The Ponys

The Ponys, post-punk revivalists based in Chicago, came together in the opening months of 2001 when singer/guitarist Jered Gummere launched the group in the period just before his prior band, the local punk outfit the Guilty Pleasures, disbanded. Writing songs and handling vocals alongside girlfriend and bassist Melissa Elias, he next recruited drummer Nathan Jerde, formerly of Mushuganas, enabling the Ponys to begin performing on the Windy City club circuit. The late-2002 arrival of Ian Adams, once the singer and multi-instrumentalist in Happy Supply, thoroughly reshaped their approach, moving away from basic guitar rock toward distinctive pop melodies and arrangements that incorporated a second guitar plus keyboards. While touring through Memphis they tracked their first single, “So Sentimental,” which Contaminated issued in mid-2003; the follow-up, “Wicked City,” surfaced on Big Neck before the year ended. A handshake agreement with the Los Angeles label In the Red sent the band to Detroit to record their debut album with producer Jim Diamond, and Laced with Romance appeared in early 2004. Widespread touring and strong critical response ensued, leading the group in summer 2004 to begin work on Celebration Castle, captured by Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. The album emerged in spring 2005; several months earlier Ian Adams had exited, with Brian Case joining as the new member. Matador soon signed the Ponys, and in 2006 they returned to the studio to cut their third album, Turn the Lights Out, which came out the following year.