Bad Pony is Forever Up & Coming
Photo by: Richard Clifford (@rcstills)
After 10 years together as a band, 12 national tours and 3 international shows, Bad Pony have released their long awaited debut album, ‘Forever Up & Coming’. An album that has been 3 years in the making and the band couldn’t be happier to finally have it out in the world and not saved on “on a private Soundcloud playlist”. We caught up with Bad Pony’s Jarred to ask him about the new album, Radio vs Streaming and the live shows they have coming up at the end of the month.
Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for Music Kingdom Australia
Hello, Thank you for asking them :)
For those that haven’t heard your music before, how do you describe your sound? which genre label do you give yourselves?
Genre is a hard one. We’re definitely a rock band but also this album is such a spectrum. There are orchestral arrangements and punk and prog elements and even rap so who knows 🤷🏼♂️
You have just released your debut album ‘Forever Up & Coming’, an album three years in the making. Are you excited to finally have it released?
We have indeed! Yes we’re excited and relieved that it doesn’t just live on a private Soundcloud playlist anymore.
“We were actually able to fund it ourselves from streaming income in the end ”
Did you face any challenges during the making of ‘Forever Up & Coming’?
We tried to get some financial backing from labels/distributors to help fund PR and vinyl printing which was tricky. We were actually able to fund it ourselves from streaming income in the end so it’s GREAT that we waited so long! Living across 4 cities during the bulk of the recording process was pretty tricky too, but we made it work.
Album Art by: Richard Clifford (@rcstills)
Do you have a favourite track of the album or any songs that are particularly special to you?
Back To Basics is a nice nostalgic one for us about a rehearsal studio we used to have back in Sydney. We spent lots of time and had lots of parties there, it was a special place. You’re Garbage was the most fun to record/rap. And Monster was the most challenging to track but I LOVED playing the bass on that one!
The album was self-produced, were these skills you already had or something you needed to learn along the way?
A bit of both. Sam and I have been producing for a while. I REALLY cut my teeth over lockdown producing my solo EP (which is called happy(ish) by Jarry). We’re always learning new tricks too!
Knowing what you know now, will you produce the next album or will you bring someone else in to do it?
We’ll definitely do it ourselves! I love producing. I’ve been working with lots of artists over the last couple of years and run a studio out of my house. We’ve already started work on album 2.
Bad Pony formed over ten years ago and in that time you have done 12 national tours and 3 international shows. Why has it taken you ten years to release the debut album?
We’ve really been focussed on touring over that time so we poured all our energy into that. The best way to promote the tour cycle was with singles so we just went down that route for many, many years. We also took a lot of time to refine, rewrite and reproduce tunes so that they were just right.
You have received massive Radio support in Australia, do you think this played a part in your success even though you were albumless?
I wouldn’t say that we’ve received massive radio support in Australia. Most of our singles have had a fleeting spin or two on Triple J and a few other stations but no real long-term support or engagement. Spotify is where it’s at for us for sure!
“If we could expand the quota to include music broadcast in public spaces, live TV and Australian produced film, television and media I think that would be an incredible help to the industry.”
Do you think the 25% minimum quota of Australian music on our radio stations is a fair number given the ever-expanding talent pool we have in this country? Would you like to see that number increased or even a dedicated Aussie station?
I would definitely like to see it increased. We are so incredibly lucky with the amount of amazing artists in this country. However, radio is a dying medium with a dwindling audience. If we could expand the quota to include music broadcast in public spaces, live TV and Australian produced film, television and media I think that would be an incredible help to the industry.
Your songs ‘Zombie’ & ‘Down To You’ hold big numbers via streaming services, so what are your thoughts on streaming services? Are they helping or hurting the industry?
I was thinking about this today. Both, really. Streaming has been great to us and has allowed us to continue to be DIY without investing personal money into the band. However, streaming services create an environment where music is not valued particularly highly and perhaps promotes “exposure” culture. The music industry/capitalist system/human nature since civilization have always ensured the greedy little a-holes with the money and the power receive the lion’s share and I don’t expect that to change any time soon unless we, the peasants revolt. So if you’re planning a revolt, please let us know. I’ll write a war cry or something.
Are there plans to tour for the album?
Indeed. We’re playing:
Friday 24th Feb The Cambridge Warehouse Newcastle
Saturday 25th Feb The Botany View Hotel Sydney
Sunday 26th Feb North Wollongong Hotel
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is they do that keeps your world turning?
Isaac. He’s a quiet, sweet man and an incredibly talented musician. He had never played keyboard before he joined this band and now plays them like a monster. Also, he’s been shredding guitar since our old guitarist Cron left last year and picked up all the parts like he wrote them. A true genius and gentleman.
What can we look forward to from Bad Pony for the rest of year?
We’re taking some time off after the album shows for baby reasons. We’ll hopefully be done with the new album by the end of the year so MORE NEW MUSIC YAYYYYYY!
FOREVER UP & COMING TOUR DATES
Friday 24th Feb The Cambridge Newcastle NSW *
Saturday 25th Feb The Botany View Hotel Sydney NSW *
Sunday 26th Feb North Wollongong Hotel Wollongong NSW *
* Free Show
Interview by Michelle Symes
February 2023