Formed in 2011, the Show Ponies took shape as a lively indie-folk ensemble marked by Olde Tyme Country leanings when Clayton Chaney (vocals, bass) and Andi Carder (vocals, banjo) came together as the initial duo. Drawing on an eclectic range of touchstones such as the Stanley Brothers, Queen, Roger Miller, the Weepies, Dawes, Bob Dylan, and the Punch Brothers, and arriving from the disparate regions of Arkansas, Texas, and California, the pair grew into a five-piece by recruiting guitarist Jason Harris, violinist Phil Glenn, and drummer Kevin Brown, each holding classical training. Harris handled production duties for the band’s first full-length release, the 2012 album Here We Are!, which earned acclaim within folk and country circles just as the 2013 follow-up We’re Not Lost did. On the 2014 EP Run for Your Life the quintet worked with Noam Pikelny (Punch Brothers), then in 2016 they folded in gospel, rock, and R&B textures for the eagerly awaited third studio album How It All Goes Down, helmed by producer Andy Freeman (Eisley, Manchester Orchestra) and issued through E1 Entertainment.
