Riding High

When Paul McDonald and Crystal Rose met by chance in a Balmain pub and bonded over Ryan Adams, it was the start of a romance that also led to the creation of the passionate, widescreen rock'n'roll of Charlie Horse. Their debut album I Hope I'm Not A Monster was released earlier this year, but already they're mid-way through writing and recording the follow-up, which is shaping up as a departure from some of the Americana influences of the first record.

“The new stuff is really getting more towards the widescreen music that Springsteen did on Darkness On The Edge Of Town. I was also really floored by Jack Ladder's Hurtsville record and the sound they got on that. We are heading out into that territory and not trying to hang our hat on being alt-country or trying to write just for Crystal's voice all the time. A lot of the first album was written so Crystal could sing it. Now we have a live band, so going to practice is our social event. There is much more of a communal spirit to things.” explains McDonald.

The guitarist played in other bands such as Glide and Luxury in the '90s and '00s, and that musical and industry experience has inspired and enabled the duo to create and develop Charlie Horse exactly as they envisage it. “I suppose you could say Glide wrote songs and Luxury, who musically were very much of the time, wrote music for ads. Glide opened my eyes musically and Luxury opened my eyes to the industry, so Charlie Horse is more about writing for ourselves and not caring about what people think and worrying as much about whether it'll work. Writing and recording at home means that if a song falls, we are there to catch it and put it down. If no songs come, then you just go and mow the lawn.”

Home is the Blue Mountains, where the couple have the luxury of a home studio in which every note of the first album was played, recorded, mixed and produced. It is that ability to write and record as ideas appear that really appeals to Rose, though equally rewarding is taking those songs out of the domestic environment and into the hands of the live band. “I enjoy recording because of the ease of it within our house and logistically we don't have to pack up all the gear. There is only so much you can give playing to a blank wall at practice, so the power of the band when we are performing in front of an audience is when things really kick into gear,” she enthuses.

There is a clear division of labour in Charlie Horse, with McDonald writing the music and melodies and Rose contributing her distinctive attitude-laced vocals and lyrics that provide a strong focal point for the band, both on record and stage.

“A lot of the songs are really written for Crystal and to support her voice and what she does, and so the sound comes from the desire to have these big guitars and show off with all your guitar pedals, and then have these vocals. We tend to have a chord sequence and I'll put down a demo and hum a melody to Crystal and she improves it 1000 times. I never kid myself that I'm a singer, like Bono shouldn't try to be a guitar player. I give it over to Crystal to add that x-factor that sells Charlie Horse with the melody and lyrics. People don't really notice the rest of Charlie Horse. Some people do but most people notice Crystal. She sells the whole thing, and we're just four ugly old blokes up the back.”

Charlie Horse will be playing the following shows: