Committing to a career in music can take many forms. For the Minnesota folk trio Wild Horses, that commitment meant selling their house, loading up a van, and hitting the road.
In 2021, the band secured a spot at Grand Rapids Riverfest, a regional festival that has attracted headliners such as Jason Isbell and Wilco. The high‑profile gig gave Jed LaPlant and his wife Ariana—co‑founders and primary songwriters of Wild Horses—the confidence to make a bold lifestyle change. They listed their home, purchased a 1989 Chevrolet Astro van, and began touring.
“We decided this is what we’re gonna do,” Jed recalled. “We’re going all‑in.”
Since then, the group has spent most of its time on the road, both headlining their own shows and opening for acts like Charley Crockett, Trampled by Turtles, and Sam Barber. The constant travel has become a creative catalyst. “Whatever it is—roots or Americana music—it’s unique in that the job fuels the inspiration,” Jed said, echoing a mentor’s advice. “Being out on the road is the fuel.”
These travel experiences formed the backbone of The In Between, Wild Horses’ second studio album, released in October by Atlantic Outpost Records. The record serves as an autobiographical snapshot of a grassroots folk band navigating a cultural moment where liquidating one’s assets for a music career can seem ill‑advised.
After launching their debut album Runaway in 2022, the band upgraded from the Astro van to a high‑mileage coach, converting it into a mobile tour bus. The early lineup shifted between four and six members—including banjo and trumpet—before settling into a trio featuring bassist Landon Pahl. Pahl, a long‑time friend of Jed’s, left his day job to join the nomadic life on the bus.
On The In Between, the trio—Jed on vocals and guitar, Ariana on vocals, fiddle, and keys, and Pahl on bass—presents nine tracks, all penned by the LaPlants. The lead single, “Sunrise on the Absaroke,” inspired the album’s title and paints a road‑weary portrait of cramped living, including the lyric, “Livin’ in the in between, tryin’ to beat the desert heat/there’s nothing I could do to keep from cryin’ my way home.”
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Track “Take It As It Comes” showcases a brisk guitar‑and‑fiddle arrangement that conjures the motion of galloping horses, reflecting the band’s itinerant lifestyle. Jed describes the song’s intensity as born from playing in noisy venues where the group often felt like outsiders, striving to win over audiences. “The urgency in the lyrics comes from the idea that this had better work,” he explains.
Grand Rapids, a town of just over 11,000 residents in north‑central Minnesota, sits beside the rapid waters of the upper Mississippi River that cut through its downtown. Jed and Ariana met there while performing at local open‑mic nights and eventually fell in love.
Both were juggling day jobs and mortgage payments when, during the Covid‑19 pandemic, Jed suffered a broken back that ended his construction work. Facing a crossroads, the couple began jamming with local friends—a bassist and drummer—to pass the time and stave off boredom.
The gamble appears to be paying off. Wild Horses have drawn favorable crowds on their tours, notably during an October run supporting Trampled by Turtles. In December, they will join Sam Barber for a trek that starts in the Midwest and ends on the West Coast.
Jed aims to understand how listeners connect with his songs. Performing as an opening act for Barber or Crockett gives him direct insight into which lyrics or melodies resonate most strongly.
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“It’s satisfying when you can see people crying along with moments that stem from the grief of losing our dream house,” he says. “Equally, watching the joy on fans’ faces as the music builds and climbs is rewarding.”
Josh Crutchmer is a journalist and author whose upcoming book, Sonoran Sounds, is set for release in March 2027 via Back Lounge Publishing.
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