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Image of Ponytail taken from the band's Myspace page.
College is a place that is romanticized as the best of one's formative years, where interests in academia blooms, life-long friendships are formed, and one's musical tastes can blossom to dizzying heights. It's fitting, then, that Baltimore's Ponytail will be headlining Boston College radio station WZBC's Spring Concert at T.T. the Bear's tonight. Not only does Ponytail make the kind of dizzying experimental-art-punk-rawk that's bursts to the tops of skyscrapers and boils over with intense energy, but the quartet happened to meet while students at the Maryland Institute College of Art. In fact, the band formed as part of a project for a course taught by professor Jeremy Sigler called Parapainting; every member of the class was told to form a band and perform at the end of the semester. It's thanks to Sigler that one of Baltimore's best and brightest bands exists today.
Ponytail fit comfortably into the "anything goes" aesthetic of Baltimore's music scene. Their sound may be frantic, jittery, and chaotic, but there's a childlike tenderness and enthusiasm that can be heard in every yelp and yowl that permeates singer Molly Siegel's vocal chords. Against a swirling sea of angular noise from the dueling guitars provided by Ken Seeno and Dustin Wong and the drumming onslaught provided by Jeremy Hyman, Ponytail's blistering sound is an anomaly in a city that has proven to be anomalous in its own right. Alongside the likes of Dan Deacon, Beach House, The Death Set, Double Dagger, Cex, and Animal Collective (whose members no longer reside in Baltimore but continue to call the city home) and a host of other talented acts, Ponytail has helped transform the Maryland city from the brink of economic and social turmoil to a vibrant destination for young artists. Guitarist Ken Seeno took the opportunity to chat with Bostonist via email about the whirlwind that appears to encapsulate Ponytail in sound and experience.
Bostonist: Why did you decided to name the band Ponytail?
Ken Seeno: Our friend Kieran pulled it out of the air one day...
Bostonist: What was it that drew you to continue on with Ponytail in the post-Parapainting period?
KS: I think going on tour and making albums was always a secret dream. Just felt special I guess.
Bostonist: Why did you decide to stick around Baltimore after graduating from MICA?
KS: To continue the band and relationships.
Bostonist: Considering the experimental twist on all kinds of genres in your sound, what is the collaboration process like when you four work on your songs?
KS: Sometimes just jamming yields our best results and then trimming jams into essential parts. It sometimes gets frustrating, but its only because we want to write the best parts we can. In the end it's always rewarding.
Bostonist: Outside of playing in Ponytail, what other ways are you guys involved in the Baltimore arts community?
KS: We sometimes moonlight in other projects, but with the busy Ponytail touring schedule it's gotten a little bit rarer. We are all trying to pursue our fine art practices, too. I'm working on a video right now! Dustin just came out with a solo album on Baltimore label Wildfire Wildfire; it's really good stuff!
Bostonist: The Baltimore scene has become the focus of a considerable amount of attention in the past few years. How has this affected the community you've built?
KS: Everyone who's active is just extremely busy touring and trying to do it right! Otherwise, not much around here has changed!
Bostonist: Your first record (Kamehameha) was recorded in a matter of hours. By comparison, Ice Cream Spiritual was a much larger project, with a week's worth of recording and producer J. Robbins behind the board. Do you feel that you benefited from the extra time and J.'s impact?
KS: Definitely. I think we really needed his mind and ears to capture what we're able to do live, but unable to get on record. He's a phenomenal engineer and producer. We adored recording with him.
Bostonist: Ice Cream Spiritual received rave reviews from numerous music critics, not to say the least of which happened to be the folks at the New York Times. How have you reacted to all the positive press?
KS: We tell everyone that it doesn't seem real. Usually it feels like the only copy that has our picture in it is in our hands, not distributed all over the place! It just doesn't seem real to us.
Bostonist: You guys have been touring practically non-stop for nearly a year. Considering the numerous horror stories and road adventures one can pick up from a quick internet search, how have you been able to handle the constant movement?
KS: It's been unbelievable at times and exhausting, too. I think we thrive on the thought of going to new places and having priceless experiences, but it's hard to be away from home. We miss our girlfriends and families! Sometimes it just feels so nice to do normal daily routine. We don't take our opportunities for granted, though. We are so lucky to go to so many places! It really is so much fun.
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kamehameha! yesss! this show is happening now and i am missing it. alas.
Ah, but Ponytail doesn't go on til past midnight! That means all you have to worry about is a way to get home... oh public transportation, how you've failed me once again!