Stalking Horse

Biography

Stalking Horseis the latest incarnation of the versatile Sean Kerns: composer, arranger, performer, and producer. It's kind of gothic, kind of edgy. Dark with occasional shafts of light. Most of all, a hard driving, full-tilt rock poetry that grabs you from the very first notes.

The recently released EP, Half in Shadow, showcases Sean's many talents. Sean plays all the instruments, including guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums. He does all the vocals. He wrote all the material, and produced it at Bloodspoint, his own studio in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Sean began playing guitar at the age of fifteen in his hometown of Rockford, Illinois. Working his way through many local bands during his high school and college years, he developed an interest in a wide range of musical styles. Sean began like many of us by listening to the hard rock of the 70s and 80s; but alongthe way, he acknowledges the influence of metal, classical, and just about every other genre.

Stalking Horse shows those influences, blending them as appropriate for each number. Sean's innate sense of style allows him to blend the old with the new and give voice to something unique. You can find hard rock in his work, but you can also find industrial, a touch of metal, a jazz riff, a dance rhythm, you name it. The best part is that these influences are so subtle that you have to really be looking for them.

Sean's life has revolved around his music for quite a few years. It's not unusual to find him working in his studio on a production as the sun comes up in the morning, or hanging out of the shower scribbling notes on a scrap of paper. Everywhere he goes, his pocket tape recorder and notebook go with him. Sean can be inspired with a musical idea at any moment, and those ideas are developed into something usable within a very short time.

Look around his studio and you'll find shelf after shelf full of tapes with song ideas. Lyric books are everywhere. Sean's range and depth would seem phenomenal to someone who didn't know him.

The expression "Stalking Horse" dates back nearly 500 years, meaning a horse trained to approach a game animal slowly. The hunter would conceal himself behind the horse until close enough to make the kill or capture. Sean uses the name metaphorically; his music captures the listener's attention without seeming, at first, to be quite as deep as it is.