THE RED PONY
FAULT: How did you all meet and start making music?
We all met at different shows. The local music scene in Kochi isn’t very big so it was pretty easy meeting up and deciding to make music together. The one thing I didn’t expect was for our musical tastes to be different. So we had to really hash that out and after that things just clicked.
FAULT: How was 2010 for you?
Last year we only played a few shows a month. Each time we played we felt like we really improved on the show and our ability to convey our spirit in the music. We were also pretty busy working on putting together a single which we recorded and mixed ourselves so that took up a lot of time. Our bassist left us at the end of the year so now we’re trying to make do without one. So overall it hasn’t been an easy year but we’ve been really productive and we’ve grown in our sound.
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FAULT: What is it like being a band based in Japan?
We’re Japanese so it’s our home but since we write a lot of our songs in English and we draw a lot of inspiration from bands based in the US and the UK it’s kind of hard to be really accepted here. We don’t really listen to other Japanese artists either so we tend to sound a bit different than the other gigs around. I really hope we can be based in the UK someday.
FAULT: Where did the name The Red Pony come from?
My sister has the book “The Red Pony” by John Steinbeck and I spotted it on her shelf and I just really liked the sound of it so we went with it.
FAULT: Who was your biggest influence growing up?
I’m still growing up, despite my age. While I was in junior high school I got into The Beatles but by the time I was in high school I really fell in love with Jesus and Mary Chain. Since then I’ve been really into psychedlic rock and the shoegaze scene.
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FAULT: Do you have a creative input when it comes album artwork?
Not really. We just sort of go with a certain concept and try to express that as vaguely as possible. My sister made the artwork for our single and basically the idea behind it is that when you open a door there’s usually a chair waiting for you. You just have to go through the door first. So it’s sort of like showing you one of many possibilities if you take the first step.
FAULT: What are you currently working on? What can we expect from you in 2011?
We’re now working on some new songs for a full album and practicing for our live performances. We would like to start touring around Japan and other countries if we get the opportunity. Right now we don’t have a label but we’ve gotten some interest from some UK labels so hopefully we’ll know more soon.
FAULT: Can you sum up your sound in 3 words?
Not really but we’ll try… mellow, high contrast, lonely. Sorry that was 4.
FAULT: Can you tell us what the track a day of a girl is about?
Our singer Nanaki wrote this song about her favorite dream. The song is really an extension of her personality and the lyrics are really just a list of some of her favorite things.
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FAULT: Do you write from personal experiences?
Sometimes a friend and my sister help with the song writing, especially the lyrics so you’d have to ask them about those but mostly we write songs to match our delusions.
FAULT: Do you have live shows coming up?
All of the shows we have coming up are in Kochi Japan but if you happen to be in town – we’ll be playing 2 shows in February and 1 in March.
FAULT: What is your FAULT?
Earthquakes and perverts. But we voted against them.