The Rocking Horse Winner (band)
| Company type | Indie rock group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Defunct | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Davie, Florida , United States |
| Products | Music albums, EPs |
The Rocking Horse Winner was an American indie rock group originating from Davie, Florida, active between 1999 and 2003. The original lineup featured guitarist and keyboardist Henry Olmino, bassist Jeronimo Gomez, drummer and keyboardist Matthew Crum, along with lead vocalist Jolie Lindholm. Additional contributors included guitarist Oliver Chapoy, drummer Steve Kleisath, and vocalist Kristen Lindholm. The band ceased activities in March 2003, with the official announcement made public two months later.
Prior to establishing The Rocking Horse Winner, Gomez, Olmino, and Crum collaborated in the melodic hardcore outfit As Friends Rust. Gomez also played with the metalcore ensemble Poison the Well, while Chapoy and Kleisath were associated with the metalcore band Shai Hulud. Jolie Lindholm provided vocal contributions to early releases from emo group Dashboard Confessional.
After independently releasing an EP in 1999, The Rocking Horse Winner secured a deal with Florida-based Ohev Records in 2000. Ohev Records combined the EP tracks with new songs to produce their debut album, State of Feeling Concentration, which came out in November 2000. Subsequently, New York’s Equal Vision Records signed the band and issued their sophomore album, Horizon, in April 2002.
The band embarked on extensive tours throughout the United States, opening for acts such as Dashboard Confessional, Coheed and Cambria, Bayside, The Blood Brothers, Further Seems Forever, Midtown, and Hey Mercedes. Their festival appearances included prominent events like Van's Warped Tour, South by Southwest, CMJ Music Marathon, and Krazy Fest.
Formation (1999–2000)
The Rocking Horse Winner came together in mid-1999 when guitarist/keyboardist Henry Olmino, bassist Jeronimo Gomez, and drummer/keyboardist Matthew Crum united. The trio had been collaborating since 1994 across several projects such as Wayside and As Friends Rust before focusing on Red Letter Day with vocalist Robert Rudas. After various lineup changes and side ventures—including Gomez’s involvement with metalcore band Poison the Well and Crum’s formation of rock band Capsella—the members reconvened in 1999 with new vocalist Jolie Lindholm after prior partners moved on.
Their name was drawn from D. H. Lawrence’s short story The Rocking-Horse Winner, which Olmino encountered just prior to their debut performance. Jolie Lindholm’s backing vocals for Dashboard Confessional connected the band to the burgeoning emo scene of that era.
Shortly after forming, they recorded four tracks at Wisner Productions under producer James Paul Wisner, known for collaborations with bands like As Friends Rust and Further Seems Forever. These songs—"Atmosphere", "Raspberry Water", "Elementary", and "Until Next Time"—were released independently on CD-Rs sold during local gigs. Kristen Lindholm, Jolie’s sister, occasionally provided live backing vocals. Later that year, the group recorded an acoustic piece titled "Steps in Sand" and featured on a four-way split released by Destined to Fail Recordings.
Partnership with Ohev Records (2000–2001)
In 2000, The Rocking Horse Winner inked a deal with Ohev Records, a label based in Coral Springs, Florida. Notably, Lindholm had a past relationship with Gabe Ermine, the owner of Ohev Records, during the mid-1990s. That summer, the band revisited Wisner Productions to lay down five new tracks under the guidance of producer James Paul Wisner. These fresh recordings were combined with five songs from 1999 to create their debut album, State of Feeling Concentration, which Ohev Records released on November 5, 2000. The following year, Miami New Times honored the album as the "Best Local Album of the Past 12 Months."
In the autumn of 2000, Oliver Chapoy became part of the lineup, bringing his background from Cowpuncher and Shai Hulud. His contributions included guitar, vibraphone, and melodica. Around this time, American fanzine Slide the Needle invited the band to contribute a track for a split 7-inch vinyl alongside Electro Group. The fanzine subsequently established a record label imprint to issue this split independently. The single "Tomorrow," originally from State of Feeling Concentration, was featured on this release in May 2001 and saw a reissue in January 2002.
The Rocking Horse Winner embarked on their inaugural tour in spring 2001, spanning two weeks along the U.S. East Coast and Midwest regions with Virginia’s rock band Fairweather. This tour included collaborative shows with New Jersey pop punk group Midtown and Alabama emo band Hot Rod Circuit. Running from March 31 through April 14, their itinerary featured a performance at the MACROCK festival in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Later appearances included Monster Fest in Burlington, Vermont in June and participation in four dates of the Van's Warped Tour across North Carolina and Florida in July 2001.
Contract with Equal Vision Records (2001–2003)
After several months of negotiations, The Rocking Horse Winner signed with Albany-based label Equal Vision Records in September 2001. That fall, they returned to Wisner Productions to record eight new songs along with two re-recorded tracks for their sophomore full-length album, collaborating again with producer James Paul Wisner.
On October 13, 2001, they showcased at Equal Vision’s event during the CMJ Music Marathon, sharing the stage with label peers such as Converge and Coheed and Cambria. In December, they toured Florida on the Pompano on the Go Tour, alongside acts like Dashboard Confessional, Further Seems Forever, Fairweather, and Seville, including an appearance at Gainesvillefest. Due to illness affecting drummer Crum during part of this tour, Steve Kleisath stepped in as a substitute.
Their second album, Horizon, was released by Equal Vision Records on April 30, 2002. It quickly gained traction by topping the CMJ New Music Report "Radio 200 Adds" chart on May 28 and climbing to No. 44 on the "CMJ Radio 200" by July 9. Promotional efforts included a split CD release with Coheed and Cambria and plans for a "Miss You" music video that was postponed until later that year.
To promote Horizon, the band embarked on an extensive five-month touring schedule. From April 5 to April 27, 2002, they conducted an independent East Coast U.S. tour featuring a MACROCK festival performance. Subsequently, they joined Ohio emo group Brandtson for a two-week run up the East Coast. Following a three-week hiatus, they launched a two-month nationwide tour from June 7 through July 30 covering regions including the East Coast, South, West Coast, and Midwest. Select shows featured supporting acts such as Sense Field, Fairview, The Format, The Blood Brothers, and The Cancer Conspiracy. This tour also included an appearance at Krazy Fest 5 in Louisville on June 23.
After a brief respite at home, The Rocking Horse Winner resumed touring from August 8 to September 6 throughout the United States. Initially touring with Wisconsin emo band Hey Mercedes, Ohio indie rockers Koufax, and Florida’s The Remedy Session; they later joined Seville for Midwest and West Coast dates before wrapping up East Coast performances alongside Canadian indie rockers The Weakerthans.
Between September and November of 2002, the band focused on writing material for an anticipated five-song EP. During this interval, they produced the "Miss You" music video directed by Chris Irving featuring Daniel Bonebrake from Dashboard Confessional; it premiered on January 28, 2003.
In December 2002, The Rocking Horse Winner supported New York pop punk band Bayside and Florida indie rock outfit Twothirtyeight on a two-week Southeastern U.S. tour running from December 3 through December 15.
Final tour and disbandment (2003)
In February 2003, The Rocking Horse Winner entered agreements with Seamless Talent Agency and Faultline Promotions. During the same month, Gomez disclosed internal conflicts regarding whether to maintain a full-time touring schedule or pause to concentrate on their third studio album.
Although some band members favored taking a hiatus, they proceeded with a prearranged two-month tour spanning from February 2 to April 1, 2003. The initial segment showcased The Remedy Session throughout the Southern and Central United States. The subsequent portion involved co-headlining alongside Coheed and Cambria, Onelinedrawing, and Hopesfall across the Southern, Midwest, and East Coast territories. The final stretch was planned with The Lyndsay Diaries, covering the Southern, West Coast, Northwest, and Central U.S. regions. Notably, the tour included an appearance at the Equal Vision/Hopeless/Sub City Showcase held during South by Southwest in Austin on March 15.
Midway through March 2003, with performances still scheduled, the band unexpectedly terminated the remainder of their tour. Equal Vision Records released a statement attributing the cancellation to "extenuating circumstances."
Following a two-month period of silence, an official announcement confirmed the group’s dissolution. They expressed gratitude to their fans and apologized for the canceled concerts. Future endeavors outlined included Henry focusing on songwriting, Jolie embarking on a solo career, Matt continuing with his band ROM, and Jeronimo dedicating himself to graphic design and animation.
In a 2004 interview, Olmino explained that the breakup resulted from diminished enthusiasm and exhaustion caused by extensive touring combined with financial difficulties. Although their plan was to disband after completing the tour, they were compelled to cancel a scheduled West Coast leg.
Legacy
After the group’s breakup, Gomez sold off his musical equipment and withdrew from the music industry to pursue graphic design and animation full-time. Crum remained active musically through projects such as the experimental duo ROM (collaborating with Roberto Carlos Lange of Helado Negro), the instrumental rock trio Feathers, and reuniting with Damien Moyal in Damien Done to record the EP Love Thongs.
Olmino initially stepped away from performing live but engaged in songwriting and production alongside producers James Paul Wisner and Christine Wisner. He later joined Dashboard Confessional’s live ensemble from 2006 to 2007. Lindholm provided backing vocals for Dashboard Confessional and became frontwoman for Popvert in 2004. In 2018, Lindholm reunited with Gomez and Kleisath to form the post-hardcore band The Darling Fire.
On April 22, 2021, Friend Club Records from Buffalo reissued The Rocking Horse Winner’s sophomore album Horizon on compact cassette.
Members
Final lineup
- Jolie Lindholm – lead vocals, xylophone (1999–2003)
- Henry Olmino – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1999–2003)
- Jeronimo Gomez – bass guitar (1999–2003)
- Matthew Crum – drums, keyboards, percussion (1999–2003)
Former members and touring musicians
- Kristen Lindholm – backing vocals (intermittent, 1999–2003)
- Oliver Chapoy – guitar, vibraphone, melodica (2000–2001)
- Steve Kleisath – drums (2001)
Recorded Works
- Rocking Horse Winner (1999)
- Four-Way Split (2000)
- State of Feeling Concentration (2000)
- The Rocking Horse Winner / Electro Group (2001)
- Horizon (2002)
- The Rocking Horse Winner / Coheed and Cambria (2002)