Fools & Horses are, from left, Matt Hutchison (vocals/guitar), Tim Hutchison (drums/vocals), Kent Warren (bass/vocals) and Steve Herrera (guitar/vocals).This year, Fools & Horses wants to act like a pendulum and keep its skyward swing going.
For the third consecutive year, the indie rock musicians secured the endorsement of their native Baltimore as the city's best band. That kind of recognition, as well as the national distribution of their song "The Therapy" on the Starbucks compilation CD "Off the Clock," has helped Fools & Horses land supporting gigs alongside The Gin Blossoms, The Violent Femmes and Bon Jovi.
The band has no intention of letting that momentum slow, lead singer Matt Hutchison said. "It's definitely given us a little more wind in our sails" he said.
"When they look at our rap sheet, I think people take the band more seriously."
Hutchison said the plan this year is to expand their touring into untapped markets outside their comfort zone in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. In pursuit of that goal, the quartet will perform Saturday at JJ's Bohemia, alongside local rockers The Nim Nims, with whom they made their Chattanooga debut in December.
Just after graduating from high school in 2002, Hutchison founded Fools & Horses with his brother, drummer Tim Hutchison, and bassist Kent Warren.
The Hutchisons spent several years living in England, where, Matt said, he came of age, musically. As a result, Fools & Horses' music is heavily inspired by the melody-centric rock of bands such as Muse, Travis, Coldplay and Radiohead -- groups that began to blow up after he returned to the States.
"I always borrowed something from that," he said. "I felt a creative energy coming from there. Those English sensibilities are definitely attractive to us."
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205.
IF YOU GO
* What: Fools & Horses and The Nim Nims.
* When: 10 p.m. Saturday.
* Where: JJ's Bohemia, 231 M.L. King Blvd.
* Admission: $5.
* Phone: 266-1400.
* Venue website: www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia.
* Related links at fyi.timesfreepress.com.
WHAT'S IN A NAME
Fools & Horses is named for the British TV sitcom "Only Fools and Horses," which aired on the BBC when vocalist Matt Hutchison and drummer Tim Hutchison were living there. When it came time to name the band, it was a placeholder name, but it stuck, Matt Hutchison said.
RELATED LINKS FOR WEB:
http://www.foolsandhorses.com