Like most of his peers, Ben Bridwell isn’t just a musician. The Band of Horses leader is also an ardent music fan. The gifted singer-songwriter was getting ready to take his four daughters to catch the Pixies, Modest Mouse, and Cat Power tour as I spoke with him by phone.

“I’m excited about the show,” Bridwell said from his home in Awendaw, South Carolina. “It’s bonkers. I’m coaching the kids up on the show tonight trying not to be on this boring dad’s history tour of rad bands. 

“I wonder what the Pixies will play. It’s a crazy thing to have these huge songs that are over 30 years old that people still want to hear. I imagine the members of the Pixies have kids and they have to be so thankful that their songs endure. 

“The Horses have some enduring ditties, too. How long can they sustain you before you have to learn how to weld?”

Band of Horses will play those enduring songs when they stop by The Clyde Theatre on Wednesday, July 10, with Carriers in tow.

Making mark

It’s hardly surprising that Bridwell was stoked about catching recording artists, who made their primary mark a generation ago. 

Bridwell is a child of the ’90s, coming of musical age when seminal recording artists such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Smashing Pumpkins scored headlines and sold millions of albums. 

There was a healthy bunch of significant bands like Grandaddy and Dinosaur Jr., operating on another echelon a generation ago, which had such an effect on music fans during the Clinton era.

In addition to the aforementioned bands, Guided By Voices, Sonic Youth, Redd Kross, My Bloody Valentine, and The Posies were among the acts that made such an impact while floating below the radar.

“I loved so many of those bands,” Bridwell said. “I’m such a music nerd. So many of these not-so celebrated bands I really loved.”

Those recording artists are the reason Bridwell formed Band of Horses in Seattle in 2004. 

“During the Seattle days, I slept in the Modest Mouse van in front of (frontman) Isaac (Brock’s) house.”

It didn’t take long for Band of Horses to make an impact, signing with Sub Pop in 2005. 

Then the group, which combines punk rock and Americana, relocated to Bridwell’s native South Carolina in 2006, the same year they released their debut Everything All the Time, which scored positive reviews thanks to singles like “The Funeral.”

Their sophomore effort in 2007, Cease To Begin, peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard chart. The tunes from the breakthrough album are catchy, compelling, and quirky, including “Detlef Schrempf,” an ode to a German Seattle Supersonic and Indiana Pacer, which is delightfully left of center. There are also tender songs like “No One’s Gonna Love You” that expanded the band’s reach.

The fanbase has burgeoned over the years courtesy of 2010’s Infinite Arms, which earned critical raves and a Grammy Award nomination with hits like “Factory,” “Laredo,” and “Dilly.”

Then came Mirage Rock in 2012, which was produced by the legendary Glyn Jones of Led Zeppelin fame, 2016’s Why Are You OK, and 2022’s Things Are Great.

The latter is the divorce album, much like Bruce Springsteen’s classic Tunnel of Love, his fraying relationship was chronicled. 

There are bits and pieces of Bridwell’s personal life in such tracks as “Warning Signs,” “Crutch,” and “Tragedy of the Commons.”

But Bridwell has recovered and foresees a more positive album on the horizon. 

“I have a chance to celebrate some independence and make my own fantasy here,” Bridwell said. “I’m focusing on a healing place, going from a dark area after getting divorced. I’ve grown up a bit and I’m working on being a better dad. It’s a journey I’m on.”

Blast from the past

At The Clyde, don’t expect Band of Horses, which includes multi-instrumentalist Ryan Monroe, drummer Creighton Barrett, bassist Matt Gentling, and guitarist Brett Nash, to preview any tracks, but they have plenty of cuts in their canon to choose. 

“I absolutely love making music and playing out,” Bridwell said. “I was always into music.”

Bridwell was exposed to alternative rock during the late ’80s courtesy of his family. 

“I’m fortunate to have older siblings,” Bridwell said. “They passed on a lot of music to me.”

When he hit his teens, he devoured MTV’s weekly indie rock show 120 Minutes. 

“That way I got to know about bands like Dinosaur Jr.,” Bridwell said. “I loved watching that show.”

Bridwell actually still catches old episodes of 120 Minutes courtesy of YouTube. 

“It was such a great show,” Bridwell said. “I was just watching some Replacements videos on 120 Minutes, and what got me about that was they were never in the videos. You would possibly see someone’s knee or a hand in a Replacements’ video and that was about it.”

During the pandemic, Bridwell immersed himself in old favorite indie rockers, such as Pavement and Archers of Loaf. 

“I started covering songs, and I got back into being a fan, which was a healthy thing,” he said. “I love music. The pandemic wasn’t the most inspiring time, but I don’t blame the pandemic about my lack of inspiration. But I like being a fan of music.”

Being in touch with music helps inspire. Springsteen and Neil Young remain engaged with contemporary songs and it shows in their music, and the same goes for Band of Horses.

Bridwell is passing his knowledge to his fortunate daughters, who range from 7-16 years of age.

“It’s been an amazing experience being a parent,” he said. “Amazing stuff happens all of the time with my family. And then I get to make music, go on the road.”

It helps that Bridwell is happy in a relationship with his girlfriend, being a doting father, and living in an area which suits him. 

“I didn’t want to be part of the sprawling suburbs of Charleston, (South Carolina),” Bridwell said. “I like where I’m now.”

In a Good place

It’s no surprise Bridwell passed on living in a sterile environment since the songs he crafts for Band of Horses are honest, authentic, and unique. 

“It comes down to this for me — there are no rules when you write songs,” he said. “Do whatever you want. I just try to make the best songs that I can.”

It’s been a solid 20-year run, and more is in store for Band of Horses. 

So, it’s safe to say Bridwell won’t have to learn how to weld. 

“I like where I’m at today,” he said. “We’ve come a long way from the pandemic. I was just talking about it the other day since it was like living in an alternate reality.”

The reality is that Bridwell is the lone original member of Band of Horses and that future looks bright for the band, which is about to embark on its favorite activity — touring. 

“I’m out here at home in the forest, and I look forward to getting in front of an audience and playing our songs,” Bridwell said.