FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

1. THE PONY INTERVIEW WITH THE LIVING END
2. THURSDAY NIGHT PARTIES AT THE STONE PONY
3. CALENDAR OF EVENTS

This Week at The Stone Pony: Gorilla Biscuits and Comeback Kid (Friday), Marty Casey and The Love Hammers (Saturday), John Eddie's Summer Scorcher (Sunday), The Living End (Monday)

New on The Stone Pony Calendar: God Forbid (August 18), Benefit for the Garden Academy Concert in the Sun for Autism with Marc Rizzo of Soulfly (August 20), The Last Blast of Summer (August 27), Strike Anywhere (September 22)

Visit The Stone Pony on MySpace.com at: http://www.myspace.com/ponyrock

THE LIVING END BRINGS THEIR AUSTRALIAN NUMBER ONE ALBUM TO THE UNITED STATES

They are one one of Australia's biggest bands.  The trio from Melbourne -  Chris Cheney (singer/guitarist), Andy Strachan (drums) and Scott Owen (double bass) - has scored a quintuple-platinum album, two platinum and five gold records with the three full-length albums they've released since 1999's self-titled debut.  Combining punk rock energy with masterful songwriting, The Living End have also become Warped Tour favorites here in the States, while continuing to build a huge following in the land down under.  Now in the midst of their own headlining national tour with The Lashes, The Living End takes over the legendary Pony stage on Monday, August 7.  Their latest album, "State of Emergency," was released in their home country in February, debuted at number one and is already on its way to going platinum.  The disc has spawned two hit songs on the Australian singles chart with "What's On Your Radio" and "Wake Up," which hit the charts at #9 and #5 respectively.  "State of Emergency" was released here in the United States on Adeline Records/East West on July 11 and the band is hoping to duplicate that success here in the States with a collection of tracks that display some of their best punk rock chops mixed with sounds as eclectic as psychedelia, jazz and nods to their Aussie predecessors.  The results are not to be missed, on CD or live here on Ocean Avenue.  The Pony Newsletter interviewed Cheney, the creative force behind the band, about their success in Australia and how they hope to translate it once again here in the U.S.

The Stone Pony: The band just finished a three-week stint on the Warped Tour. How was that experience for the band and are there any shows that were especially memorable?

Chris Cheney: The Warped Tour has been a blast. I can honestly say I've had more fun on this Warped than the previous few times we've done it. I just think we are playing great shows and the audiences have been really great. Memorable shows, San Fran, Gorge Amphitheatre, Pamona. We have only had a couple of duds but they were only that way because the heat was a little too uncomfortable.

The Stone Pony: Your upcoming gig at The Stone Pony is part of your own headlining tour. Does it feel different to be the headliner, as opposed of being part of a group of bands such as Warped? Do you feel any more pressure when it’s your name alone on the marquee, or it is tougher to play for a bunch of fans who might be more interested the band that just played or the one that’s coming up next?

CC: I don't have a preference as far as Warped shows or our own shows, but the advantage of headlining is that we can play for more than half an hour. Considering we are here to promote [our] new record, I am looking forward to the longer set so we can showcase new stuff. We are really enjoying playing the new material.

Our own shows tend to be a bit more crazy than the Warped gigs, incidentally.

The Stone Pony: Your fantastic new album, “State of Emergency,” has just been released here in the U.S. and has already gone platinum in Australia after making its debut at number one. Would you say there are any significant differences between your fans in Australia and in the U.S.? When you’re creating the album, do you find that you’re ever writing music for one market or the other?

CC: The only difference between home and here is that we have a lot more well-known songs at home. It's a bit easier to pull out a hit if the crowd's a bit lackluster. But, I quite like going to a different territory and playing 'cause it's a challenge and you have to work the crowd and hopefully win them over.

The Stone Pony: “State of Emergency” was produced by Nick Launay, best known for his work with INXS, Gang of Four, Midnight Oil and Silverchair. Why did you want Launay to be a part of this album and do you think he brought something different out of the band on this recording? After having all of the success that you’re had, it is still possible to learn something new with a great producer behind the faders?

CC: We chose Nick for a couple of reasons; A, because we had worked with him before and we got along so well and made a good record, "Roll On," and B, we trust him and know that whatever album we decide to make chances are he can help us realize our vision. It's his variety and body of work that means we can talk to him about all kinds of music.

He also gets our humour and is a very funny chap which is handy if you're gonna spend so much time together.

The Stone Pony: You’ve gotten really good at adding all sorts of different elements to your music while still sounding like The Living End. Do you ever come up with an idea for a song that you reject because you feel it strays too far from your core style or it is a challenge to take any good idea and make it fit?

CC: The only time we EVER reject a song is if the song sucks! We are not opposed to playing around with different styles and incorporating that into what we do. It's boring to play it safe and narrow minded to put rules on what you will and won't write.

We definitely try to keep it fresh by pushing ourselves as players and try to listen to all types of music. There's too much good stuff out there. One thing we try and be aware of is that if we do a different type of tune, then we still want to have our own stamp on it but I think everything we do sounds like us anyhow.

The Stone Pony: How long did it take to record “State of Emergency”? Does the band generally go into the studio with a very clear idea of how you want the album to sound, or is there a lot of experimentation that goes on? Are there certain songs that sound a lot different on the final record then when they were first rehearsed?

CC: We went into the recording with a three week plan. Go in, slam it down and get out! Simple, not quite. It turned into about six weeks and became quite difficult and time consuming. The main reason was that once we got in there and laid down the bare tracks it became apparent that some of the songs were going to need a lot more care and effort than first thought.

Some of the songs changed arrangements, intros were added, outros were extended. We though we were prepared, but it doesn't matter how set in stone something is, if a better idea comes up you gotta run with it or try it at least.

It's just the nature of this band. I can't let things go without exploring all the possibilities. Some of the songs changed a lot from writing to recording ... unrecognizable.

The Stone Pony: In May, you signed with Adeline Records/East West for the release and distribution of “State of Emergency”. Did you go through a long process of trying to decide on a label for the album, and were there any factors that made Adeline the best choice for the American release of this record?

CC: We spoke to a few people but Adeline was the best and we felt they understand the band. They have a heart and a vision for this band that is very important to us. We believe this record deserves a shot and they basically just said all the right things! Bit more complicated than that but when you get right down to it, you want a relationship that is going to be successful and last.

The Stone Pony: American fans might know of Australian bands that hit big here in the States, but can you describe the overall state of the music scene there? Are there pockets of great music in the major cities such as Melbourne, or are there great live music venues around the country?

CC: Australia has a very healthy live music scene, always has done. There are lots of places to play and really some world class musos and bands in general. I just think it's difficult to get over here and, unfortunately, some of them never make it outside of Australia.

Melbourne and Sydney have always bred a lot of great bands, but recently there has been a bunch of great stuff coming out of Perth, western Australia. Eskimo Joe, Sleepy Jackson, End of Fashion, Little Birdy, Gyroscope, all great bands.

The Stone Pony: A couple of months ago, The Living End became the second Aussie band to do an iTunes exclusive album. How important have digital sales of music become to the band, as opposed to conventional CD sales? Do you anticipate doing more online releases of your music, and do you anticipate a time when bands will be able to build a career strictly by releasing their music online?

CC: I think you gotta be part of it. No point objecting or you get left behind. For my liking, I prefer vinyl still! But, let's be honest, digital music is faster and easier and that's what the world wants. People don't seem to have the time to go record shopping anymore which I find sad but true. The thing that sucks is obviously when people rip music from their friends. That's not supporting the band, but you can't police it.

Our sales have definitely been affected by this, but I think every artist is going to suffer equally.

The Stone Pony: What are your plans for promoting “State of Emergency” in the United States? Will you release “What’s On Your Radio,” and “Wake Up,” as singles since they were already hits on the Australian singles chart and do you anticipate making any videos for the tracks for MTV?

CC: Our plan is simple, tour, tour and then tour some more. The best way to get our message across and to put this band on the map is to get in front of a live audience. We have committed ourselves to spending serious time in the U.S. in order to promote this record.

We really worked hard on this album so now it's time to show it off. Our favorite part of playing in a band is playing live music. I can't imagine not touring and playing, it's all we've ever done and there's nothing like doing a gig and ripping the roof off the place.

As far as singles go, we have had two top 5 singles back home and we are on # 3 now. It would be great to see a couple of songs released here also.

The videos are already done it's just a matter of whether MTV want to play them.  Do they even play music videos anymore?

The Living End's latest album, "State of Emergency" is available online and at fine music retailers such as Jack's Music in Red Bank, NJ.  The official Living End website can be found at www.thelivingend.com.