The Painted Horses
Steven Stubblefield
The Painted Horses are a rising folk band from the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. Denys Kozakis and Natosha Wengreen discovered their mutual love for songwriting and singing harmonies and started the project along with their good friend and musical partner Jon Payne on bass in 2014. The band regularly performs as a trio, but have also been known to perform with a full band depending on the show and for recordings. The Painted Horses strong songwriting and harmonies seem to connect them mostly with a folk genre that is unique and seemingly all their own.
2015 was a big year for The Painted Horses, as they continued to grow their fanbase throughout various California cities. Highlights of 2015 include the bands NPR Tiny Desk concert submission being featured as an editors favorite, doing multiple video session for Jam in the Van and Humboldt Live Sessions, and a debut album/song feature on CMT's the Edge. In addition to playing multiple music festivals in California including American River Music Festival, Redgate Ranch Music Festival, and Dio Fest, the band had the pleasure of playing renowned music venues such as Slims (SF), The Chapel (SF), Lagunitas Brewing Company (Petaluma), Sweetwater MusicHall (Mill Valley), Leos (Oakland), Kuumbwa Jazz Center (SC), Moes Alley (SC), and several shows in the Fillmore Poster Room (SF). They played with bands such as Poor Mans Whiskey, Jamestown Revival, The BrothersComatose, Pert Near Sandstone, Kate Davis, Honey Honey, The Wild Reeds, Hey Rosetta, and many more. The band continues to be a favorite in Santa Cruz and the Bay Area, and are regularly drawing new faces to their shows.