Pale Horse wants to move you. And after hearing the first bombast of Aaron Carder’s guitar, or the sexed-up grovel of J.R. Denson’s sweet serenades, you’ll be compelled to do so. Born and bred on Texas charm, the duo’s musical gumption is drenched in ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll, peppered with dirty gospel.

With a new six-song EP stemming from a wider compilation entitled Future Dimensions Collection, Pale Horse offers a fleshy, soul-induced rhythm wrapped in classic arrangements and gutsy verses. Before they met, both spent a lot of time playing the church circuit in Texas, honing their musical skill. When their paths finally crossed thanks to mutual friend and Future Dimensions producer Beau Bedford, Denson and Carder were proverbial peas and carrots. Carder called it “a natural synergy” between them, and Denson called him family.

“We’ve become like brothers. And I can write about his feelings lyrically and get those feelings out for him, and musically he can really portray what I’m trying to get across,” Denson said.

They first started making music together in a raucous throwback band called Greater Good in 2006. Their sound was good-time rock ‘n’ roll reminiscent of the Stones, with a poppy danceable flavor that made every live show a party. But the good times fizzled out when other members moved on to new projects, and life threw Carder and Denson a few unwelcome surprises.After things with Carder and his longtime live-in girlfriend went suddenly sour, he found himself with no place to live. Around the same time, Denson and his wife were struggling financially, while also coping with the death of his brother-in-law, 2nd Lt. Peter Burks, to the war in Iraq. And as only a good friend does, Denson offered Carder a place to stay in their home in Celina.


“I moved in with J.R., his wife Sarah, and their two boys at a very painful time in my life,” says Carder. “The person that I had loved and spent five years of my life with had just left me for some random guy. So I was sort of orphaned into their family.”

For both of them, these misfortunes led to intense, emotion-fueled songwriting, which resulted in 40 songs in one year, about everything from broader social awareness to personal notes on relationships, breakups and death. Before they knew it, a sound began to take shape, which was the beginning of Pale Horse as an entity.

“We spent every day for a year writing songs about all the crazy things that were happening in our lives and what we had learned through those experiences. So to me, this music is pure, and it’s all truth – a little piece of our lives served up on a platter,” Carder says.

And a sliver of what resulted from the whirlwind songwriting is offered up on their new six-song EP. As one would suspect, the compilation, much like their live shows, is a fiery blaze of fearless vocals and torrential guitar licks. The songs are riddled with transcendent chord progression and loud rhythms, suffused with bits of jangly tambourine and gospel-inspired organ.

Songs like “You’re No Good” and “History,” both commentaries on greater social plights, are quintessential representations of Pale Horse’s controversial lyrical fervor, with Denson wail