Pony in the Pancake Interview
Q: Can you talk about your history as a band?
A: Pony in the Pancake. We don't even really know how it began, or how we got the name. My cousin, Dan Prockup, and I used to go to shows at the legendary Valentines venue in Albany, New York. We'd see Mike Watt, Wesely Willis, Sir Richard Bishop, Frank Black, Joghanthan Richamn...as well as hundreds of other local acts. It was our dream to play at the venue. Dan and I have been playing together since high school. We basically played loud drone freak outs, bluegrass, and funk. We weren't that good, but we played a lot. All the time. Our sound evolved. People called us "Anti-Folk." We were just trying to rip. One day we saw they had an open. mic, so we grabbed our guitars and signed up. We both lived in Albany at the time. We crushed it and we got our first taste of public performance. We continued to play open mics, and people started to like us...and then the venue started to book us. And we grew from there, playing more and more clubs around Albany. After three years, we went electric and began adding band members. We turned into a psychedelic juggernaut. And a fun pop sunshine. love. band that sang about getting their hearts broken. And then we'd rip jams at the end of our songs. We are currently signed to the Montreal Label Cuchabata Records. They have been awesome. We've released a few tapes with them. We feel it is a privilege every time we get to play. We are just thrilled to be part of The Sun's love. Our current lineup is Dan and I. We also have Benjamin Garett on guitar, Andrea Kosek on keys and Pat Thorpe on bass.
Q: What inspired you to make In dreams?
A: Short answer - We can't tell if we are dreaming or awake. Long answer- We are constantly writing songs. Most are written at the time of recording. We just channel nature. The less thought, the better. The simpler, the better. When we have enough songs, we release an album. Most of our songs are about unrequited love and requited love. But most are about unrequited. Dreams are what let us see reality. The Sun told us to call the album by that name. And The Sun gets what it wants.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes?
A: All of our songs are about love, joy and nature. We want to be honest in our music. If we weren't, it wouldn't work, and the music would let us know. We know about those topics. We've lived it. Some people have called our music True Wave because it is so honest.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: Dan and I set up a guitar and drums, and then we write the rhythm, usually on the spot. Then we write lyrics and add to the song piece by piece. We'll send it to our band members and see if they would like to add something. That's pretty much it. Dan and I have had this running character in our minds that we use as a lens for writing our songs. A forlorn lover who loves life and love. Happiness. Joy. The Sun. We have a huge musical library and produce our own podcasts highlighting gems we have found over the years. We draw from Doo Wop, Yatch Rock, Krautrock, Beach Boys, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Acid Mothers Temple, Turkish Psych, Indie, Deerhunter, Ambient, Mowtown, Bee Gees, Wire, Pavement, Woods, Skygreen Leopards, The Velvets, Pixies, Jonathan Richman, Klaus Schulze, Miles Davis, Bowie, Elephant 6, Merle Haggard, The Monks, Can, OCS, Real Estate, Beach House, Dylan, Byrds, Os Mutantes, Yo La Tengo, Flaming Lips, Neu, Pere Ubu, Jeremy Jay, Ladybug Transistor, R Stevie Moore, The Clean, The Cure, Kinks, Stereolab, Dino Jr, Sonic Youth, Hawkwind, Beatles, Gary Newman, Frankie Valli, Kishore Kumar, Moldy Peaches, Serge Gainsbourgh, Belle and Sebastian, Fresh and Onlys, The Memories, Lee Perry, James Brown, Moody Blues, The Cleaners from Venus....
Q: What was your recording process like? And has it changed over the years? Would you explain some of the tools you use?
A: We have over 100s of songs. Our first bunch were done on four track in a basement. Then we stepped it up to an eight track, and then a 24! In Dreams was produced by Rick Spataro of the bands Florist and Onlyness. And he's a pro. He was using tape and computers and science stuff. He also played bass, drums and keys on the new album. We will record again with him in the future, but for now we are back to the 24 track. We have already finished a new album, and have begun work on another. The hits just keep coming thanks to life.
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: We try to keep it simple and honest. We try not to scat or yarl. There are rules. We like to draw allusions to nature. We just open up and let the song write itself. We let the music tell us.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: We feel so lucky to be able to play and share music with the Earth. It is one of the greatest privileges of living as a human. We give homage to The Sun every time we pick up our instruments. Our goal is to write hits. Songs that bring joy. People have heard us play and have said to themselves, I can do it too. We want people to feel joy listening to our music. We want people to experience living love at our concerts. Our goal is to spread joy and inspiration in the name of The Sun.
Q: Can you talk about your history as a band?
A: Pony in the Pancake. We don't even really know how it began, or how we got the name. My cousin, Dan Prockup, and I used to go to shows at the legendary Valentines venue in Albany, New York. We'd see Mike Watt, Wesely Willis, Sir Richard Bishop, Frank Black, Joghanthan Richamn...as well as hundreds of other local acts. It was our dream to play at the venue. Dan and I have been playing together since high school. We basically played loud drone freak outs, bluegrass, and funk. We weren't that good, but we played a lot. All the time. Our sound evolved. People called us "Anti-Folk." We were just trying to rip. One day we saw they had an open. mic, so we grabbed our guitars and signed up. We both lived in Albany at the time. We crushed it and we got our first taste of public performance. We continued to play open mics, and people started to like us...and then the venue started to book us. And we grew from there, playing more and more clubs around Albany. After three years, we went electric and began adding band members. We turned into a psychedelic juggernaut. And a fun pop sunshine. love. band that sang about getting their hearts broken. And then we'd rip jams at the end of our songs. We are currently signed to the Montreal Label Cuchabata Records. They have been awesome. We've released a few tapes with them. We feel it is a privilege every time we get to play. We are just thrilled to be part of The Sun's love. Our current lineup is Dan and I. We also have Benjamin Garett on guitar, Andrea Kosek on keys and Pat Thorpe on bass.
Q: What inspired you to make In dreams?
A: Short answer - We can't tell if we are dreaming or awake. Long answer- We are constantly writing songs. Most are written at the time of recording. We just channel nature. The less thought, the better. The simpler, the better. When we have enough songs, we release an album. Most of our songs are about unrequited love and requited love. But most are about unrequited. Dreams are what let us see reality. The Sun told us to call the album by that name. And The Sun gets what it wants.
Q: Can you talk about some of the themes?
A: All of our songs are about love, joy and nature. We want to be honest in our music. If we weren't, it wouldn't work, and the music would let us know. We know about those topics. We've lived it. Some people have called our music True Wave because it is so honest.
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: Dan and I set up a guitar and drums, and then we write the rhythm, usually on the spot. Then we write lyrics and add to the song piece by piece. We'll send it to our band members and see if they would like to add something. That's pretty much it. Dan and I have had this running character in our minds that we use as a lens for writing our songs. A forlorn lover who loves life and love. Happiness. Joy. The Sun. We have a huge musical library and produce our own podcasts highlighting gems we have found over the years. We draw from Doo Wop, Yatch Rock, Krautrock, Beach Boys, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Acid Mothers Temple, Turkish Psych, Indie, Deerhunter, Ambient, Mowtown, Bee Gees, Wire, Pavement, Woods, Skygreen Leopards, The Velvets, Pixies, Jonathan Richman, Klaus Schulze, Miles Davis, Bowie, Elephant 6, Merle Haggard, The Monks, Can, OCS, Real Estate, Beach House, Dylan, Byrds, Os Mutantes, Yo La Tengo, Flaming Lips, Neu, Pere Ubu, Jeremy Jay, Ladybug Transistor, R Stevie Moore, The Clean, The Cure, Kinks, Stereolab, Dino Jr, Sonic Youth, Hawkwind, Beatles, Gary Newman, Frankie Valli, Kishore Kumar, Moldy Peaches, Serge Gainsbourgh, Belle and Sebastian, Fresh and Onlys, The Memories, Lee Perry, James Brown, Moody Blues, The Cleaners from Venus....
Q: What was your recording process like? And has it changed over the years? Would you explain some of the tools you use?
A: We have over 100s of songs. Our first bunch were done on four track in a basement. Then we stepped it up to an eight track, and then a 24! In Dreams was produced by Rick Spataro of the bands Florist and Onlyness. And he's a pro. He was using tape and computers and science stuff. He also played bass, drums and keys on the new album. We will record again with him in the future, but for now we are back to the 24 track. We have already finished a new album, and have begun work on another. The hits just keep coming thanks to life.
Q: How do you usually go about writing lyrics?
A: We try to keep it simple and honest. We try not to scat or yarl. There are rules. We like to draw allusions to nature. We just open up and let the song write itself. We let the music tell us.
Q: What else should we know about your music?
A: We feel so lucky to be able to play and share music with the Earth. It is one of the greatest privileges of living as a human. We give homage to The Sun every time we pick up our instruments. Our goal is to write hits. Songs that bring joy. People have heard us play and have said to themselves, I can do it too. We want people to feel joy listening to our music. We want people to experience living love at our concerts. Our goal is to spread joy and inspiration in the name of The Sun.