DARK CLOUDS GATHER ABOVE PONOKA
When you think of Ponoka, you may cherish warm memories of endless blue skies, a rolling countryside, a general laid-back atmosphere.
For the record, we’re not referring to the little town in Alberta, Canada, but to the Dutch band with the same name. Ponoka’s debut album Hindsight, released by VOLKOREN in 2007, was a cheerfully nostalgic experience, bringing forth summery radio songs like September and Help is on the Way.
Unfortunately, carefree summers don’t last forever. That’s what Ponoka-singer Rick de Gier discovered when he was taken back to his crowded native country The Netherlands after an idyllic childhood in Canada, and now it’s also what fans of the band will discover: Ponoka’s new record Built to Fly casts some surprisingly long shadows. And not just in the melancholy artwork by Simon van Alphen. The title track sort of sums up the mood:
Even when I soar / Unrestrained up high / I feel it in my bones / I wasn’t built to fly.
Sure, Ponoka’s six members have had some good fortune: excellent reviews, ample attention on national radio, gigs in leading venues. Good reason to be up in the clouds for awhile. But at the end of the day they can’t shake the feeling they’re still just a bunch of plodding part-time musicians from an insignificant country, where the sun hardly ever shines and attempts to rise above the crowd aren’t appreciated.
Sound depressing? Don’t worry – Built to Fly may be a tad darker, it’s also more daring, varied, and compelling than its predecessor. While Hindsight was essentially a solo effort, Built to Fly is a genuine band album. Melodic, seemingly nonchalant indie songs like Eels, Pavement or Bright Eyes might cook up are still at the core, but the arrangements are something entirely different. Thick new-wave synths, gritty seventies drums, euphoric choruses, shoe-gazer guitar walls – Ponoka pulls out all the stops, without ever losing its own unique sound.
And for a collection of songs about doubt and disappointment, a suspicious amount of fun seeps through the music. Admittedly, there wasn’t a cloud in sight when the band entered guitarist Theo Nap’s Wooden Cup Studio in the summer of 2008 to blaze new trails under supervision of inventive producer Minco Eggersman.
The sky above Ponoka may not be ideal for flying, but that won’t stop this band from aiming high. In spite of everything, the title track ends on an optimistic note: I just can’t stop myself from pretending! / I can’t turn down the anticipation inside!
TO ORDER CD VISIT WWW.PONOKAMUSIC.COM.
The press about Ponokas debut 'Hindsight':An album that keeps growing, with subtle personal reflections from a man with character and a keen eye for detail. Great pop record! OOR (leading music magazine)
The forty minutes of this debut contain no weak spots whatsoever. Musicfrom.NL
Ponoka is among the best that came in from the Netherlands the past months. The record won’t be leaving our cd-player anytime soon. De Morgen (leading Belgian newspaper)
Op 7 oktober is jullie nummer Build to fly gedraait bij radioshow Utracks! De uitzending is elke woensdag vanaf 20.00 te horen op 103.4 FM. Je kunt de uitzending naluisteren op www.utracks.nl
Vanavond: IN A CABIN WITH op Festival a/d Werf Vanavond is er een speciale In A Cabin WIth avond op het Festival a/d Werf, de Neude Utrecht. Drie In A Cabin With acts zullen vanavond spelen op het grote podium op de Neude: Waiting for Eve (pop/jazz opgenomen in Frankrijk met diverse leden van de bekende Franse band Les Blaireaux), The Incredible Comeback of Stan Diego (PRIMEUR! opgenomen in Tonatico Mexico met Paul Willemsen (Zuco103, Shane Shu) en Stan Vreeken (Along Came Stan)) en Chop Wood (solo project van Odilo Girod (Coparck) met Finn Kruyning (Moss) en Jelte Heringa (Most Unpleasant Men) inclusief visuals. The Incredible Comeback of Stan Diego vertrekt morgenochtend na deze primeur naar Mexico om daar op het prestigeuze Ollin Kan festival te spelen. Chop Wood is deze zomer geboekt voor de Parade in Utrecht en Amsterdam.
zondag zullen we in zwolle bij onze vrienden van cafe grizzly's ons cdtje the tip officieel aan het publiek presenteren. we zullen alle 5 nummers van the tip ten gehore brengen en tevens enkele nieuwe songs live uitproberen. kom kijken dan!!!!! in het centrum van Zwolle op de Nieuwe Markt nr. 11 (t.o. het oude postkantoor)
vanaf heden is the tip verkrijgbaar in zwolle bij de minstrel en de plato
Aanstaande donderdag (12/3) spelen Sander en Gijs, bewapend met akoestische gitaar en vioolbas in Skek, Zeedijk 4-8, A'dam, 22:00 u, gratis. Wees welkom!
Op onze myspace kun je 2 nummers van onze nieuwe akoestische demo beluisteren én 2 liedjes van ons binnenkort te releasen full-length album.
Op onze site www. showdog. nl vind je ook nog de gratis download-only single 'Easy Song'!
The United Steel Workers Of Montreal &The Burning Hell-EUROPEAN TOUR 2008! Oct 10 Berlin, Germany@CAFÉ ZAPATA Oct 12&13 Nancy Jazz Pulsation Festival Oct 14 Lyon, France@Le Sirius Oct 16 Valence, France@Mistral Palace Oct 18 Amsterdam NL@De Nieuwe Anita Oct 19Utrecht, NL@dBs(Matinee) Oct.21 Liege,Belguim@TheShamRock Oct.23Groningen,NL.@Vera Oct 25 Berlin, Germany@Bassy More dates being added every day USWM. CA
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