Brisbane’s Ponyloaf have been doing the hard yards for the last few years, playing extensively at a plethora of live gigs around Brisbane, and supporting both local and international acts such as Chicks on Speed, ISIS, TISM and Kid 606. Consisting of ex-Regurgitator keyboardist Shane Rudken, along with ‘epic artist’ Dan Templeman and ‘manic techpressive’ Damian Lewis, Ponyloaf’s reputation as a formidable live act is on the rise. Adding to the Ponyloaf experience is Rinzen, providing an ongoing plethora of live visuals, cover art and design.
Their first release Epic Travels was described as “a freewheeling pursuit of love for electronic music played with a live bent” - and now, after some time in a studio in Lamington National Park, they’re ready to release their first full-length album, The O Complex. They’re also part of this weekend’s massive redtronic gig at The Arena, where they’ll play alongside fellow Brisbanites Soma Rasa and the internationally renowned Infusion. In anticipation of their upcoming gig, and to get the lowdown on their new album, Fezzwah caught up with the ‘loaf for an undeniably interesting interview…
Tell us a funny (or tragic) story about Ponyloaf that may (or may not!) have happened while recording your debut album, ‘The O Complex’?
We went to a farmhouse in Lamington National Park for 2 weeks to record for the album with all the studio gear plus heaps of borrowed stuff and endless supplies of everything we needed to pretty much exist in an alternate reality for the whole time. It was a low-set dorm-style house on top of an idyllic sunny grassy hill right in the middle of the daily migration path of this herd of cows with pure black oily skin. We had the whole series of neon genesis evangelion so one morning after it stormed all night and we’d all been having these freaky demon-alien dreams, we made ourselves some breakfast and a nice cup of tea. When we opened the curtains our whole house was inside a dark storm cloud and there were three evil looking black cows just standing there, out the window with lightning flashing around them, staring at us like they’d been waiting for us. We closed the curtain and didn’t go outside that day. I think it effected us because one song from the album was originally called Bleeding Black Cow in its working form. We also wrote these totally twisted songs that had 3 part barber shop harmonies singing these really disturbing lyrics about being lost in the night but they were just way too freaked out to make public. It was our own little Frank Zappa acid nightmare.
What have been some of your most memorable gigs as a support act? Why?
Chicks on Speed – they got excited over my faux-Apple PC laptop (it’s a grey Toshiba with an Apple logo sticker conveniently placed on the lid). On first impressions it looks like some rad custom Mac.
ISIS – Supporting an art doom metal band at the Rev to a room full of (mostly) blokes in black t-shirts. The best gig we’ve ever played and the best show I’ve ever seen.
Kid 606 – Playing seminal punk venue the Annandale where there was an altercation which saw an ex-Severed Heads member ejected from the premises saturated in beer.
Rental car fuck-ups – Thinking we were driving through the fell swamps of Mordor on an icy road for half an hour before realising we had a flat tyre. It was 1 in the morning in sub zero temperatures in the middle of the deserted highway somewhere near Dubbo (I think).
TISM – Seeing the guys who are the dancers for TISM doing soundcheck in normal civvies. This basically involves them doing these really silly synchronised dance moves and pretending to hold up signs. Very funny.
If you had the choice of basing yourselves anywhere in the world for the experiences it could provide Ponyloaf musically, where do you think it would be? For what reasons/influences in particular?
It would be a massive space habitat run by a super-powerful AI. The only other inhabitants would be enormous flying dinosaur creatures roaming open fields grazing on poppies. There could be a holodeck and some kind of levitating rocket-baddo court and speeder races for entertainment, and our space suits would be made of air-conditioned quilted sleeping bags filled with moisturising bio-gel. I think the vista would be very inspiring musically. And the AI could provide us with intellectual growth and stimulation. We could dream up instruments that we’d like to play and the habitat would create them for us. We would write an album called “Without Earth” and perform through 10,000 Marshall quad-boxes to the people of the Sun.
What is Ponyloaf’s definition of being successful?
Action figures, tea towels and sexual enlightenment.
What would you be doing if it wasn’t making music? (...besides the obvious choice of badminton that is)
Why wouldn’t we be making music? Do you mean like if we were suddenly deaf or something? I dunno, making some other kind of creative thing i guess. Im quite easily distracted. At the moment i’m obsessed with collecting guitar effects pedals on ebay.
Musically speaking, are there any experiences the members of Ponyloaf would like to share which you have not yet had the opportunity to do so?
I would like to confess the following:
I take the keytar quite seriously as an instrument – it’s really fun and quite expressive and versatile if you set it up right.
We all listen to and appreciate the Allan Parson’s Project and Peter Gabriel on a regular basis (Admittedly you need to take it with a grain of salt, but “Up” (2002) is awesome).
My first concert was S-Express and I thought it was a bit raunchy.
What sort of environment and headspace do you imagine your audience to be in when listening to a Ponyloaf recording?
Imagine that you are a sleep deprived Trent Reznor in a dark but colourful psychedelic universe and you are locked in a prison cell in a tall spire of a castle hoping to be picked up and returned to your dimension by a random friendly space craft while bubble blowing twits are chrome fitting, macrosueding and mood lighting your favourite pub.
Have Ponyloaf experienced any significant conflict between the creative and the business sides of music? If so, please elaborate. If not, how were you lucky enough to have escaped?
We had an argument once about $700. In the end we withdrew it from the bank, burnt it and scattered the ashes over Bon Scott’s grave. Never had any trouble since.
Is the visual element of Ponyloaf as important as the music? How do audiences respond to Rinzen’s live visuals?
They are not essential to our show, they are really for rare special events where the live show can be made into a more cinematic experience. It is a very excellent thing when it can happen. At the moment though our main man is in Germany so it may be a while before we see the video show make a return.
Becoming successful musicians not only provides the opportunity, in terms of greater financial freedom, to keep making music but also a platform to communicate with and influence a large number of people. Is this an opportunity that Ponyloaf considers seriously as a group?
We always want to do more and to be better. It’s always about reviewing and improving and expanding with us. I guess there is an entrepreneurial aspect where the band is almost like an enterprise or a project in itself but I wouldn’t say that the end goal is fame and money at all. We dont push it in any particular direction. The music comes first and all the rest is just a case of helping it to go wherever it wants to go.
If so, what do you have to say?
Damo says ‘relax’.
What is the future looking like from a Ponyloaf perspective?
Too slow for my liking.
You can catch Ponyloaf at this weekend’s redtronic gig at the Arena, playing alongside Soma Rasa, Infusion and a whole host of Brisbane’s best DJ’s. For more information, check the Whats On listing:
http://www.inthemix.com.au/whatson/show/20425/
