An Interview with RAW Sydney Musician of the Year 2013: Bad Pony
If you love your music with a unique blend of rock, indie, folk and R&B with pop sensibilities, then you'll be blown away by the music of Bad Pony. Recently awarded the title of RAW Sydney Musician of the Year 2013, this 6-piece is certainly going places.
The band was formed in late 2012 and initially only consisted of Jaz Young and Sam Thomlinson. However, as their tracks gained traction on Triple J Unearthed radio and they were approached to join Rock The Schools for their 2013 tour, the duo decided that it was time to put together a larger band. The band now consists of 6 talented members, including: Jaz Young, Sam Thomlinson, Cron Van Niekerk, Isaac Chamberlain, Henry Moncrieff and Mark Webber.
Bad Pony played their first show in March 2013 and since then they have also toured interstate independently and toured with Rock The Schools around New South Wales and Queensland. The band's range of musical influences is just as diverse as their own sound, including Manchester Orchestra, The Dear Hunter, Thrice, Michael Jackson and Tokyo Police Club.
Not only was Whim lucky enough to witness Bad Pony's incredible set at RAW Sydney's 'Translations' showcase, but we also recently asked lead singer Jaz a series of Q&A about Bad Pony's success and dreams for the future:
Q: Congratulations on winning first place in the music category! Please tell us, what have you guys loved the most about your RAW Sydney experience?
A: Thanks a lot Melanie. RAW Sydney was very, very cool. It's rare to have such a mix of different artists in the same space. It creates a really nice atmosphere of creative and like minded people and it was interesting to hear why and how people create art in many shapes and forms. There was this one artist I really liked. I've forgotten her name but her mum was selling her work and it was all based on the TV series Breaking Bad. I like how most artists use their work to express themselves or make some sort of point, but she just loved the shit out of Breaking Bad. She had amazing portraits of the main characters and a necklace that was a vial filled with Heisenberg's trademark blue meth (it was actually bath salts). I bought one...
Q: What was the initial reaction amongst the group when you heard the news that you would go on to represent Sydney in your category?
A: We were pretty damn stoked. There's six of us so it took a while for word to spread amongst us all. But yes, staggered excitement I think describes it best. We've since taken out the National title too which is fricken amazing. We had no idea that there was any kind of rewards scheme when we signed on to play at our first RAW event, so we've definitely lucked out on that.
Q: When did Bad Pony first form as a band and how did the idea come about?
A: Sam and I have been playing together for years in a rock band called Lovers Jump Creek. I play drums in that band and was always very shy about singing and would only bust out a tune when I was pissed. Sam took a liking to my voice and recorded a song and asked me to write melodies for it. That was our first single "Sucker". I took a trip to Mexico the day after we recorded it, and bought a new guitar (one that would actually stay in tune) and came back with another song written. We continued writing and recorded our EP Home and put up "Sucker" on Triple J Unearthed. We got some really good feedback from that track and were approached by Rock The Schools to join their 2013 tour. That was really an amazing experience. It was the first proper singing gig I'd ever had and it really kicked up my confidence.
....This is a very long story, I apologize...
So we were pretty much forced into making a band, and Sam and I constructed one out of our closest friends. The aim was to create a band of dudes that could all sing so we could perform all the harmonies and play all the instruments that we recorded. Mark and Isaac have both been lead singers in other bands, Cron is amazing and Sam is a back-ups maverick.
I guess the short answer would be; we just fell into it. And it's been amazing so far, we all get along really well and are very like-minded in the way we approach and play music.
Q: What inspires the band’s music the most?
A: Lots of things. Lyrically, I usually draw from something that has affected me or a topic that stands out to me. Musically, so many things! I get really attached to albums and play the shit out of them for a month or so and then typically move on, so I feel like whatever I have been listening to comes out in some way when I'm writing. I regrettably know nothing of music theory and write purely by feel, whereas Sam has a more theoretical approach and builds songs using his knowledge in the field.
Q: What do you hope to achieve with your music career in the near future – are there any exciting, upcoming plans that you guys would like to share with us?
A: We've recently taken out the National RAW Musicians of the Year Award, so that's pretty damn exciting. We'll hopefully be playing at the showcase in Brisbane on January 10th. As a part of this we are on the Red Deer Music & Arts Festival lineup next year and we'll also be releasing a single early 2014 too. It's called "White Russian" and we're really excited for everybody to have it inside their earholes.
We know that we'll definitely be adding some Bad Pony to our playlists (including the upcoming Autumn Issue playlist - stay tuned!), and we highly recommend that you check out Bad Pony's Facebook page and Triple J Unearthed profile to hear their music. You can also support emerging artists by 'liking' the RAW Sydney and RAW Australia Facebook pages.
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