Dangerous Ponies

You may find yourself asking a few questions about the Philly band Dangerous Ponies. For example, what exactly makes a pony dangerous? And what does the band that describes its music with words like "punk rock" and "glitter" sound like? You might also ask what prompts a band to say their music sounds like glitter as opposed to sounding like a carnival.

Finally, you might just ask something simple like whether they prefer regular cheese steaks or chicken cheese steaks.
Dangerous Ponies will answer these questions, no matter where in the continental United States they might be. Currently the seven-piece band is in the great southeastern corner of America, embarking on their first national tour to promote their self-titled second album.
I had to know-what exactly makes a pony a dangerous pony? Everything I've been taught has led me to believe ponies are cute and cuddly and certainly not dangerous.
"I would say the ability to be a dangerous pony relies mostly on the ability to not take one's self too seriously," says guitarist and vocalist Chrissy Tashijan. "It's definitely serious, but it's also just being able to be lighthearted and laugh at yourself sometimes. Some of the most dangerous, brave ponies I know are people who don't mind being silly."
The name Dangerous Ponies comes from personal experience, specifically that of bassist Chris Baglivo. He almost slammed his ponytail in a car door, something that Tashijan adamantly describes as dangerous.
Definitions of dangerous ponies aside, what about the band's musical style? The Ponies recently changed the definition of their sound from punk/rock/carnival music to the equally ambiguous punk/rock/glitter music.
"The whole thing aurally is very 60's inspired," Tashijan says. "And as far as antics go, we definitely have a lot of punk rock influence. The whole thing is supposed to include everyone and bring everyone together."

Dangerous Ponies have a wide range of influences. Tashijan cites the Beatles, the Zombies, Tilly and the Wall, Of Montreal, Weezer and She-Ra as the bands and artists that point Dangerous Ponies in a certain direction.
Tashijan, who has lived in various areas of South Philly, formed Dangerous Ponies three years ago. She had written some rock songs and wanted to expand on them with a larger project. To do this she brought in guitarist and vocalist Evan Bernard and Baglivo. Soon the band was complete with the additions of Tashijan's brother Michael on drums, Kyle Pulley on guitar and the band's hype section of Sarah Green and Brooks A. Banker.
Here's an important question, one that should be asked of all Philadelphia bands-what makes Dangerous Ponies a Philly band?
"We like to get down and dirty," Tashijan says. "We like to bring the party. It's all about blood, sweat and tears. We work really hard, but we are friendly and loving."
As for cheese steaks, Dangerous Ponies are nearly unanimous on this one.
"Faux chicken cheese steak," Tashijan says, possibly the most dangerous thing a Philly band could say. - Origivation

When Derek Dorsey at The Fire asked Jake Rabid and myself to nominate a band for the Northern Liberties Winter Music Festival, the choice was obvious. Dangerous Ponies kicked of 2010 with a fantastic set on Jake’s Sunday night Y-Rock Philly Local Show, and their self-titled debut record on Punk Rock Payroll one of last year’s best. Further, we discovered the Ponies because of a set at 2009’s NoLibs Winter Fest, one of their earliest Philly shows; returning this year would bring things full circle for the band as well as us. Dangerous Ponies the record is a rollicking blast of nonstop indiepop goodness, ranging in tone from breezy to heartbreaking, contemplative to jubilant. Today on the Philly Local Philes, we opt for jubilant. “Bumbershoot” isn’t even two minutes long and it’s jam-packed with a catchy melody, a parsing of a vernacular term for “umbrella,” a shoutout to former Ponies hype girl Gretchen Sims, a reference to the best Golden Girls episode ever, and a massive everybody-in-the-city-sing-along chorus. Take it all in below, and catch them at The Fire on Thursday the 10th, or Danger Danger Gallery on Saturday the 12th. - They Key

Straight out of Philly the Dangerous Ponies through catchy rainbow pop delights have really learned how to make the audience shake their ass. In all honesty it is really hard not to as at any given moment a random Dangerous Pony will walk right off stage and sweep you off your feet and onto the dance floor or at least was the case at one of their SXSW shows (Casa de Gallo). Truly it was one of my favorite shows of that entire week. I picked up their album, Dr. Ponie Medicine Ponie, and have been blaring it from my crappy car speakers for the past week as I sing along to the catchy electric sing alongs. I hope to see these guys come to the area once again. - indie houston

Podcast - HOMOGROUND

Embarrassingly upbeat underground pop from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Dangerous Ponies. From the sounds we're hearing on the band's debut full-length release, it appears that the musicians had one helluva time recording these tunes. Dangerous Ponies songs feature thick layered guitars, dense layered vocals, and impossibly danceable rhythms. The band has a super playful image and sound that is a refreshing change from too many artists who take themselves and their music way too seriously. In some ways these songs remind us ever-so-slightly of The New Pornographers...most likely because of the upbeat melodies and intertwined male / female vocals. Thirteen cool tunes crammed onto this short 31 minute disc. Our initial favorites include "We," "I've Been Going About This Wrong" (sounds like early Todd Rundgren in some ways), "Get Out of Bed," and "What The World Could Be." Can't help but include a memorable line from the band's press release: "Pop-powered ponie people perpetuating pragmatic practicing of positivity" (haw haw!). Lovable stuff from seven cool and lovable folks. Top pick. - Baby Sue

Embarrassingly upbeat underground pop from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Dangerous Ponies. From the sounds we're hearing on the band's debut full-length release, it appears that the musicians had one helluva time recording these tunes. Dangerous Ponies songs feature thick layered guitars, dense layered vocals, and impossibly danceable rhythms. The band has a super playful image and sound that is a refreshing change from too many artists who take themselves and their music way too seriously. In some ways these songs remind us ever-so-slightly of The New Pornographers...most likely because of the upbeat melodies and intertwined male / female vocals. Thirteen cool tunes crammed onto this short 31 minute disc. Our initial favorites include "We," "I've Been Going About This Wrong" (sounds like early Todd Rundgren in some ways), "Get Out of Bed," and "What The World Could Be." Can't help but include a memorable line from the band's press release: "Pop-powered ponie people perpetuating pragmatic practicing of positivity" (haw haw!). Lovable stuff from seven cool and lovable folks. Top pick. - Baby Sue

Raucous, messy and often scintillating indie pop. Dangerous Ponies fail to adhere to any particular song construction style, but the almost omnipresent walking bass keeps everyone in line.

Jaunty is another fine word for many of these songs. It's difficult to avoid smiling when this album trips across the ears. The general disorder of the proceedings tends to charm rather than annoy.

And the sound? All over the place. Sometimes sharp, and sometimes much more muted. Dangerous Ponies connect almost none of the dots and seem to be eternally reaching for more material. Somehow, that all works.

I suspect the astounding energy levels of the band has a lot to do with that. This stuff is crazy crazy, but mostly crazy good.
- Aiding & Abetting

Where Is My Mind?: Dangerous Ponies' Chrissy Tashijan

- by Annamarya Scaccia


When you listen to South Philly’s Dangerous Ponies, it’s a splendid, joyous experience. Their sunbeamy brand of ‘60s pop-infused, gang vocals adorin’ circus masquerade rock is the type that morphs you into a high-octane gale on the dancefloor. And the vibrant collective - consisting of frontwoman Chrissy Tashijan (vox/guitar), her brother Mikey (drums), Evan Bernard (vox/guitar), Chris Baglivo (vox/bass), Kyle Pulley (guitar) and hype-women Sarah Green (keyboard/vox) and Brooks Banker (vox/tambourine)—only intensifies their music on stage, making it hard for your body to resist their high-energy prowess.

With an EP already under their belt, last year’s Dr. Ponie Medicine Ponie, the 7-piece troupe will release their first self-titled full-length on hometown label mainstay Punk Rock Payroll. To support its release, the Ponies will trek across the country for a 25-city tour over the course of October and November, kicking off the ride this Friday, October 15 at Philly AIDS Thrift for their official CD Release Party (they’ll also be doing a run with label mates The Extraordinaires from November 7 - 14). We recently caught up with Chrissy to talk shop about the new record, the Ponies’ colorful personality, and what it means to be a queer-identified troupe in Philly.

The Deli: Did your self-titled full-length turn out the way you expected it to?

Chrissy Tashijan: In some ways yes, in some ways no. I think everyone gets an idea in their head about exactly how something should sound, then there are all of these amazing organic elements that take place that surprise you in the best way. Overall, I think it went beyond my expectations in every way.

TD: How long did it take you to craft the record, from writing to recording to mixing to completion?

CT: Some of the songs we have been writing since before Dr. Ponie Medicine Ponie even came out. But when we got back from our SXSW tour this year, we buckled down, gave ourselves a month of writing, workshopping, and pre-production. We tracked the entire month of July…the WHOLE THING. Then a little bit in August. Editing and mixing happened in August and some of September, and mastering happened right before the records went off to press. We REALLY have Kyle, Chris, and Evan to thank for that. They really powered through, but were very attentive to details and an overall product.

TD: When you decided to embark on this project, did you go into it with a firm idea of its themes and what it was going to sound like or did that flesh out as you went along?

CT: Hmm…well…embarking on the songwriting, we knew we wanted to write a series of songs that lead into each other, with riffs and musical themes that quoted other riffs and musical themes throughout the record. The extent to which we did this ended up fleshing out as we got deeper and deeper into the project.

TD: How does your full-length differ from your EP Dr. Ponie Medicine Ponie, be it conceptually, musically and/or writing process?

CT: The writing process was ALOT more thorough. We were still writing parts when we recorded Dr. Ponie Medicine Ponie. Almost everything was written already when we went into the studio to work on our full-length, so that really gave us time to focus on sounds and tones. Overall, I think that our self-title is just a whole lot more mature, but still keeps the level of fun that we are always aiming for.

TD: Is there anything you wanted to achieve with the full-length that you might not have with the EP?

CT: There is SO much we were able to achieve. I think especially for Kyle, Chris, and Evan. Kyle Pulley runs Simple Machine Recordings (at Headroom Studio's), Chris Baglivo just graduated from Drexel [University] with a concentration in Record Engineering, and Evan Bernard graduated in music industry, but has spent a lot of time engineering records with Chris and Kyle. I think, especially for them, they were able to go into the studio with songs that they were obviously very familiar with and just spend a whole lot of time making things sound beautiful. They did this in all sorts of ways from getting beautiful guitar tones, to getting well-executed takes, to taking their time to listen and re-listen to different mixes. For this recording, we were able to get all of our basics and most of the vocals on tape. And for me personally, I was really happy about the amount the songs were able to marinate and get everyone’s style and input.

TD: The new album's packaging doubles as a CD case and a handmade, screen-printed, ready-to-use mobile. Who designed the artwork and what is the artwork of?

CT: The artwork was a product of Sarah Green and myself. But again, everyone had input and suggestions that helped make it what it is. The main themes of the design are drawings I made of Turritopsis Nutricula (immortal jellyfish). Sarah then turned the drawings into a really beautiful design that is on the front of the mobile. Inside is a really beautiful photograph of Sarah's, [which] you’re just going to have to wait to see. You can usually check out a lot of our designs and photo's on her blog (sarahgreenphoto.blogspot.com).

TD: How did you come up with the mobile concept? Does it tie into the sounds and subjects of the record?

CT: Frede [Zimmer, Punk Rock Payroll’s founder] came up with the idea of a mobile. We invited him to one of our last pre-production rehearsals. He got done listening to the new stuff and was like “I HAVE AN IDEA.” I would say it loosely ties into the sounds and subjects. His main inspiration for the idea was how much he thinks we are always changing and growing, hence the jellyfish, and the moveable packaging.

TD: Speaking of art, Dangerous Ponies is known for its brilliantly colored attire and fondness of glitter and choreographed dance moves. When you formed the band, were these aspects pre-planned or are they just natural reflections of everyone's personalities?

CT: Well, originally when I started the band, the first practice was Evan, Chris, and myself and I said, “We need hype people.” The original idea was just to have someone to play extra percussion, and have an extra voice, and someone that could [be] able to interact with an audience more. Gretchen Simms was the first hype girl. She no longer plays with us. She is a really great friend and sometimes comes out to the shows to shake her honorary booty. At one point, we had Gretchen Simms, Brooks Banker, and Sarah Green, but now it's just Brooks and Sarah. And I must say, they took the original idea and ran a marathon with it. They do such a great job of making the live show really what it is and just turning the fun levels to 11. Brooks and Sarah help put together the outfits, but it couldn't be done without the amazing help of Philly AIDS Thrift too! They do an awesome job…we have a lot of surprises for the release party on the 15th.

TD: With that, you were in a number of local bands, most notably The Bee Team and The March Hare - two bands that are sonically worlds-apart from Dangerous Ponies' funhouse pop-rock. In an interview, you've said that after playing with several bands, you've realized "what you like through the process of elimination". Would you say Dangerous Ponies is the result of that process?

CT: I would. I think just like any musician; I'm always growing and learning. I loved playing with The Bee Team and The March Hare. I certainly helped write everything, but they weren't my songs. It took a lot of digging and feeling out to figure out what I really like to write, and the Ponies is a great venue for that. I'm constantly being challenged by my mates, and I learn a lot helping to develop their songs they bring to the table.

TD: Out of all the types of music genres you've dabbled in, which is your favorite?

CT: Pop pop pop pop pop music. I'm like a junkie.

TD: Dangerous Ponies is one of four local acts on Punk Rock Payroll. What is it like to be on such a close-knit roster?

CT: It's AMAZING. Sometimes, I think we drive Frede nuts [laughs]. But he is super incredible about helping us develop whatever we desire really. We have been so lucky to be able to play in and out of Philly on the good name of Punk Rock Payroll and good word of the bands on the label. It’s amazing how many ideas are born, developed, and produced in that house in South Philly.

TD: Do you think it's important for a band to really cement itself in the local music community? Do you think you've achieved that with the Ponies?

CT: I think so, yes. I think with how DIY the music scene is that we are and want to be a part of, it’s really important to make and nurture those relationships you make with other bands, venues and artists. I think we all have our hands in different projects, and we are all good friends with other bands, and I think that can really be beneficial for every band. We got the honor of being on the 75:24 compilation tape that Ticklebutt [Records] put out that is just a complicated interweaving of bands that are friends, and a lot of which are our friends like Algernon Cadwallader, Bandname, Boyfriends…etc. and we have met a lot of new people through that. People have come out to shows in like Georgia because of that tape.

TD: With both queer and straight members in Dangerous Ponies, you've defined the group as "a band which happens to have queer members", but also identify as a “queer and allied band” so, as you’ve said in an interview, "it's clear that it is a safe space for kids who are queer, or who are trans, but who also like going to rock shows". Does it ever bother you that you have to make that distinction - that, since there’s such a level of intolerance in the music community, you have to make it clear your shows are safe for queer community?

CT: Yeah, sometimes it does bother me. There are definitely shows that happen that I know some people don't feel comfortable going to, so we at least try and say, “HEY IT'S COOL WE'RE HERE.” We really have never had any trouble. It's just kind of a precursor to make people feel at home.

TD: Have you ever experienced opposition within the Philly music scene because the band is queer-identified?

CT: Not even a little bit. We love Philly. If anything, we have experienced sparkles and glitter where you think there isn't any.

TD: Is there a divide between the queer/allied community and straight community within the local music scene that may be deeper than we can see or feel? Is it something that the Ponies are helping to change?

CT: I'm not sure. I'm sure there are in some places. There are so many scenes these days…I definitely wouldn't say we are starting any sort of revolution. We just want to make sure everyone feels safe. There is a lot of intolerance in the world.

TD: You’ve said in the past that Ponies' songs aren't "'issue songs, per se". While you write about love and life as it is - a normal experience for everyone regardless of sexual identity - have you ever been moved to write songs that deal with political and social issues affecting the queer community and beyond?

CT: Sure I have, I just don't think it comes out as a “political” song. I write a lot about social issues and being queer, it's just about my personal experiences with these things, not really in any anthemic sort of way.

TD: Does the Ponies involve themselves in politics or do you try and separate your music from activism?

CT: Like I said, the stuff I write is pretty personal. For example, the songs for Mike I and for Mike II on the new record are about my brother going into the Marines, and my issues, I have surrounding young people who don't know what else to do but that, but it still comes out as a song I am writing about my brother. As a group of people, I would say we are involved in politics in the way that we try and reach out our music to good causes and play a lot of radical queer and other events and fundraisers. But I wouldn't say we are a band that necessarily uses our music for activism or politics like Billy Bragg or something. Although I respect that 200 percent, and it's a part of what we do, I certainly wouldn't say THAT’S what we do.

TD: You mentioned that you performed at SXSW this year. How was the experience?

CT: We have traveled to Austin two years in a row to play different things at SXSW. And the tours have always been a good time. There are SO MANY bands, and SO MANY people, it's really pretty difficult to sift through everything, but also because it's really amazing to be a part of.

TD: What’s your favorite thing to get at the deli?

CT: Egg salad!!! Boosh. - The Deli Magazine - NYC

From Philadelphia — the land that gives you Dr. Dog and The Extraordinaires — comes yet another indie-pop band that likes ornate instrumentation, catchy hooks and challenging, interesting arrangements. It's Dangerous Ponies, and while contributor Sean L. Maloney went with a Country Joe and the Fish/Rentals/Feelies parallel in his Critic's Pick (see below), I probably would have noted that these guys coulda/woulda/shoulda been in the Elephant 6 fam back in the late ’90s. Hear "On a Liner Part I" from their self-titled LP below, and listen to the whole thing at their Bandcamp page.
OK, so we faithfully click on whatever links the crew from local art-bunker Little Hamilton sends our way. It's one of Nashville's most reliable sources for the coolest in experimental, extreme and avant-garde music, and they're our main hookup for some seriously difficult (and worthwhile) listening. So you can believe our shock when we pulled up the Dangerous Ponies to discover that they were a pop band — and not just a pop band but an all-caps AWESOME POP BAND. With punk energy, art-school ingenuity and gorgeous hooks galore, this Philly outfit makes the sort of indie pop that we thought was extinct — you know, fun but still challenging, sweet but still rocking. Sort like if Country Joe and the Fish joined The Rentals to start a Feelies cover band and travel the globe. OK, really nothing like that. But trust us, they're awesome. —SEAN L. MALONEY - Nashville Scene

You realize what you like through process of elimination," says Chrissy Tashjian.


After playing with several bands, the South Philly singer-guitarist has found she likes tambourine and gang vocals, colorful outfits and confetti, and songs that don't just invite you to sing along, they demand it.

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We're sitting out front of Mix on Chestnut Street, sipping $2 lagers down the street from the First Unitarian Church, where Kimya Dawson is playing. Tashjian's occasional band, The Bee Team, has stylistic parallels to Dawson's sprightly, irreverent folk. Her first band, The March Hare, is über-technical punk, all screamy and sadistic.

She still loves both (and felt particularly proud of The March Hare when she heard their new Mister Nimbus, a full-length they finished after her departure), but her current squeeze is the carnivalesque pop-rock troupe Dangerous Ponies.

So how does one go from maniacal punk to jaunty pop?

"In The March Hare, I'd play these crazy technical bass parts, and it was like, 'This is cool, this is so hard to play,'" Tashjian says. "But at home I was writing pop music. It was actually harder."

Pop songs are not praised for their technique in the same way that spasmodic riffs are, but it's there. She points for example to "Friends of Mine," a song by The Zombies that the Ponies are fond of covering in concert.

"There are like 802 chords you play in that song," she says. "And they are not easy to play in succession. But you wouldn't know it when you hear it, since it sounds like just a pop song."

Tashjian first began tinkering with this in the cutely subdued Bee Team; in the Ponies, she adds color, spectacle and feisty rhythm. Her brother, who plays under the stage name Mikey Blunt, pounds his drums all hellacious. The band is decked out in a bright wardrobe that synth player Brooks Banker — aka Brooks A. Breakdancer — picked out during volunteer shifts at Philly AIDS Thrift. Guitarist Evan Bernard adds some counterpoint licks and hollered interjections, bassist Chris Baglivo holds down the low end, hype girls Gretchen Simms and Sarah Green prance and shout and shake a tambourine, and away we go. A-wah-oh-whoa.



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Some of the band's newer songs, the bandmates don't even know by their proper titles. They refer to them by their hooky, wordless refrains. "When You're In Town" becomes "the 'la la la' song." Tashjian's idea was to take that sing-along quality of the funny folk she played in The Bee Team, and put it in a rock song. Let the energy force you to sing along and get swept away with the nutty kids onstage.

"Part of the performance for us is bringing that fun to the crowd," says Banker, who makes a thing of leaping into the front row with Sims, shaking tambourines and dancing in the faces of the audience, getting them to dance along.

"It's always fun for them," Banker laughs. "I mean, I'm forcing that experience on them. But it goes well."

While the Dangerous Ponies are readying their full-length debut, Dr. Ponie, Medicine Ponie, for a May release, this week they're out on their first tour, playing a string of dates on a diagonal path to Texas for Gay by Gay Gay, a queer spinoff of the much-ballyhooed South by Southwest music conference.

Their sexual identity plays a role in the Ponies, but it also doesn't. In the bio blurb on their MySpace page, they put "queer and allied band" higher up than the description of their sound. Half the members are gay, half are straight. But the songs aren't "issues" songs, per se. They're just about love and life; the closest they come to providing "a queer perspective," or whatever, is the occasional silly double entendre. Which leads me to the question — what's the difference between "a queer band" and "a band, which happens to have queer members"?

"Nothing," says Tashjian pointedly. "We are just a band, which happens to have queer members. We only identify as that so it's clear that it is a safe space for kids who are queer, or who are trans, but who also like going to rock shows." - City Paper

Their live shows are some of the most consistently joyful, high-energy affairs you’re likely to find in Philly, what with all the costumes and other theatricalities. But once you delve a little further, the true appeal of the band is apparent. Their songs are certainly exuberant, and maybe even cute, but they’re spared from the cloying quality that seems to plague many “cute” bands. Because even though this album is, more often than not, something you’ll put on just for fun, certain elements, particularly the vocals, indicate experiences that are sincere and intensely felt. - The Deli Magazine