“A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings.” That proverb comes close to articulating the importance of horses in Mongolia, whose people are outnumbered by its horses. Were it not for horses, Mongolian/American folk-fusion trio Tuvergen Band (“galloping” in Mongolian) may not exist, either.

Tamir Hargana (lead vocals, folk lutes, morin khuur), Naizal Hargana (morin khuur, vocals), and Brent Roman (percussion, didgeridoo, vocals) first met in Lexington, where Tamir and Naizal moved in part because of the horse culture surrounding the Kentucky Derby. Years later, the three musicians reunited in Chicago, where they are now based, to play what they call “modern nomadic music”—an exhilarating sound indebted to Mongolian and Tuvan traditions but inflected with bluegrass sensibilities, blues instrumental flourishes, hard-driving rock rhythms, and more.