Update 11-11

The year is almost coming to an end, time for reminiscence and resolutions – hoping Ponoka will pop up on some lists, of course… As for us, it’s been a memorable year, with our new album out, half the band quiting, and then our decision to have a break.

We’re not sitting still though. Rick is currently writing songs for a new album. It promises to be something special again, no more ordinary discs in ordinary cases for us. Going for a breezy americana sound this time around. And contemplating something totally different after that – but we’ll get into that some other time. Plenty of ideas, anyway.

What will 2012 bring for the band, any new members lined up? Not just yet, we might be going for a more project based approach in the future, but for now Rick, Theo, and Jon are just taking her easy for all you sinners.

We wish you a nice, warm December, and promise to keep you posted when new shit comes to light.

(And we apologize for all the unnecessary Big Lebowski quoting.)

Chilling out in Zalk

Rick played a song for Eljee Bergwerff’s Zalker Sessions. Or actually two, but the second one (1996) is coming later. First up, here’s the traditional hymn ‘It is Well With My Soul’. Check out www.zalkersessions.com for more info.

 

Sabbatical

We have some unfortunate news. You may remember how three Ponoka members left the band earlier this year. Then we told you we’d try to do some acoustic shows with the remaining band – Rick, Theo, Jon – after the summer, while searching for new memebers.

Turns out we were a little too optimistic. It’s been a busy year, and after considering the options we’ve decided tot take some time off. Not sure how much time, maybe a year or so. But don’t worry, we’re not splitting up.

For updates, keep visiting this site. Our latest album Outtakes from the Revival Songbook will be out on CD soon (currently it’s only available with Rick’s novel Nineve, or as a download), more on that later. And we’ll probably be working on some new music sooner or later.

To see what Theo’s up to in the studio, visit WoodenCup.nl. For more on Rick’s side projects keep an eye on RickdeGier.com (in Dutch).

Anderson commercial

Nice one for our VOLKOREN buddies Anderson: a Greek cookie company used one of their songs in a commercial. Since the CD market sort of crashed, that’s a good way to make a buck as a musician. We personally think the song is just a bit more memorable than the commercial though…

‘Outtakes’ out on CD

For all you foreigners and non-readers out there, this fall Volkoren and Brandaan will release Outtakes from the Revival Songbook, the latest Ponoka album, on CD only. Currently the album is only available in combination with the (Dutch) novel Nineve by Rick de Gier.

Besides finally being able to fit the album next to your other Ponoka CDs, another advantage of course will be a friendly price. Other bonuses are included, more on them later. We’ll keep you updated at this site.

CH-CH-CH-CHANGES

Welcome to the new Ponoka website. Practical is the new flashy, if you ask us: no pop-ups and animations, just easy to find information and regular updates. And there is quite a bit to update you about…

As you must already know, in March we released our new album ‘Outtakes from the Revival Songbook’, in combination with ‘Nineve’, the Dutch debut novel written by Ponoka-singer Rick. (Find out more about it here, listen on iTunes or Spotify, or get book + CD at your local record or book shop.)

A whole lot of reviews are in, and they’re pretty much all extremely positive. Read more about that on the Reviews page.

We’ve played a few great shows to promote the new record, including a release party in a packed Ekko, our favorite hang-out in our home town Utrecht.

After that we had some sad news: no less than half of the band decided to quit: singer Alice, keyboard player Laurens, and drummer Lucas. No fights, no drug or groupie related scandals, just tight schedules, jobs, families etc. That’s right, the rock ‘n’ roll life ain’t easy kids.

At this moment, during our summer break, we’re busy forming a new band (singer Rick, bass-player Jon and guitarist Theo are fortunately still with us), and working on a series of shows we want to play in the fall.

In the meantime, stay tuned: we will keep you posted here on all the new developments, and reviews, which are still coming in. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and for the Dutch readers, to check out Rick’s blog (check the links on the right).