Interview: Ponytail
Baltimore’s Ponytail blends frantic guitar riffs, pounding drums and nonsensical vocals to present a live show that has a reputation for being a spastic explosion of awesomeness. In fact, they were named “Best Live Band” by Baltimore City Paper in 2007. Combine that with the fact that they first started playing together when they were randomly matched together for an art school project, and you’ve got really no excuse to avoid their most recent LP, Ice Cream Spiritual.
The band played Bottom of the Hill this past Tuesday, which made it possible for us to get lead-singer Molly Siegel to answer a quick questionnaire. Check it out and grab an MP3 after the jump…
SD: You started out as a class project. At what point did you realize that you had something worth continuing?
MS: I think we knew about halfway I 3/4 through the class that something was really happening.
SD: As a fairly avant-garde band, are you ok if people “don’t get” Ponytail? Is there a certain way you want the audience to approach a Ponytail performance?
MS: I think we’ve always just made music that we liked and worked with what we have. We are always pushing ourselves to make something we’ve never heard before but that is fun and listenable. Music is really subjective so I don’t know if people don’t like our music because it’s avant-garde or just because they don’t like it, ya know?
SD: Whose idea was the Pitchfork video in the laundromat? Anyone throw dirty underwear at you?
MS: Ha, no everyone at the laundromat was super nice especially the family that owned it. We got pictures with them when we were done. It was all P-fork.
SD: The “Beg Waves” video (directed by Michael Guidetti and David Berezin) hypnotized me. Any plans to incorporate more visual elements into live performances?
MS: Hmmm… I would like to wear some special stuff but I’m not gonna give anything away right now ;) Jeremy says he wants his entire drum set to be made of LED’s.
SD: Do you have any musical recommendations for us? Who’s in your stereo/iPod/record player right now?
MS: We’ve been listening to a lot of Bmore club lately in the van, Kswift is by far the best, RIP. Also The Bug and Grouper.
SD: What’s next for Ponytail? More touring? New album?
MS: We are taking a Summer break from touring to write and to straight chill.
so i saw ponytail at whartscape during the summer, and i love them. ponytail is absolutely fantastic. i’m so sad that they aren’t together anymore, but while they were around, there was no one to match them.