Ponys Giddyup To Matador

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 11, 2006 2:00PM

In all the hubbub with Clusterfest, we missed out a rather significant piece of local music news: the Ponys signed with Matador Records.

Matador describes the deal as a worldwide multi-album pact, where they’ll be labelmates with oldsters Yo La Tengo and Mission of Burma as well as Cat Power, Matmos and The New Pornographers.

We describe the deal as kind of awesome. Chicagoist likes guitars and rock and therefore we dig The Ponys. And anything that puts more momentum behind great Chicago bands is a good thing as long as no one ends up having to sell a kidney or his or her soul to do it.

Though Brian Case performed with 90 Day Men at Intonation and Jered Gummere was seen onstage at Pitchfork with Hot Machines, the Ponys, as a group, has been lying low for the summer to write and record songs for an upcoming 2007 release.

With no local shows coming up, their next gig is August 20th at Fuck Yeah Fest in Echo Park, CA. But you’ll probably see one or more of them at the Hideout Block Party. Probably bassist Melissa Elias. We seem to see her everywhere.