The Ponys | |
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Origin | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Genres | Indie rock, garage rock |
Years active | 2001–present |
Labels | |
Website | theponys |
Members | Jered Gummere Melissa Elias Brian Case Nathan Jerde |
Past members | Ian Adams |
The Ponys are an American indie rock/garage rock band from Chicago, Illinois.
The Ponys was formed by singer/guitarist Jered Gummere, in early 2001. Gummere was concurrently in the punk band, Guilty Pleasures, at the time of The Ponys’ formation. He eventually left to devote himself entirely to The Ponys. Gummere recruited members of the band, his first choice being girlfriend Melissa Elias whom he met while she was attending Illinois State University in his hometown. Together they experimented with indie/post-punk styles.
The two began to write songs, and were joined by ex-Mushuganas drummer, Nathan Jerde. The Ponys began touring the Chicago club circuit and would then record their first singles on Contaminated and Big Neck records. Concerned their sound was lacking, Gummere asked Ian Adams, a member of Happy Supply to join the band. After releasing a few more singles, the Ponys signed with In the Red Records (based in Los Angeles), due to widespread circulation. The band was set to record their first album, Laced with Romance, in Detroit with producer Jim Diamond.
Their initial release, Laced With Romance, met with moderate critical success [1] [2]. The album reached media from local indie-zines such as Horizontal Action, to mainstream-America music publications like Rolling Stone and Spin.
The Ponys toured to support their album, with bands like The Unicorns, The Fall, and The Fiery Furnaces.