Horse Feathers, The Hackles
Me and the Other Moms Shows
New Haven
Sept. 19, 2026
“That was so beautiful, I almost cried,” confessed Tony Corso.
He’s a big dude who moonlights as a professional Santa, so just imagine the scene.
It all seems fine.
These things are off your mind.
Remember we’re born to die
But she was born to cry
To cry herself to sleep
It was the band Horse Feathers’ song “Finch on Saturday” (including lyrics above) that almost undid Corso as he attended a backyard concert in Westville presented by organizers Me and Other Moms.
“I didn’t listen beforehand because I knew they would be good,” he said. As a frequent guest of Me and the Other Moms shows he trusts the judgment of hosts Dan and Julie McGurk.
Saturday night’s backyard concert showcased the Oregon-based folk bands The Hackles and Horse Feathers.
There was a warmth to Horse Feathers’ set; the musicians’ chemistry was palpable. The Hackles are also members of Horse Feathers: The Hackles/Horse Feathers’ violinist Halli Anderson is married to Horse Feathers’ lead singer Justin Ringle. The Hackles/Horse Feathers members Luke Ydstie and Kati Claborn are also married. Band members live ten minutes from one another.
Horse Feathers’ music enveloped the audience with its fullness. Anderson and Nate Crockett played their violins with an urgency, bows in sync; cellist/bassist Ydstie provided a rich backbone. Claborn and Ringle steadily strummed their banjo and guitar. Somehow, their resonant notes both soared into the sky and settled into your bones.
Ringle’s earnest tenor imbued the band’s lyrics with emotional truth.
While the adults were mining their hearts’ depths, their sugar-drunk children ran and, in some cases, somersaulted across the McGurk’s capacious lawn glowing beneath string lights. Somehow, their intense game of Rebels vs. Civilization didn’t ruin the tender, intimate atmosphere. (You can spot their fleeting figures and screams on my videos.)
Horse Feathers’ lyrics are beautifully opaque. But sense the theme? Emotions were heavy. Existential-crisis levels for some (me).
The kids, meanwhile, were absolutely thriving. It was a stark reminder that people can occupy completely different worlds – even in the same backyard.
Part of the evening’s charm was how little distance there was between the musicians and everyone listening. Horse Feathers was only a few feet away on the deck as neighbors and friends settled into lawn chairs, beers in hand. The music felt that much more personal.
I knew things were getting serious in the performance when Horse Feathers ditched the stools, stood up and brought out the big guns — aka the bass came out. “Belly of June” was a raucous tune, played energetically by the musicians, with cheeky lines like, Come like a lover to me/ let’s lay in the dark and meet the birds and the bees. I loved how the song ended: At last she’s never convinced and won’t stay the night.
“Born in Love” was a playful tune punctuated with hand claps and tambourine shakes.
So color came from gray
It’s gone from worse to good then great
Something realigned
Was it destiny and not fate?
See, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Though they did veer back into heavy territory later in the set, it never felt oppressive. Even dark songs like “The Drought” and “Heathen’s Kiss” had a bounce to them.
Horse Feathers rocked and swayed when the beat called for it. The crowd was locked in. When they ended, there were pleas for them to come back.
Horse Feathers made sure nobody left completely wrecked.
They sent us out on the buoyant “Thousand,” ending with the lines, We know to this there’s no rules/A love that suffers no fools.
When I left, I should have checked on Tony.
