It was in the Santa Cruz Mountains that Denys Kozakis developed his sound and songs before joining bassist Jon Payne, and vocalist Natosha Wengreen, to form The Painted Horses. After releasing their debut album, Ponderosa Pines (2015), The Painted Horses set out to roam the hills of California and the Pacific Northwest. With their thoughtful and beautifully written songs, they won over audiences wherever they played.

After a few years of performing live, The Painted Horses (now Kozakis and Payne) decided to return their focus to recording. Their sophomore album is self-titled and was recorded and produced by Marc Daniel Nelson and Ken Caillat(who produced many notable albums including the legendary “Rumors” by Fleetwood Mac) at Prairie Sun in Cotati, CA. Mastered at The Bakery in Los Angeles, CA by Eric Boulanger, this album adds a rock-n-roll element to the Americana and folk stylings of the debut LP. This album features many amazing musicians and friends including long time drummer Jeff Wilson, Lorenzo Loera on keys, Dan Talamantes, McCoy Tyler and Deren Ney on guitars, Jason Crosby on violin, Pat Hull, Dorota Szuta and Leigh Jones on backup vocals.