HORSE … the band, not the animal

Quirky quintet to play Denver on Friday

Ah, the life of an up-and-coming band.

Speaking by phone from HORSE the band’s tour van, 20-year-old drummer Chris, aka Baby Horse, was cruising in the passenger seat and multitasking. His responses to questions were occasionally slow as he leaned out the window to check the van’s blind spot.

You see, the van is missing its passenger-side rearview mirror, so Baby Horse was partially entrusted with getting himself and his bandmates to the next show in one piece.

And hopefully that human-rearview-mirror strategy works out so HORSE the band can make it to Denver’s Marquis Theater on Friday. Hailing from Los Angeles, HORSE the Band – no, not just HORSE, but HORSE the band — is bringing their self-dubbed “Nintendo-core” to the masses. The group, some of whom only go by first names and pseudonyms, is rounded out by keyboardist Erik, aka Lord Gold; vocalist Nathan, aka General Tso Zee Zod; guitarist David Isen; and bassist Dash, aka Darkenstone.

The members all have a variety of musical influences ranging from pop-punkers Blink 182 to sludge masters Neurosis, all somehow meshed with midi-style Nintendo sounds. That’s right. That’s not Super Mario Bros. you hear. It’s the sounds Lord Gold caresses out of his keyboard.

“Everyone just comes from completely different (musical) backgrounds. Erik started playing piano with just a shitty Toys “R” Us piano,” Chris said. “He uses sort of ’80s synth sounds.”

The tour so far, which also features Bay-Area thrashers Light This City, has been full of plenty of tomfoolery across the United States, Mexico and Canada – and a fair amount of booze, too.

“Mexico and Canada are especially awesome for me because I’m not 21 yet, so I can legally drink there,” Chris said.

The on-stage setup resembles a mystical forest more than a typical metal band’s stack of amps. The guys have an apparent love for animals – so it fits.

“Then we bring, like, stuffed forest animals on stage with us,” Chris said. He added that there’s probably about as much comedy as there is music, with unpredictable antics and crowd interaction at every show.

And it’s that unique stage appeal – along with the eclectic style of music – that Chris thinks has won over fans. Well, and one more thing.

“I think Nathan and Erik kind of charm people into their hearts,” he said.

And if the show isn’t enough, there’s more HORSE mayhem coming this summer, as the band has finished recording and mixing a new studio record.

“It’s definitely a lot different than any of the records we’ve put out in the past. The melodies are a lot more layered,” Chris said. “It’s a little more technical and complicated.”

HORSE the band plays with The Number 12 Looks Like You and Light This City at 7 p.m. Friday at the Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St., Denver.