[http://www.16horsepower.com/loladamusica.html A Netherlands TV documentary]], ostensibly about the band, focused on DEE's home life and never gave the other members a single chance to speak.

That, in a nutshell, is what ''16 Horsepower'' sounds like: [[GothRock Gothic]] CountryMusic, with influences from bluegrass, European folk, and {{alternative country}}. The band played once in 1992 in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, then reformed in Denver, Colorado. Throughout the '90s, they made a name for themselves in the Denver music scene and in Europe, with music ranging from haunting to apocalyptic, and lyrics focusing on the fear of God, wrongdoing, and redemption. In the '00s, they began drifting apart and focusing on side projects; in 2005, they officially disbanded.

Albums:

Post breakup, David Eugene Edwards focused on his musical project WovenHand (which has become a SpiritualSuccessor to 16HP). Pascal Humbert started the band Lilium with help from Jean-Yves Tola, then Pascal joined Woven Hand in 2007.

[[caption-width-right:350: [[http://www.16horsepower.com/brussels0902promo1.html Ca. 2002.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[http://www.16horsepower.com/brussels0902promo1.html Ca. 2002.]]]]

-->-- "Clogger"

Picture in your mind: In some forsaken corner of the American West, under a sky black with storm clouds, a man rides across the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. He has a gun on his hip and a Bible in his saddlebag. He's pushing his horse to its absolute limit, but it's not clear why he's in such a hurry--whether he's the pursuer or the pursued, fleeing the law or {{God}} himself.

That, in a nutshell, is what 16 Horsepower sounds like: [[GothRock Gothic]] CountryMusic, with influences from bluegrass, European folk and [[AlternativeCountry alternative country]]. The band played once in 1992 in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, then reformed in Denver, Colorado. Throughout the 90's, they made a name for themselves in the Denver music scene and in Europe, with music ranging from haunting to apocalyptic, and lyrics focusing on the fear of God, wrongdoing, and redemption. In the 00's, they began drifting apart and focusing on side projects; in 2005, they officially disbanded.

* David Eugene Edwards: lead vocals, guitar, banjo, Chemnitzer concertina and/or bandoneon, hurdy-gurdy, lap steel guitar
* Jean-Yves Tola: drums, vocals

* CoverAlbum: ''Folklore'' only had two original songs. The rest of the tracks are covers of HankWilliams, the Carter Family, and various traditional songs (American, French, Hungarian, Tuvan, etc.).

* AGoodNameForARockBand: It's a reference to a folk song: the coffin of a beloved being borne to the grave by sixteen horses. For a very brief period, their name was just Horsepower--they changed because too many people thought it was a drug reference.

That, in a nutshell, is what 16 Horsepower sounds like: [[GothRock Gothic]] CountryMusic, with influences from bluegrass, European folk and alternative country. The band played once in 1992 in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, then reformed in Denver, Colorado. Throughout the 90's, they made a name for themselves in the Denver music scene and in Europe, with music ranging from haunting to apocalyptic, and lyrics focusing on the fear of God, wrongdoing, and redemption. In the 00's, they began drifting apart and focusing on side projects; in 2005, they officially disbanded.

That, in a nutshell, is what 16 Horsepower sounds like: [[GothRock Gothic]] CountryMusic, with influences from bluegrass, European folk and alternative country. The band played once in 1992 in LosAngeles, then reformed in Denver, Colorado. Throughout the 90's, they made a name for themselves in the Denver music scene and in Europe, with music ranging from haunting to apocalyptic, and lyrics focusing on the fear of God, wrongdoing, and redemption. In the 00's, they began drifting apart and focusing on side projects; in 2005, they officially disbanded.

The roster was somewhat fluid, but the core members were:

* GoodIsNotNice: DEE's lyrics hew very close to TheBible, so God is portrayed as both supremely good and (per fan consensus) scary as hell.

* SongsWithMultiplePartners: "Ruthie Lingle" lists a montage of past lovers.

* BawdySong: "Hang My Teeth on Your Door"; incidentally, it's one of the few 16HP songs not penned by DEE.

* CoverAlbum: ''Folklore'' only had two original songs. The rest of the tracks are covers of HankWilliams, the Carter Family, and various traditional songs (American, French, Tuvan, etc.).
* DroneOfDread: When Edwards breaks out his concertina, the song will either be even more ominous than 16HP's usual fare, [[AvertedTrope or it will be the most upbeat song on the entire album]].