Complex ‘Thoughts’
Distinct sounds of Indie-folk trio highlight BeGin!
While The Thoughts isn’t the most Google-friendly band name, the Seattle indie-chamber folk trio manages to stand out in a region known for producing oodles of indie-chamber folk groups.
The Thoughts is made up of singer-songwriter/ guitarist Ian Williams; violinist/harpist/ukulele player/arranger/art director Katie Mosehauer; and drummer Jon Horwath.
Together they write a blend of folk pop that is lilting, haunting, contemplative, deliberate, and complex without being pretentious.
Their music reflects the distinct intersecting personality play between the ambitiously driven sports fan, the whimsically carefree spirit, and the hopelessly tedious artist.
Williams has spent time in both the Pacific Northwest and the Tri-State area around New York City. He went to school for music and theater and wrote songs on the side.
Horwath has been playing drums since he first discovered the steady beat. As a youth he played in school orchestras. As an adult he teaches them. His specialty is experimental and improvisation: Think John Coltrane with drum sticks.
Mosehauer studied music and anthropology, then linguistics, then music again when she combined her voice and violin.
Mosehauer’s lush and hushed expressions soar effortlessly atop Horwath’s rolling cascades of percussion while the biting tension in Williams’ raw vocals cut through, giving bread-crumb literacy to the dream-like washes in the instrumentation.
The first full-length release by The Thoughts, “I Won’t Keep You Here,” won over fans nationally on college and non-commercial radio, as well as internationally as the album has been reviewed in 10 different countries on five continents.
The Thoughts are touring in support of their new four-song EP, “Ghosts,” which was recorded at their home studio with sparse production.
The trio will head back into the studio to record after this current summer tour, which brings The Thoughts to the outdoor amphitheater at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture for this month’s BeGin! party. During the show, Mosehauer will unveil an interactive art piece she created.
This is another show happening tonight at a nontraditional setting for live music (see our cover story on Comrades in Arts for details).
The Thoughts will be joined by local hip-hop hero Locke, who recently returned from a stint teaching in Korea. Before leaving the country, Locke had more or less retired his microphone and was committed to being just a DJ, although he has been caught grabbing the mic at recent BeGins.