Wild Horses is an Americana band rooted in the northern woods of Minnesota, known for blending folk, western, and rock influences into a rich, emotionally driven sound. Led by singer-songwriter Jed LaPlant—whose musical roots trace back to his family’s deep involvement in Minnesota’s bluegrass scene—the group crafts songs that are soul-stirring and electrifying. With Jed’s wife Ariana LaPlant on fiddle, keys, and vocals, and Landon Pahl they’re beginning to make an impact on the local scene.

Since the release of their debut album Runaway in 2022, Wild Horses has steadily built a devoted fan base, performing alongside major acts like Trampled by Turtles, Wilco, and Willie Nelson.

Wild Horses performed in Fargo in June 17 and will be returning on July 19 as they open for Trampled by Turtles. We sat down with Jed LaPlant for a quick interview.

Get tickets for the July 19 show here.

*Interview conducted on June 17 has been edited for clarity and conciseness

Is this going to be first first time coming through Fargo?
Jed LaPlant: No, we’ve been through a few times over the last couple of years. We’ve done a couple of stops at The Aquarium. Today we’re doing the Happy Hour series at Brewhall. Then, on July 19, we’ll be back in Fargo to open up for Trampled by Turtles.

How long have you guys been on this current tour?
Jed LaPlant: This is the first day out, and we’ll be touring for the next couple of weeks.

How long has the band been together?
Jed LaPlant: We’ve been a band for about three and a half years now. The first gig was in September of 2021.

How many times have you guys been on tour?
Jed LaPlant: When we started the band, we started trying to book gigs as soon as we could. My wife and I quit our jobs right away. But as far as long-haul tours, I’d have to go back and look. It hasn’t been a crazy amount, but we’ve just tried to get out as much as we can the last few years. I think this year will be our busiest yet.

We’ve gotten to see a fair amount of the country, and we have some new territory to hit this year.

Was it scary to quit your job?
Jed LaPlant: Certainly. It’s one thing to quit your job and travel. It’s another thing to try and start a touring band. There are so many variables and rolls of the dice with this particular lifestyle, and there are definitely very few guarantees, but so far, it has worked out and we seem to be headed in a forward direction. As long as we are making it to our next gig, we’re kind of meeting our goal.

We have sort of adjusted our lifestyle to lower expenses so we could take this chance.

Can you tell me more about the sacrifices you have made?
Jed LaPlant: We live in a shack off-grid. Everything runs off propane. We don’t have power, and we don’t have hot water. We haul in cold water from a well we punched. We just kind of live old-fashioned in that regard because it’s less upkeep and less expense.

We’ve given up things like the ability to take a trip to Cancun once a year. We’ve given up some weddings and birthdays, and things to try and tour. I think if a person wants to make a go at this, you kind of have to give it your all. So, that takes time and money.

We’ve sacrificed comforts, lifestyle, but so far, it’s all been worth it, you know.

Did you guys have any previous experience living that lifestyle? How did you go about learning the things you needed to learn?
Jed LaPlant: There’s really no good answer. We really didn’t have too much experience. We were working semi-normal jobs and had a semi-regular house. But it comes down to what you want, and we really wanted to make this lifestyle work long term. So, we just figured it out.

I had worked about five weeks in construction, but I really didn’t know anything before I started.

We threw together a little shack, and it’s not perfectly square, and it’s maybe not the best structure in the whole world, but it works for us.

You just have to kind of learn as you go. It wasn’t that long ago that everyone was living like this.

I think we’ve there’s nothing wrong with it, but we’ve worked ourselves into a lot of systems of comfort that take a lot to maintain, that maybe we don’t think about or realize nowadays. I mean, I’m not saying the whole world should quit their job and give up comfort.

If Wild Horses blows up tomorrow and you’re raking in serious money, does that lifestyle change?
Jed LaPlant: I don’t think it would very much. I think we would make a couple of corrections to make it a little bit easier. I think one thing would be hot water. Another one would be eventually getting an electric backup heater because our propane system failed us this last winter when we were on tour.

But we wouldn’t trade how we live and where we live for the world. We really do value the simplicity of it, and I’m really grateful to have a peaceful, quiet spot off the road because when we’re out on tour, it’s a lot of late nights and a lot of noise. It’s nice to have that balance.

What are the feelings going into this stretch of touring?
Jed LaPlant: There’s just a lot of excitement.

I joined the band a couple of years after it started, and it’s awesome to see the hard work everyone has put in to see this come to fruition. I’m just very grateful.

We’ve started working with a booking agent and a manager, which has really changed the game for us. So, I think the type of work we have on the horizon in the next 12 months is exciting because it’s a little different than what we’ve done just as far as caliber of gigs. Up until this point, we’ve done a lot of just rolling the dice and seeing if somebody emails us back… It’s nice to have a bit of a strategy for how we are doing things.

I get really excited about that because now we can focus on making music.

What’s it like living, working with, and touring with your wife?
Jed LaPlant: We’re learning the ins and outs of life on the road and what makes that sustainable as a married couple.

I’m really grateful for it because we get to spend most hours of most days together, versus working two different jobs and meeting in the evening.

If we weren’t both in it, it could be tough, but this is really an all-in lifestyle. However, of course, it comes with challenges, but ultimately, I’m super grateful, and this is the lifestyle we both want.

She’s an amazing songwriter. So we get to do that together and play music together. It’s cool.

I think that’s awesome that you have a partner you share that passion with.
Jed LaPlant: No doubt. It definitely feels like a lucky strike or whatever you want to call it. That’s how we initially met. We were both singer-songwriters and doing that around Grand Rapids.

Shortly after we were married, we came to a sort of crossroads in life, and our biggest question we were asking ourselves at that time was, ‘What would we regret the most, not doing?’

We knew we wanted to get out and play music and see the country.

How did the current iteration of the band come to be?
Jed LaPlant: It is. It’s a yeah, it’s a really it’s got to be a really unique fit and um I think I’m really grateful for you know the way things are right now because I think I feel most confident that in that you know we have I mean we’re you know we’re all learning as we go along but um yeah we’ve kind of gone off of the principle I think that we we we kind of uh prioritize the people first

For people who aren’t familiar with your music, what should they expect if they’re coming to a show of yours?
Jed LaPlant: We’ve been classified as Western Americana or folk rock. There’s definitely a Western element. There’s also something in the DNA of Wild Horses that’s got some sort of drive and openness to it.

I just encourage people to come out and see what they think.

Wild Horses
Web: wildhorsesmn.com
Facebook: /wildhorsesmn
Instagram: @wildhorsesmn
TikTok: @wildhorsesmn
YouTube: @wildhorsesmn
Spotify: Wild Horses
Apple Music: Wild Horses