Best of bands 2014: Real Ponchos

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      There are alt-country bands, and there are renegades like the Meat Puppets, Sadies, and Gun Club that twist traditional music into something exciting and wildly new. File Real Ponchos—fronted by singer-guitarists Emile Scott and Ben Arsenault—in the groundbreaking category. The band, which is rounded out by bassist Michael Wagler and drummer Emlyn Scherk, takes country and messes it up in the most glorious of ways on its second full-length, Since I Let You Go.

      Best local release other than yours: [Scott] “On heaviest rotation this year was Hallow Moon’s chilled-out psych debut [Hallow Moon]. They were also gonna be my favourite show of the year for their China Cloud show in March, but I’ll let my compadre take that one.”

      The year’s best gig: [Arsenault] “Marin Patenaude in Horsefly, B.C., at the Arts on the Fly festival, July 12. It was her and her guitar, no PA, in a small hall packed with good folks sitting and standing in the back. I’d never heard her before and her songs were so pure and deep. Her voice, otherworldly. She was really absorbed in the music and so was I. She got me good. She switched to the piano for some big, moody pieces and then Cole [Schmidt] from Pugs & Crows joined for a couple. Whoo, boy.”

      Best album ever: [Scott] “Easy—Bo Diddley’s first [Bo Diddley] from 1958. It’s just the most straight-up, badass, not-giving-a-damn-shit rock ’n’ roll ever. Look at him on that cover, just not giving a shit. Listen to him mumble out the first lyrics on the whole album: ‘Todoleddyparbaby diamond ring.’ What was that, Bo? We should all be so lucky as to not give as many shits as he didn’t.”

      Jonathan Simkin’s paying—where’s dinner? [Arsenault] “I drove all around Mexico for a couple months with an old girlfriend. We ate street tacos pretty much exclusively because they were so damn good. I thought I’d never find that happiness again until eating tacos at La Mezcaleria [1622 Commercial Drive]. Every dish there is exceptional, and the mescal drinks are legendary. Run by excellent folks. Very good vibes.”

      In the spirit of Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty”, who do you want talking dirty to you? [Arsenault] “The babe lead singer from No Sinner [Colleen Rennison]. She’s got a real raunchy stage presence. Badass rock ’n’ roll. I saw them play a while ago and she was shakin’ a lot. Good style. I reckon she’d know how to talk dirty.”

      You won Lotto Max. Where’s your club opening up? [Scott] “I used to play pool sometimes at that billiards hall [East Hastings Billiards, 2305 East Hastings] on East Hastings and Garden in the heart of Hastings-Sunrise, or the ‘East Village’ if your parlance is hip. By the way, I’d like to add The Low End Theory [by a Tribe Called Quest] to best album of all time. Can I do that?”

      Comments

      1 Comments

      Whatever dude....

      Sep 17, 2014 at 12:27pm

      I'm protestin' the pipeline.