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INTERVIEW + VIDEO PREMIER :: A talk with Atlanta band Pony League

by Adam Keen…
 
Pony League is a new folk rock Americana band from Atlanta, GA. We’ve been lucky enough to have watched these guys grow from their North Trolls days through Cute Boots and emerge now as the very polished, well sounding Pony League. Above is a video you may have seen on their Facebook – A special track recorded while riding that huge ass Ferris Wheel downtown, but if not, you can see it online for the 1st time here. Below, I talk to Gus Fernandez about the video and his new band. We also have some other Pony League tunes for your intake below – Gus has been busy. Take a listen, I think you’ll dig some Pony League. Pony League on FAceBOoK. Other than the shows you’ll see below they are playing the Drunken Unicorn on April 8th and The Earl on April 28th.
 

 
B: Why do you make music? 
 
Whew! That’s a tough one. It’s the only thing that has made me excited consistently since I played my first show at the age of 15. Everything else I’ve done I’ve gotten sick of. 
 
B: Describe the music of Pony League to someone who has never heard your music. Are there any special influences to your sound?  
 
I’d say we sound like a mix between Warren Zevon, Dawes, and Jackson Browne, although our songs are never totally glued to one genre. I like the term “Americana,” because there’s so much included under that umbrella. 
 
B: You were formally knows as Cute Boots – what generated the want or need to change band names? Why Pony League?  
 
Well, when we started out as a folk band, it was kind of an experiment. We had all been in punk bands before this, so we didn’t really know how it would go, but we plunged into the world of alt/country anyways. After a few years, we realized that we had actually grown comfortable in our new skin and realized that in the process of growing as a folk group, our sound had evolved into something new. We felt it was only natural to accept this change and own it. 
 
B: Tell us about your songwriting process. Do you each bring a fully completed idea for the band to play and tweak? Or do you each bring a piece and you put them together? Or something else? 
 
I tend to bring most of the material to practice, but Mason, Charlie and Jay are invaluable when it comes to crafting a completed song. Each one of them brings something different to the table, whether it’s an idea for a chord change, the right beat to play under a melody, or a great guitar solo at the right time. 
 

 
B: You recently debuted the 1st track, “Bad Habit”, from your upcoming cassette “Harder than Rick Ankiel”. Can you tell us a bit about the track?  
 
This is one of the most personal songs I’ve written for any band. It’s about that distance between the person you wish to be and the person the world perceives you to be, and how little control we have over that. Ultimately, the song is about loving who you are in your own eyes and not in anyone else’s. It’s about being the person you want to be for yourself and not for anyone else. 
 

 
B: You had a release show for the Cassette on March 10th at the Earl – can you tell us what potential fans can expect from the show? When someone leaves a Pony League show what do you hope they’re feeling? (note: this question was asked before their show on 3/10)
 
We’re excited to say that we’ve added a member in Justin Green who is the owner and operator of Bear Kids Recordings. He’ll be playing acoustic guitar with us and singing, which may not seem like it’ll add much, but believe me. It’s sounding a lot better! 
 
B: The Cassette will be released on Bear Kids Recordings – how did you get hooked up with Bear Kids? Tell us a bit about Bear Kids Recordings? 
 
Justin reached out to me via e-mail a few months before our first full length was released (under the name “Cute Boots”). We met at Twains and after a conversation about baseball and music, a partnership was started! 
 
B: Tell us about the video we’ll be premiering (video above). Where did you get the idea to film on the Skyview wheel?
 
That was our drummer Jay’s idea! He’s a clever dude, and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Big thanks to our buddy Mitchell Hardage for making that happen. 
 
B: I head your Christmas release on bandcamp – good stuff. Can we expect more Christmas tunes this year? 
 
Sure, why not! That was a lot of fun to make. It was recorded all by me– drums, bass, piano and vocals. I’d like to do something with the full band this year. 
 

 
B: How do you feel about the Grammy’s? Did you see Kendrick Lamar’s performance this year? If so, what did you think? 
 
I did see his performance. To be honest– it knocked me on my ass, and not just because of the message (which I struggled to relate to as middle class white Hispanic from the suburbs) but because of how musically and lyrically impressive the whole thing was. He really raised the bar for Grammy performances to come!
 
B: Write the question you wished I would have asked and then answer it! 
 
“Why are you so awesome??”
 
—— B: They forgot to answer the question – buts that’s Ok. We’ll go with “just because.”