Standing before their hand-painted tour bus—its gleaming black sides emblazoned with prancing horses and “Minnesota”—Wild Horses (Mark Jensen and Katie Owens) look every bit like the off-grid troubadours they are. Their just-released visual teaser for a brand-new single (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKTA36DRdLu) offers a glimpse into the world they’ve built from the ground up: a cabin deep in the woods outside Grand Rapids where every plank of wood and every lyric is born of self-reliance. In the teaser’s brief runtime, Katie’s smoky vocals and resonant fiddle intertwine with Mark’s warm guitar licks while the camera drifts past their hand-built cabin and then out onto the open road—underscoring a journey that’s as much about authenticity as it is about sound.
By day, Katie and Mark carve out a life powered by a woodstove in a home they fashioned with their own hands; by night, they pile into that $4,000 Facebook-bought bus—now their rolling headquarters—complete with a fold-down workbench, custom upholstery, and “Wild Horses” logos painted in gold against its matte finish. The footage from yesterday’s teaser captures Katie walking from the cabin at dawn, fiddle case in hand, as Mark loads gear into the bus. When Katie raises her bow, the first notes of fiddle crackle through the still air, and you can almost taste the pine-scented mist.
On stage, Katie’s role extends beyond lead vocals—her fiddle melodies thread through every song, adding a plaintive counterpoint to Mark’s guitar rhythms. Their recent opening slots for Trampled by Turtles and Muscadine Bloodline earned them acclaim not only from fans but even from the hardened road crews. In Appleton, WI, the trio’s first headlining show sold out before a single amp was warmed up; in Madison, WI, their return after opening for Trampled by Turtles saw paid attendance double. From the first eager fiddle riff to the last guitar chord, it’s clear that Wild Horses aren’t simply playing shows; they’re forging a path through the scene with songs rooted in the forests and fields they call home.
When Charley Crockett—whose Lonesome Drifter tour brings him to Surly Brewing Festival Field on Saturday, August 23—offered them direct support, it was more than a nod of respect. It was an acknowledgment that this duo’s on-stage chemistry (Katie’s fiddle and vocals locked in harmony with Mark’s guitar) adds something rare and unmistakably genuine. Now, as festival-goers filter in that afternoon, they can revisit yesterday’s Instagram reel to watch Katie draw her bow across the fiddle before Mark strides into frame, guitar strapped and ready.
On August 23, as the Minnesota sky softens and the field fills, Katie’s first fiddle flourish will carry over Surly’s lawn—every note steeped in that wood-smoke authenticity. When Mark’s guitar slides into the first chords, it will be as though the very dirt and pine from their cabin have been transplanted onto the festival field. By the time Charley Crockett finally steps into the spotlight, the crowd will already be humming with anticipation—drawn in by Katie’s haunting fiddle lines in the reel, held fast by Mark’s rugged guitar tones, and anchored by their lived-in presence as a couple who refuse to compromise.
In a landscape full of overproduced hits, Wild Horses’ DIY ethos—and Katie’s fiddle playing—shines bright. Their lives, documented in that new Instagram reel, prove that genuine artistry still rides tall and free.
