INTERVIEW WITH PONYTAIL Recently, Cannibal Cheerleader had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Ken Seeno of Baltimore’s own Ponytail, a fantastic band whose new album Ice Cream Spiritual is fast becoming one of our favorites of the year. The band’s penchant for wildly inventive riffs, 7-minute strong structures, and legendary live performances has garnered them international acclaim, and now Ken answers a few questions about what ties the Ponytail together.
CC: Describe to us the story of Ponytail, what makes you tick and how you came to be. How did you meet and how did you come up with your band dynamic?
Ken: Well it should be noted that we were put together randomly without having known each other. We all by chance took a class 4 years ago entitled “Parapainting” at the Maryland Institute College of Art. The professor, Jeremy Sigler, is a poet from New York City. It was his concept that everyone in the class should be formed into bands in order to create art groups that would practice alongside the art world. By the second class we had been put together based on first impressions. At the end of the semester we played 1 show and when it was over, we kept going!
Our candid and interesting interview continues at the end of this post. Be sure to check out Ponytail at their Myspace in the meantime!
We are proud to announce that our new album, “Swim”, will be released on Acony records on the 21st of October!!!!
The greatest.
One new song, “Pushing Oars”, has been posted for your listening enjoyment. Unless, of course, you don’t enjoy it, in which case it’s been posted to bum you out.
We have a few upcoming dates posted with Jenny Lewis, and also a Nashville date, the home of our new label! Come visit us, and we’ll post more dates soon..
How are you?
What are you doing?
with love, your friend, morgan xo”
“Pushing Oars” sounds like a lovely, stripped down indie-rock crooner with a country tinge and rainy Northwestern sadness. Definitely a great track and makes our mouths water for Swim in full. Can’t wait until Oct. 21st! Here’s a Whispertown oldie to keep you occupied in the meantime!
Whispertown 2000 – “Intentions” ******************************************************************** TRYOUTS: BLOC PARTY’S INTIMACY Vocoders, electronics, synthesizers, vocal effects. Not necessarily musical terms associated with U.K. powerhouse Bloc Party but definitive additions to their newest LP Intimacy, which dropped last night after only a three-day lead time. It would seem we hardly had time to brace ourselves, to wrap ourselves around the band’s newest incarnation, a Chemical Brothers-referencing byproduct of the Manchester scene. And yet, upon initial examination, Bloc Party have managed to construct an organic world of genuineness and heartfelt emotion from the clicks and whistles of their new electronic front. Beginning track “Ares” is initially off-putting and we’ve all heard “Mercury” a few hundred times up until now, so the album really seems to begin with incredible standout “Halo”, which sounds like the older, wiser cousin of “Helicopter”. The album stays high from there, dipping into a softer territory with “Biko”, reminiscing on a Weekend in the City with “Zepherus”, and forging into new, beautiful territory with “Better Than Heaven”. Overall, Intimacy is an excellent record, though one that requires multiple listens to truly understand its theme of alienation, loss, and loneliness. Definitely makes the team and will probably be that one kid that surprises during competition with a rocking routine despite sitting out all the practices to write in her diary.
Bloc Party – “Halo” Bloc Party – “Better Than Heaven” ******************************************************************** INTERVIEW WITH PONYTAIL (CONT’D) Here’s the rest of our interview with Ken of one of our favorite bands of the year Ponytail. Enjoy!
CC: How would you describe the Ponytail sound? What inspired you to take this really adventurous route with your music? How did you come up with this style?
Ken: It came very organically and naturally stemming back to everyone expressing themselves individually while working together to create “songs” and this is sort of how things just are for us!
CC: What are some of your influences? What bands are you listening to right now? What are some of your favorite songs (both songs you’ve written and songs by other artists)?
Ken: I think our influences come from many genres, like classic rock, punk, electronic music and ambient music. This list of bands could stretch for a very long scroll, so I will spare getting too specific, but I must say that between the 4 of us we have many different influences. Right now I’m listening to a lot of Bill Frisell, Skinhead Ska (mainly this awesome band called Symarip), and Green Day.
CC: What inspired the use of vocals like Molly Siegel’s as an additional instrument rather than a traditional vocal delivery? Why do you sing this way and how in the world did this style come about?
Ken: I of course can’t answer for Molly, but I think it started as a noise that was clustered together with our ex-keyboard players style. Later, when he quit, the guitars and the drums emerged as a platform for experimentation and this is where we are today!
CC: Describe to us your artistic process. How do songs get written in the band, is it the music first, a theme, a riff, vocals?
Ken: I think we take pride in starting with a clean slate. Song writing, for us, can start in many different ways, whether an idea, or just picking a riff out of the air! Ideally, all 4 of us have input and we tailor our parts to specific to our personalities and very fun and challenging to each of us musically. It’s very frustrating and time consuming to write music, but so rewarding!
CC: For the uninitiated, what is your live show like? We’ve all heard unending praise for your performances, how would you describe them to someone who has never had a chance to see you? What goes through your mind when you’re performing?
Ken: We try to always give 100%. It’s very loud, and bouncy, and usually just hope we don’t make too many mistakes! It can be hard to keep it all together, but I really honestly feel that if the world is just right for that half hour we can channel some serious shit!!
CC: What’s it like receiving all this new attention from blogs like Pitchfork? Have you seen your fanbase increase and how do you deal with all the press and notoriety?
Ken: It’s exciting and it creates a lot of work for us! We have so much for to deal with now that we have never experienced. We are learning as we go. I don’t want to complain, so I will say that we are pursuing a dream and it’s hard to believe!
CC: Have you as a band ‘made it’ yet? What is it to ‘make it’ as a band and how can bands achieve the level of success that your band has?
Ken: This is only the second time I’ve been asked this question so I don’t know if I can really answer it adequately. My theory is, if we are in this same place in a year, we’re not progressing. That definition of “same place” is constantly shifting. I don’t want to plateau and I think we have so many goals and opportunities coming up, maybe we have “made it.” But its very subjective and I worry that corruption can occur when things become overblown. I really can’t answer this one! We just do our best and that’s all we can do!
CC: How much improvisation goes into your songs? Does the music flow out naturally or do the tunes take multiple takes and are carefully crafted? Describe to us the recording of Ice Cream Spiritual.
Ken: I never thought about improvisation with this band until people starting asking about it after the record came out. I used to be in a “Jam Band” and we didn’t even practice for shows, haha! So I think, with Ponytail, we do actually do a lot of editing and practicing, but we love to keep elements of uncertainty and ambiguity. I think we are a live band, the sounds you hear are being created live on stage, and that’s how music for is exists and it’s how we record. It seems very basic and traditional to me, haha!
CC: How would you classify yourselves genre-wise? Are you punk? Prog rock? Plain old indie? What genre do you identify with the most?
Ken: I think we used elements of so many genres in a way that can only be called “Pop,” to be honest.
Bonus question: Does it get annoying when people ask if Baltimore really is as tough as it seems on the Wire when you tell people you’re from there?
Ken: Haha, only because I haven’t watched the Wire enough to tell if they are serious orscrewing with us!
Comments? I’m especially eager to hear what people think of the new Bloc Party album! Also a big thanks to Ponytail – come to Austin guys!
BE YOUR OWN PET CANCEL WARPED TOUR DATESOn a recent posting on the Be Your Own Pet website, the band states:
“We regret to inform our fans that we will not be participating in this year’s Warped Tour. We have been going non-stop for the past 6 months and didn’t realize how much the intense schedule would take out of us. Something had to give and sadly it’s this tour.”
Seeing their last live show here in Austin definitely makes it easy for us to understand how the band might be a little tired after all this non-stop touring. Also, as we’ve mentioned before, Jemina Pearl was none too happy to be participating in the poseur-filled Warped Tour, so looks like this might be a win-win. Get some rest guys! ******************************************************************** WHISPERTOWN2000 CHANGE NAME, PLOT TOUR Whispertown2000 (remember, no space!), or now The Whispertown 2000 have begun mapping out their new tour via their Myspace and here’s what their most recent bulletin had to say:
“Hello, fine people.
So, it looks as if our preposed tour should happen in September. Please respond if you or someone you know books at a college or venue. We would love to support or open up for someone in your town!!!
P.S. New Record to be released early October!!
P.S. We’re changing our name to The Whispertown 2000 ..
P.S. Website and Merch Store soon to come
P.S. Pushing Oars… P.S. xo”
So you’ve got a new Whispertown 2000 LP, a new tour (please swing through Austin!), a new website, and a new name! And who wants to bet me ‘Pushing Oars’ might just be the name of this their sophomore release? Only time will tell, stay tuned for more from these guys… ******************************************************************** TREASURE MAMMAL TOUR BEGINSOur favorite motivational speaker/experimental hip-hop artist Treasure Mammal is about to embark on his US tour! He’s going to be swinging through Austin this coming Sunday, and you know that Cannibal Cheerleader will be there with bells on to capture the whole event. If you’re on his itinerary (check out the Myspace!) then be sure and see this guy: the experience is life-altering. ******************************************************************** KANYE WEST RESPONDS TO BONNAROO INCIDENT The blogosphere has erupted over the past week over an incident at Bonnaroo where Kanye West’s late night set, scheduled to begin at 2:45am was delayed until 4:45am for (before today) unknown reasons. What could have been a simple controversy about disgruntled fans quickly turned into racist tirades against proud black artists who don’t display the humility that privileged young hippies feel they should. It of course goes without saying that the backlash against any African-American artist who doesn’t meet the fickle Internet’s standards will be far stronger than a Caucasian performer and the comments section on the likes of Stereogum are proof enough of that. Commentators claim that a mere apology would have sufficed, though given the fact that they were already throwing things on Kanye’s stage, perhaps it was their turn to apologize to him. Obviously I have strong feelings on the issue, however not so much as our friend Mr. West who comments on his blog (copied here in its brutally honest entirety, thanks Pitchfork):
“I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall… Why???? I understand if people don’t like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much, But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I’ve ever had in my life. This is the most offended I’ve ever been… this is the maddest I ever will be. I’m typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want…. arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, fag whatever you can think of…. BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL! NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL! THIS SHOWS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THERE TO LIE ABOUT YOU AND BRING YOU DOWN! LIKE WAYNE SAYS PLEASE DON’T SHOOT ME DOWN CAUSE I’M FLYING! I’M FUCKING HURT BY THIS ONE. ALL I CARE ABOUT ARE THE FANS. JUST SAY THIS OUT LOUD IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, “KANYE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT GIVING A GOOD PERFORMANCE.” CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THAT ????????? HAS ANYONE EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO AT LEAST DO THE MATH??? BONNAROO SHOULD HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT IN MY DEFENSE BUT SINCE THEY HAVEN’T LET’S BREAK DOWN THE WALLS ON THIS TRUMAN SHOW AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY OCCURRED!!! FOR OVER A MONTH WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON WETHER OR NOT WE COULD EVEN FIT MY STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL. ONE DAY THEY WOULD SAY YES… WE’D SEND THEM OUR SPECS THEN THEY THEY’D SAY OK… THEN THEY WOULD SEND SPECS BACK THAT DIDN’T FIT THE STAGE. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH FUCKING IDIOTS WHO DIDN’T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY. THEY TRIED 2 GIVE ME A TIME SLOT WERE IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE … I HAVE A FUCKING LIGHT SHOW DUMB ASS, IT’S NOT CALLED GLOW IN THE DARK FOR NO REASON SQUID BRAINS! MY PEOPLE WORKED OUT A COMPROMISED STAGE PLOT AND A 3AM TIME SLOT AND I AGREED. FAST FOWARD TO THE DAY OF THE SHOW. MY PRODUCTION MANAGER TRIED TO LOAD IN FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE BUT THE FESTIVAL WOULDN’T ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING UNTILL PEARL JAM LEFT THE STAGE. PEARL JAM ENDED ONE HOUR
LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT THAT POINT WE’RE RACING AGAINST THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 4:20AM DON COMES BACK 2 THE BUS AND TELLS ME, ” IT WOULD TAKE 45 MORE MINUTES TO PUT ALL YOUR PYRO IN!” I SAY I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . I HIT THE STAGE AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN THROWING SHIT ON THE STAGE AND HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE JANE SCREEN WITH, I GUESS BOTTLES OR SOMETHING AND HAD BROKEN MY FUCKING SCREEN. REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A SHORTY AND WATER WOULD HIT THE TV?????? WHEN I GOT 2 “THROUGH THE WIRE” I STEPPED ON THE FRONT PART OF MY STAGE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH LIQUID ON THE STAGE I COULDN’T MOVE WITHOUT SLIPPING. I HAD TO ADJUST MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE STYLE BECAUSE OF IT. A FEW MORE SONGS IN AND THE SONG WAS ON IT’S WAY UP.. I CUT A FEW SONGS FROM THE SET BECAUSE I WANTED PEOPLE 2 EXPERIENCE STRONGER WHILE THERE WAS STILL SOME DARKNESS TO PERFORM IT IN. I’VE STRUGGLED WITH STRONGER FROM IT’S CONCEPTION. REMEMBER LAST SUMMER WHEN I CANCELED SOME TV APPEARANCES. IT WAS BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT TO PERFORM STRONGER IN THE DAYTIME. ANYONE WHO CAME TO THE GLOW TOUR CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE IT PROPERLY. IT BROKE MY HEART THAT I COULDN’T GIVE THESE FANS STRONGER IN IT’S GREATEST FORM… BY THE TIME I GOT TO STRONGER IT WAS DAYTIME AND IT BROKE MY HEART. I’M SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT I DIDN’T HAVE THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORMANCE I WANTED TO. I’M SORRY… SOMETIMES I GO 2, 3 DAYS W/O SLEEP WORKING ON MY PERFORMANCE… I HAVE TO ICE MY KNEES AFTER EVERY SHOW AND THEY HURT WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT… HAVING AN EXPENSIVE STAGE CUTS MY PAYDAY IN HALF… CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL!!!”
Spoken like a true artist Kanye. Here at Cannibal Cheerleader we realize when a performer on the level of Michael Jackson with a political slant reminiscent of Dylan reaches the top of the heap. Shame to see so many people trying to pull him down. This is actually a good segue into my next section… ******************************************************************** CANNIBAL CHEERLEADER – PRINT EDITION!As that last section may have made readers realize, I’m an opinionated person. However, Cannibal Cheerleader is more about the music than the politics but that’s going to change when we release the Cannibal Cheerleader Zine here in Austin, Texas. It will be available free in various locations around the city and will feature artist profiles, artwork, politics, music essays, and Austin-centric articles, all based around the theme of brave, creative music journalism with no commercial ties holding us down. Be prepared to be shocked (not that the idea of a Cannibal Cheerleader isn’t shocking enough, haha). Coming in mid-to-late July, look for it then.
PS. MP3’s will hopefully be back next week everyone!
It’s true, today I am blogging to you faithful Cheerleader followers from under my covers. I’m feeling a little down in the dumps as well as under the weather (heck throw in ‘feelin low’ while you’re at it) so I figured I’d do a little update on my favorite “under-the-covers-feeling-blue-with-headphones-on” music. Of course Cat Power falls into that mix and here’s an update she posted to her Myspace today offering apologies for missing.
“THANK ALL OF YALL WHO DIDN’T HOLD A GRUDGE FOR ME HAVING TO CANCEL MY SHOWS CUZ OF THE CALLOUS.
I AM DOING A LOT BETTER AND CAN ACTUALLY TALK WITHOUT SOUNDING LIKE A TRUCKER. HEADING TO MEMPHIS IN A COUPLE DAYS FOR THE BEALE ST. FEST, THEN TO MEXICO CITY AND BOGOTA, REAL REAL HAPPY TO GET BACK TO WORK! I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW UPSETTING AND FRUSTRATING IT WAS TO NOT HAVE MY HEALTH/VOICE FOR YOU ALL.
I CAN NOT TELL YOU HOW UPSETTING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, I ALWAYS FEEL BLESSED BY YALL’S LOVE FOR ME, I CARRY YALL ALONGSIDE.
XX C”
As a bonus here’s a little b-side I found floating around the Internet a few years back of a Cat Power original. It’s definitely apt to the normal Chan Marshall state of mind. Obviously this track is from Chan’s “short hair days”, thus the old-school Cat Power pic!
NEW BAND CHEER – WHISPERTOWN2000 Continuing on our ’sad country music’ update is Whispertown2000, a smokey, country-tinged, female fronted act from LA. Helmed by Morgan Nagler and well-connected with groups like Blake Sennet’s the Elected, Rilo Kiley, and Jenny Lewis’ solo work, Whispertown recalls them all at young, tender, and impressionable age.
Bands like Whispertown remind me of how I feel about country music and how I perceive it. Not as the barn-storming “All My Rowdy Friends” crowd, not as the redneck-proud “Larry the Cable Guy” crowd, but as the empty bottle of whiskey lonely boy and girl crowd. Whispertown2000’s great for those lonely nights buried under the covers (like tonight!). Definitely check them out. ******************************************************************** MY MORNING JACKET ON THE COVER OF SPIN
No seriously, the band that once penned the alt-country sleep The Tennessee Fire, the one and only My Morning Jacket, is on the cover of Spin Magazine. Here’s the article from the magazine, complete with a video of the cover shoot. Go check it out now and be sure and get pumped for Evil Urges, which I have been spinning like mad lately. ******************************************************************** DYNAMITE BOY VIDEO – PHOTOGRAPH To end today on an up note, here’s a preview of the videos to come this week from the Dynamite Boy/Cruiserweight show this last Saturday. Check it out!
Recently, Cannibal Cheerleader had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Ken Seeno of Baltimore’s own Ponytail, a fantastic band whose new album Ice Cream Spiritual is fast becoming one of our favorites of the year. The band’s penchant for wildly inventive riffs, 7-minute strong structures, and legendary live performances has garnered them international acclaim, and now Ken answers a few questions about what ties the Ponytail together.
In a recent posting to their Myspace, Cannibal Cheerleader favorite the Whispertown 2000 announced their new album Swim and posted the LP’s first track “Pushing Oars”. Here’s the update:
Vocoders, electronics, synthesizers, vocal effects. Not necessarily musical terms associated with U.K. powerhouse Bloc Party but definitive additions to their newest LP Intimacy, which dropped last night after only a three-day lead time. It would seem we hardly had time to brace ourselves, to wrap ourselves around the band’s newest incarnation, a Chemical Brothers-referencing byproduct of the Manchester scene. And yet, upon initial examination, Bloc Party have managed to construct an organic world of genuineness and heartfelt emotion from the clicks and whistles of their new electronic front. Beginning track “Ares” is initially off-putting and we’ve all heard “Mercury” a few hundred times up until now, so the album really seems to begin with incredible standout “Halo”, which sounds like the older, wiser cousin of “Helicopter”. The album stays high from there, dipping into a softer territory with “Biko”, reminiscing on a Weekend in the City with “Zepherus”, and forging into new, beautiful territory with “Better Than Heaven”. Overall, Intimacy is an excellent record, though one that requires multiple listens to truly understand its theme of alienation, loss, and loneliness. Definitely makes the team and will probably be that one kid that surprises during competition with a rocking routine despite sitting out all the practices to write in her diary.
Here’s the rest of our interview with Ken of one of our favorite bands of the year Ponytail. Enjoy!
