Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
PONY, the Toronto-based duo of singer/guitarist Sam Bielanski (they/them) and multi-instrumentalist Matty Morand (they/them), is set to release their new album Velveteen on May 19th via Take This To Heart Records, based on the classic “The Velveteen Rabbit” tale by Margery Williams. Morand and Bielanski, who provides the voice of Jazz Hooves on the current generation of My Little Pony spoke with TGEFM to discuss the record, songwriting during a pandemic and what’s necxt for the duo.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the upcoming release of “Velveteen.” Personally, I’ve been beyond impressed with the singles released. For the uninitiated, could you tell us a bit about yourselves and how PONY came about?
(Sam) PONY initially started after I graduated from theatre school. I wasn’t booking any work and I had
been quietly working on some of my own music for a while, so I started the band with a few friends of
mine at the time. Over the years the line up has changed a lot. But I really feel PONY became what it is
now when Matty joined the band in 2018. TV Baby was the first record we worked on together and it felt
like for the first time I was collaborating with someone who got what I was going for.
(Matty) I actually just realized earlier today that we’ve been doing this together for five years now. Kind of
wild. I was a fan of Sam’s before they asked me to join as the bassist originally and now it’s the two of us
doing it all.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
(Sam) The moment I saw “Josie and the Pussy Cats” in the theatre in 2001 was the moment I realized I
wanted to play guitar. It was the first time I had ever really seen a girl playing and writing her own music. It
blew my mind and to this day that soundtrack is still on heavy rotation in our house.
(Matty) My mom had cool taste so the first albums I really remember hearing were Nirvana’s Nevermind
and Dookie so it was definitely some combination of those two. The first band I ever played in was mostly
a cover band doing Nirvana and Green Day but we had a few originals.
The album title, Velveteen, comes from the classic children’s book, though it’s not a concept album. What is it about that story that influenced the title and tracks and how does it relate to you specifically?
(Sam) I was really struggling with insomnia and anxiety for the better part of a year while we were working
on the record. I was listening to an audio book sleep style podcast version of the story and it kind of broke
my brain. I became obsessed with the story, or at least what I gathered from the bits and pieces I was
hearing. I think I really identified with “The Velveteen Rabbit. His desperation to be seen and validated was
very relatable to me at the time. I felt like he was my friend and I was really rooting for him. I guess the
record being called Velveteen is kind of an homage to our time together.
(Matty) We went through a few pretty heavy years of self reflection. Prior to 2020 we were both working
full time, doing the band, trying to have a social life etc and then suddenly we were in the house 24/7 by
ourselves all the time and it’s like “who am I without all of that?”. I think we saw a lot of ourselves in the
story and a lot of the record is about self reflection and acceptance.
How would you compare the recording of Velveteen in comparison to TV Baby?
(Sam) Recording TV Baby was kind of reminiscent of a fever dream or fever nightmare. We had so many
obstacles. The songs didn’t sound quite right. We had people quit in the studio. We had to get the record
mixed several times, before finally deciding to go back are re-do some things. It was a long and painful
process. Velveteen was so different, we showed up with nearly every part written, we had a very clear
vision for what we wanted each song to sound like. We worked so hard to make sure we were absolutely
satisfied with every detail before moving on to the next song.
(Matty) After everything we went through making TV Baby it became clear that it’s very hard to find people
who are going to care about your art the way that you do yourself so we didn’t want to leave anything up
to chance. All of the songs on Velveteen existed as a few different rounds of demos, sometimes sounding
quite different stylistically from the older versions. We really fussed over them to make them into what we
heard in our heads. After that we made the record with Alex Gamble and ended up being very lucky to
work with an engineer who really did care about the songs.
What’s the state of the scene from your point of view? We are living in a “just deal with COVID” world and everything about this timeline is some level of completely fucked. Beyond the lyrics, what impact, if
any, does the current cultural and political landscape have on the band?
(Sam) I think that now more than ever you really have to want and have a passion for being in a band or
making art in any capacity. I think Matty and I have both surrendered to the fact that we will never have an
easy or comfortable life, but for us its worth it to continue to make music. You really have to be willing to
starve for your art because chances are you will.
(Matty) During the pandemic it kind of felt like this big hopeful moment of change. We talked a lot about
reassessing the way that it works and the way that artists make a living which was pretty neat and
exciting! Now, being back at it it kind of seems like maybe nothing actually changed but what can you do,
I guess. We’re lucky to have come out of it in a little bit of a better position that we were in going into the
pandemic but I also know a lot of people who packed it in, which is a sad reality.
Many of us who were lucky enough to remain healthy during the lockdowns took on hobbies like baking bread or going for family walks in nature. PONY instead challenged yourselves to write a track a day, each. What did you learn from that exercise? Did the 10-tracks of “Velveteen” come from those sessions?
(Sam) Half of the songs on the record are from that exercise, but they have really changed and grown. I
honestly learned so much during that time. I learned how to be okay with writing a bad song, and to be
easier on myself. I think that was one of the most valuable ways we could have spent our down time
because we both really fell in love with songwriting and production in ways I don’t think we would have
had an opportunity to otherwise.
(Matty) It demystified the songwriting process a bit, in a good way! Before it always kind of felt like
performing a miracle or something. You just sit down and will the song to happen and if it doesn’t work
you have failed. It felt like an ability that you could just lose. Doing that project sort of made me feel
invincible. Now I could sit down and write a song any day of the week and if it’s a bad song that’s fine
because I can just start over or repurpose parts of that. Nothing is a failure, it’s all process. When you
make art the goalposts are always moving and you always want the next thing to be the best thing. If you
don’t learn to love the process you probably won’t have much fun.
The music world has also changed a lot over the last few years. What are some of the biggest industry changes you’ve come across in your time within the scene?
(Sam) To me there is still a long way to go. I see a lot of all male bills still.
(Matty) The birth of Stan culture over the last decade or so. I love music in a really obsessive way and I
think there’s so much value in genuinely critiquing our faves rather than just approaching every new
release like a weird little yes man freak. I say this as a humongous Weezer fan: It’s way more fun to be
able to laugh at your faves a little bit.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
(Sam) Triples from Toronto, one of my favourite bands of all time.
(Matty) Supercrush. If there was any justice in this world Mark Palm would be a celebrity. Woolworm is
another one.
Beyond the release of Velveteen, what’s next for PONY?
(Sam) We didn’t really get a chance to tour our first record because of the pandemic. So I truly hope
Velveteen can have a long life on the road. I am really looking forward to playing these new songs for
everyone.
(Matty) Tour tour tour tour tour
Thank you again for your time. Before we say our goodbyes, was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
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Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
