FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
1. THE PONY INTERVIEW WITH TEGAN QUIN OF TEGAN AND SARA
2. THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE STONE PONY: LADIES NIGHT
3. CALENDAR OF EVENTS
This Week at The Stone Pony: Jersey Style Wednesday (Wednesday), John Eddie (Friday), Matt O'Ree Band (Saturday), Summerslam (Sunday)
New on the Stone Pony Calendar: John Eddie (July 8), Matt O'Ree (July 9), Summerslam (July 10), Open Mic Night (July 11), Tegan and Sara (July 13), Q And Not U (July 17), Open Mic Night (July 18), Joe Grushecky and The House Rockers (July 22), Disco Biscuits (July 23), Badfish Tribute to Sublime (July 30), Pat Green (July 31), Saturday Night Special Skynyrd Legends Tour 2005 (August 5), Corvette Show and Bikini Model Calendar Shoot (August 13), Last Perfect Thing (August 14), Dickey Betts and Great Southern (August 20), Umphrey's McGee (August 24), Perpetual Groove (August 28)
SPECIAL CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT
FRIDAY, JULY 22ND, 2005
JOE GRUSHECKY AND THE HOUSE ROCKERS
With Special Guests ANTIGONE RISING
JOE D'URSO AND STONE CARAVAN, DAWNE ALLYNNE
Tickets: $20 - Doors: 7:30 pm
Visit The Stone Pony on MySpace.com at: http://www.myspace.com/ponyrock
TEGAN AND SARA'S SUMMER 2005 TOUR STOPS AT THE JERSEY SHORE
One of the hot tickets of the summer belongs to the Canadian sisterly duo Tegan and Sara, who stop at The Stone Pony on Wednesday, July 13 while touring up and down the East Cost, before heading west, then way west over to Australia and New Zealand in August. The duo first appeared on the Canadian music scene in 1998, and quickly earned a series of dates performing with Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair. The band signed with Neil Young's Vapor Records in April 2000, touring with Young and releasing their first album with the label (and second release overall), This Business of Art, a few months later. A follow-up CD, If It Was You, came two years later, along with tours support Hot Hot Heat, Ben Folds, Ryan Adama and The Pretenders. Now supporting their fourth album, So Jealous (Vapor/Sanctuary), the twin sisters, who were born in Calgary, Alberta, have created a powerful and affectionate connection with their fans both through personal and honest lyrics and a compelling and engaging live show. And did we mention that they rock?
The Pony Newsletter interviewed Tegan Quin during a brief break in touring to get the story so far and some background information on the creation of So Jealous. She gave us some cool insights into other great bands coming out of Canada and what fans can watch for from the band in the months ahead. Don't miss their appearance at the club on July 13, since this will definitely be one of those shows that you can brag about to your friends and sound really cool when you tell them you saw Tegan and Sara in such a intimate setting.
The Stone Pony: You're currently working on a major summer tour through the UK, U.S. and Europe. Are there any shows that you're especially looking forward to or cities that you especially want to visit? Do you generally get to play tourist when you're on the road, or is everything just buzzing past outside the bus window?
Tegan Quin: Mostly we just get to see the area around the club. Which is often enough. We love touring to new places so this summer we are going to a lot of new places. We are touring through Europe right now and we are going to Australia after our July U.S. tour. It is all very exciting. Every city is different and so every audience is different as well. This keeps things interesting at least.
The Stone Pony: Can you remember the first musical experience that you shared together? Were you always musical and just assumed it would be a part of your life, or did you get exposed to it at some point and began to pursue it?
TQ: We started playing piano at 8. We had tinkered with it before at age 4 but we were not serious until 8. We started writing guitar stuff when we were 14. Sara and I wrote our first song together but since then have always written alone. We do collaborate at different times in the songs, though. When we lived together at home we would get involved earlier than we do now.
The Stone Pony: Would you share the story of how your demo wound up being heard by Neil Young? You've mentioned in interviews that it was intimidating meeting him for the first time, but what was that meeting like and did he give you any advice or insight into what he liked about what he heard?
TQ: I think the first time we met him we were very nervous. We were in Austin for SXSW. He was releasing a live DVD of him playing songs from Silver and Gold. He was so tall. The only advice he gave was to not worry about Canada; that it was our home and would always be there. To travel and be international artists. His manager Elliot Roberts is who heard us first and with Neil’s approval came to Vancouver to see a show. We signed with Vapor soon afterwards. We don't have a lot of contact with Neil but we feel very supported by him, his label and manager. They are very hands off with us, which we appreciate. I think they are confident in our abilities.
The Stone Pony: Where were some of your first live gigs, and do you remember the first time you were paid for a show?
TQ: We played live for friends a lot. Our first real show was at the University in Calgary. We played a contest there where the prize was some recording time. After that, we spent a few months playing local shows in coffee shops and bars. We toured to Ontario and did a few shows there and then made the trek to Vancouver to play. Our first concert when we were 10 was New Kids on The Block. Then, the next year, we saw Bruce Springsteen.
The Stone Pony: Are you naturally comfortable being on stage or do you have pre-show rituals you go through to try and calm your nerves?
TQ: I think we both emulate this very confident persona but we are very shy, in fact. Projecting that much energy and emotion almost buffers you from the pressure of actually standing up there in front of everyone. Our pre-show ritual is 15 minutes alone with the band. Mostly we just gossip and laugh.
The Stone Pony: Have you found any differences in the music scenes and audiences in Canada and in the United States? Are there cities in Canada that have especially vibrant music scenes and do you have much opportunity these days to catch shows and hear new music just as a fan?
TQ: I don't know that I know enough about the different scenes in the U.S. or Canada to speak about them articulately, but I can say that there is great music coming out of both countries. Playing in both countries is very comforting and exciting. We have a great following in both countries. We see music when we can but mostly we just try to get bands we like or have heard before and want to hear again to open for us. Touring is where we see a lot of live music. There is so much coming from Canada right now. Each province really has its own scene and set of bands that are doing well. Obvious ones would be Toronto and Montreal with bands like Broken Social Scene, Metric and Feist. From Montreal, The Arcade Fire and The Stills. Tons of great bands live in other places in Canada. You have the Weakerthans from Winnipeg and The New Pornographers from Vancouver. Nelly Furtado came from Victoria and then, of course, there is Tegan and Sara from Calgary/Vancouver/Montreal.
The Stone Pony: You went into the studio for your latest CD, "So Jealous," with 26 new songs written. Are all 14 tracks on the album taken from that original 26?
TQ: Yes.
The Stone Pony: Do you expect any of that other material to eventually be released and were there any battles over songs that did or didn't make it onto the album?
TQ: There were no battles. The right songs always fit right into place. We both understand the importance of having a cohesive and balanced record. Remaining tracks will hopefully be distributed in some manner. Be it b-sides or free downloads off our website; they will be heard!
The Stone Pony: Shed a little light on your songwriting technique. Do you tend to fill notebooks with odds and ends that you put together into songs later on, or do you develop a single song idea until you have something you consider finished?
TQ: We both develop single song ideas first. Both always melodies and guitar then lyrics and melody.
The Stone Pony: When you perform live, do you always stick to the original song lyrics, or do you still play around with them to see what works. Do you believe that a song has a final form that shouldn't be changed or that it can continue to evolve endlessly?
TQ: I don't think you need to keep a song the same forever. You have to re-inspire yourself each night. Sometimes it is musically or sometimes lyrically. Sometimes it is just what you picture in your head while you sing the song.
The Stone Pony: You both share producing credits on the album, along with John Collins, David Carswell and Howard Redekopp. Do you enjoy the technical aspects of making a recording and how do you balance trying to achieve the right sound at the mixing board against just being musician control freaks?
TQ: I think we both loved producing. Sara and I both record at home and have been perfecting sounds that we like for a few years now. This was a great opportunity to use some of those skills. John, Dave and Howard were the real specialists behind the types of microphones and running the actual board, but being there to make the call on the actual feel and vibe of the record is something Sara and I need to do. Call us control freaks, but it is our songs, they are our babies and I can't imagine leaving it all up to someone else.
The Stone Pony: Have you given any thought yet to recording a follow-up to "So Jealous" and do you expect to be entering the studio again this year? Are there any projects outside of the current tour that you're working on and would like fans to look out for?
TQ: We are not working on any other musical side projects. I am working on a new tour video for the website. Recently we shot a live DVD that we hope to release in the fall. Sara continues to work on new designs for our merchandise with Emily Storey, our designer. No follow-up to "So Jealous" is in the works yet but we are always writing and a new record will appear some day; when we can get off the road long enough to write and record it.
Tegan and Sara's official website can be found at www.teganandsara.com.
Now at AsburyPark.net:
Antique and craft market held in park: A new
addition to the city's summer events calendar made its debut over the
weekend. The Tillie Town Antique and Craft Market in Bradley Park featured
vendors of all types of arts, crafts, memorabilia and collectibles.
THURSDAY NIGHTS AT THE STONE PONY: LADIES NIGHT
The hottest Thursday night continues with LADIES NIGHT at The Stone Pony.
The best in house, hip hop, reggae and trance with DJ John Farruggio. 18 for girls, 21 for guys. ID a must! Doors open at 9 pm. Dress to impress. $1 Miller Lite & MGD drafts all night. Beat the Clock Heineken bottles starting at $1.
Come see for yourself why Thursday nights are the hottest with Ladies Night at the Pony!
