A quick and dirty timeline:
The original 2004 lineup of the band consisted of Jean-Paul Vest (that's me) and the father-son team of Artie and AJ Riegger. We released our first CD, Getaway Car, in December of 2005 on our own label, Curlock and Jalaiso Records. We released a second CD, Fractures, in May of 2008. In August of 2008, Jimmy Romanelli took over on drums, and at various times we've had some other friends sitting in with us on stage, including Aaron Palmadessa, Pemberton Roach, Ryan Vaughn, Dave March, Jon Preddice, Bob Stander, and Shawn Murray. Prior to Last Charge of the Light Horse, I was in the band Blue Sandcastle for a few years, with my friends Erik Schuman and Wendy Walters.

Where did the name come from?
It's a mix of a few things: George Harrison's record label was named "Dark Horse" Records, and I've always been a big fan; Peter Weir's movie Gallipoli, about the Australian Light Horse, is a longtime favorite of mine (great soundrack music, including some stuff by Jean-Michel Jarre and Tomaso Albinoni's Adagio in G minor); and it's also a reminder to ourselves to play every gig as if it was our last.

How would you describe your music?
In the most general terms, it's singer-songwriter indie rock that sometimes flirts with the Americana genre. My two favorite descriptions (from friends) are: "wry, plain-spoken observations of the quiet joys and terrors of normal life,? and "densely packed, like a book that you want to read slowly." We all have day jobs, and families - AJ and I have kids - and those things find their way into the music. I've lived in quite a few places: five different states, plus France and Romania, and visited quite a few more. I've worked in a warehouse, a factory, a bakery, a bookstore, several restaurants, art galleries, multi-national corporations, a flour mill, a mom-and-pop local newspaper, several publishing companies, and for a while I played organ in a church. All those people and places show up in the music as well.

Can you tell me more about Fractures?
We had such a great experience recording Getaway Car with Bob Stander that we asked him to produce Fractures. We tracked most of the instruments at Vu Du Studios in Freeport, and finished up at Parcheesi Studios in Huntinton Station, before returning to Vu Du to mix. A few of our friends helped out: Frank Bruno joined John and Wendy of Sugar Syndicate for backing vocals on a couple of songs, and Bob's friend Larry Eagle played drums on two songs. Mastering was done by Gene Paul at DB Plus in NYC.

Other Highlights
• Fractures was named Best Independent Album of 2008 by the Daily Vault.
• Fractures was named one of the Best Albums of 2008 by Good Times Magazine.
• Radio 2009: Fractures charted 34 times on 14 stations, charting as high as #1 (on two stations); #157 on RIYL charts.
• TV: "The Second Time Around" was featured on the PBS series RoadTrip Nation.
• Getaway Car was named Best Independent Album of 2005 by the Daily Vault.
• Radio 2006: Getaway Car charted 24 times on 18 different stations, charting as high
as #6, and spinning on 80 stations; #181 on the RIYL weighted charts.

Newsday wrote that “Getaway Car is a rare disc that creates something original out of the traditional.” WYRR Radio listed Last Charge of the Light Horse as one of their “Bands You Should Know,” saying that “We can’t say enough good things about this group. In a sea of boring college/alt rock drivel, this trio really stands out. Their latest, Getaway Car, has songs that will breathe hope into even the most jaded alt rock fans.” You can read more reviews of our music on the Kind Words page.