Tag: Jason Harris

The life of an artist is one that frays the tether to safety and comfort.  Yet, it is on this edge of risk that magic happens, and The Show Ponies’ new album We’re Not Lost is proof of the rewards of taking a leap of faith.  The album is a realization of both their ardent fan base (who mainly funded the album), and the power of setting a goal and trusting the process.  “The paradox of having a pretty good idea where we’re supposed to end up but having no clue what’s between you and the final destination is one I think we all experience,” says Jason Harris (banjo, guitar, and vocals).  “It’s what gives the five of us this absurd and, at the same time, rational notion that we’re not just random agents of movement and location, but that we’re moving toward something.”  What they’re moving toward is becoming one of the hottest Old Tyme groups out of the West Coast, with a stellar fresh out College album that flirts effortlessly with a modern new-roots sound and a hard-driven progressive beat.

The young quintet is led by Andi Carder (lead vocal and guitar) and Clayton Chaney, both Texan-born, who lay the song-writing foundation.  “The process usually starts with Andi or me having some kind of skeleton of a song,” says Clay, who sings lead vocal and plays bass.  “Then Jason, Phil and Kevin start to add muscle and organs and flesh to it until it’s like a moving, breathing creature.” The resulting songs on We’re Not Lost are both lyrically timeless and humorous, as in the song “Whiskey and Wine,” a back-and-forth song so perfectly timed it could be a Vaudeville skit, in which the lovestruck man declares, “Girl / You take my breath away!” only to be met with “Then go ahead and suffocate!”

Jason Harris joined The Show Ponies after producing their last album, but feels like he’s always been an integral part of the group.  Award-winning fiddler Philip Glenn showcases his vast talents in a variety of styles, adding rich support to each track. Kevin Brown’s innovative percussive skills add the final piece to this already tight-sound group, and along with special guests Sarah McGrath on cello and David Burrows on double-bass, we get a unique and progressive sound that shows exactly why The Show Ponies fans were so eager to make certain We’re Not Lost became a reality.

From the floor-breaking bluegrass-tinged “Baby, I’m In Love With You,” to the heart-ache stop-everything ballad “The River,” The Show Ponies make sure everyone has something to love on We’re Not Lost. The Show Ponies went “deeper in the wilderness and farther from safety,” explains Clay, in creating a 100% crowd-sourced album, but the result is one that we can all appreciate.  The full line of the album title, the band explains, is “we’re not lost, we just don’t know where to go.”  From here, only one way—up.

Artist’s website: https://www.facebook.com/theshowponies