When A Thousand Horses began working on their sophomore album, Bridges, they had no idea the direction in which the 13-song record would go. The group intended to create a separate live project for their overseas fans, but when their followers in the United States asked for something similar, Bridges became the result.

"It’s something we’re really proud of. We’ve been working on it for quite a while," A Thousand Horses lead singer Michael Hobby tells The Boot. "Some UK fans came in and watched us record straight to vinyl -- one take, one time, never to be recreated, fixed or touched up. We put it out over there, like a little release, and got a lot of demand for it over here in the States, so we decided to package it together with an EP and have a deluxe kind of thing, as something special for the fans."

Bridges features studio versions of six songs, including A Thousand Horses' current single, "Preachin' to the Choir." It also includes live versions of the single, a few of the new songs and their previous single, "Smoke;" the latter was recorded at Nashville's historic Printer's Alley.

"That’s the cool thing about the acoustic thing, is that it’s not like we’re just playing in the same way," explains ATH member Zach Brown. "They’re re-imagined in a way."

In fact, it was A Thousand Horses' performance of "Preachin' to the Choir" while in the UK that inspired the group to release the live versions of these songs. It was one of the first times that the band had played the song, according to Graham DeLoach.

"It wasn’t even mixed yet. We had just gotten out of the studio with Dann Huff," adds Brown. "So it’s kind of interesting: There are actually a little different harmonies and different parts on it, because it wasn’t completely done like it was in the studio."

A Thousand Horses, which also includes Bill Satcher, are headlining several shows over the summer, and playing at a number a festivals. A list of all of their upcoming concerts is available on the group's websiteBridges is available for purchase at iTunes and Amazon.

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