Since by now 10 years 16 Horsepower supply the acoustic transformation of a black soul. Man fighting himself. His life, his sins, his guilt. Man on a journey, in search of what he is in want of. In search of a goal. Their new album "Folklore" carries on this tradition.

Black Soul Choir
You could read a lot about David Eugene Edwards, the head, or better the soul, of 16 Horsepower. Grown up in the south of the USA, so they say, he had to go from town to town with his grandfather, an itinerant preacher. And somewhere else it says that he sang in a church choir and that his grandmother taught him what transitoriness means, by dragging him along to every funeral in town to show him the dead. You can find memories of these experiences in Edwards' lyrics. References to the bible accumulate. Death is always present and the centre is man who has to come to terms with his sins and above all things with himself.

An American Prayer?
Edwards is a Christian, believes in God and in His Word in the bible. And insofar it is possible for him as a touring musician, he goes to church on Sundays with his wife and children. The bible and his faith, so he says, affect everything in his life: his decisions, his music and his lyrics. Does he believe that people, through his music, too could find the bible?

"I think music can be a tool to find the bible. I have already spoken to people who came to the bible by dint of music, but I don't think it is because of me. I believe that they were seeking beforehand, and maybe I helped them finding it. I perhaps prompted them to reflect upon such matters slightly more and to view them from a different perspective. But in the end it is God himself who makes the people come to him. Maybe he uses me for that purpose as well, I hope so."

Does Edwards see himself then as a kind of preacher?

"I... [ponders] don't know. I see myself as a believer. And as a part of my faith I hope that other people believe too. Therefore I only narrate about what I believe in about my experiences in my life as a religious man. And perhaps I'm helping them with that"

In the new issue of Visions you can read about the new album that "sawing cellos open the gates of hell" and likewise on Edwards' solo debut "Woven Hand" Intro magazine spoke about "music as if from hell". What does Edwards deem of it when people attempting to describe his music, often hark back to hell?

"I do feel it is somewhat bizarre. On the one hand I don't understand how that crosses peoples' minds. Still, on the other hand I sometimes think I understand. I sing a lot about my humanity, my life as a man, and the possibility of harming my flesh. Thence I can again comprehend people have this association with my music, but on the other side ... [muses]. Actually I don't know what to say about this. People have done this to me for a long time. When we first released a 16 Horsepower record, they said: 'Oh, this band worships the devil!' We often heard such things. But people do listen to the music and the lyrics in very different ways. Perhaps such thoughts help people to listen to the music without paying heed to the religious aspect. They say: 'Oh, he's an evil person exhibiting himself.' As if I was performing in a circus."

Carve From Its Wood A Two String Fiddle
What was already foreshadowed sonically on the latest album, "Secret South", is continued on "Folklore". Distorted guitars, tremolo, rock songs like "Sac Of Religion" or "Clogger" are not to be found on "Folklore". Shrunk to a trio (Steve Taylor left the band to spend more time at home with his family) 16 Horsepower have become somewhat darker, but also tranquiller, more atmospheric. Did they want a traditional, acoustic sound since they are playing traditionals?

"In the past we have done purely acoustic shows and the songs were also arranged slightly different then on the albums. Perhaps the intensity is missing that distorted guitars and prominent drumming generate. But you just shift the intensity. For instance to the lyrics, or simply to the dynamics of the acoustic instruments, to create tension."

And intensity surely is the last thing that's absent on "Folklore". Despite various sources - after all, besides traditionals from Hungary and Mongolia, Hank Williams and the Carter Family covers are to be found on the album too - the record displays a unity, a consistent story, which you can follow through the songs. Yet, according to Edwards, that was not on purpose. We simply picked the songs the band liked and that we always wanted to play together one day. Sure, there were recurring themes, but that is due to the subjects we were interested in and the ambience we wanted to create. That you can discern a story is a mere coincidence in the end and, so Edwards says, surely possible, yet different from beholder to beholder.