The Denver music scene has always fostered its cow-punk bands. One of the area's favorite groups is 16 Horsepower and the band is returning to the Fox Theatre Friday.

Known for their moody tunes, and traditional instrumentation, 16 Horsepower has always had one foot dug deep in the 19th century and one foot planted firmly in the future. The mixture of traditional and electronic sounds added to the band's minor key songs, has made 16 Horsepower an original sound for the Denver, national and international markets. One of the most interesting catch-phrases labels the band, "Appalachian Goth."

16 Horsepower was one of the first local bands to be scooped up by a major recording label in the '90s, but last year's demise of A&M records found the band searching for a new recording outlet. Let's face it, American radio and labels don't quite know what to do with anything that goes outside the lines, so 16 Horsepower has set up shop with European management and the smaller Razor and Tie label.

One of the founding members of the band is drummer Jean-Yves Tola, and he met singer David Edwards when they worked as carpenters in Los Angeles. Edwards went to high school in Denver and played in several Boulder bands Pavilion Steps, Blood flower and Adada as a youth in the 1980s. Later, he co-formed the Denver Country Gentlemen (sic: Denver Gentlemen).

Edwards moved back to Denver with Tola in the early '9Os, met up with Stephen Taylor and Pascal Humbert, and set the pace for the city's infant cow-punk scene.

"We've been playing for eight years now," said Tola from his California home. "We had gotten really sick of L.A., and we were ready to go anywhere. Denver was a good place to start our band because the people are mellow and they don't judge your music right away.

We were serious about the band and we started making demos right away, and our tape just fell into the right hands. However, we didn't fall into mainstream music, and it is still is very difficult for us to get our music out there. We're not part of the music of the moment, so we have to work really hard touring and building up our fan-base."

16 Horsepower discovered a musical gold-mine when they started to play Europe. By chance, the band found a manager on the continent, and now they play two-thirds of their shows in Europe.

"It's a little easier to play over there, because of the way music is presented to people," confided Tola. "People in Europe are more inclined to go with the flow and do their research. There's also a lot more music available over in Europe and a lot more alternative shows. And the countries are so close, that information about the band spreads faster over there."

16 Horsepower is getting ready to record a new CD, but they are still gaining fans with their last release, "Secret South." Most of the songs on the CD are played in minor keys, and the record is a stark tribute to Edwards' family history.

"I think our music is getting more mature and a little less urgent," explained Tola. "The songs are more substantial and we try to get to the sense of things. We've also come to add more of our influences - old traditional folk music, worldmusic, punk-rock and classical sounds."

You'd better see 16 Horsepower at the Fox Friday, because the band will spend the rest of the summer touring Europe, and the Northwest and Southern states in America.

FYI: 16 Horsepower at the Fox Friday, 9p.m. 21 + Tickets are $12.75.