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When it comes to Tina and Her Pony, the name is the same, but many other things have changed.<\/p>\nWhen it comes to Tina and Her Pony, the name is the same, but many other things have changed.<\/p>\n
Classically-tinged Americana\/folk outfit Tina and Her Pony got their start in Asheville in 2010. At that point, the lineup featured singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Tina Collins and cellist Quetzal Jordan. But shortly after forming, the two-person group decamped for Taos, New Mexico. \u201cWe just needed something different,\u201d Collins says. And the group had some connections out West: Collins\u2019s aunt, Jenny Bird was already a well-established figure in the artists colony of Taos. \u201cOur fan base grew really quickly out there,\u201d Collins says.<\/p>\n
She says that the region\u2019s character worked its way into the original songs of Tina and Her Pony, too. They released their self-titled debut album in 2012. In support of that record, the two set out on the road. \u201cWe left Taos to tour full time,\u201d Collins says. But after 18 months of touring, the two were \u201cburnt out,\u201d she says. Around that time, Collins\u2019 father \u2013 who lived in Asheville \u2013 was diagnosed with cancer. \u201cSo we decided to stop touring and move back to Asheville,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a random choice to come back,\u201d Collins says. The group had outgrown the vibrant yet tiny music scene in Taos, with its population of less 7,000 persons. \u201cIt was time for the next level,\u201d Collins says. \u201cAsheville\u2019s music scene was a great next step.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins\u2019s own musical career began years before Tina and Her Pony; she recorded and released her solo debut, Journey Onward<\/i>, in 2009, and toured with a five-piece band backing her. So when she and Jordan split \u2013 after the release of 2017\u2019s Champion<\/i> \u2013 Collins continued as Tina and her Pony.<\/p>\n
The sound of Tina and Her Pony has undergone subtle but significant changes along the way. While rooted in Americana, elements of jazz, baroque pop and classic singer-songwriter values inform the music on Marigolds<\/i>, the group\u2019s latest full-length release. The album came out March 1 and is available on CD, digital and vinyl LP.<\/p>\n
Some might detect the understated influence of songwriters like Carole King or Natalie Merchant in Collins\u2019s compositions and arrangements. She waves those suggestions away, instead citing an affinity for the musical stylings of Jenny Lewis and Haim. \u201cHistorically, Tina and Her Pony has been much more folky than this current album,\u201d Collins admits. \u201cI definitely wanted to bring more soul and pop into this record.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Marigolds<\/i> \u2013 and on stage in support of the record \u2013 Collins is aided in realizing her musical vision by a talented and celebrated coterie of Western North Carolina musicians. Melissa Hyman plays electric bass and sings backup; Ryan Furstenburg plays electric guitar and sings as well. Hyman and Furstenburg are a married couple who also tour and record with their own popular group, The Moon and You. The quartet is rounded out by Ross Montsinger, who\u2019s also behind the drum kit for another WNC group, Fwuit!<\/p>\n
Yet at its core, Tina and Her Pony is built around Tina Collins. Live onstage, she sings and plays acoustic guitar and occasional tenor banjo. The band\u2019s acoustic-electric hybrid setup and the songs\u2019 folk-meets-soul-meets-pop character all come together to create something as compelling as it is unique.<\/p>\n
Collins\u2019 classical training shines through in the album\u2019s crystalline, finely-tuned arrangements. In her younger days she studied opera at a conservatory in the Midwest, but \u201cdidn\u2019t like it very much,\u201d she admits. \u201cIt was way too much for someone who also wanted to have a life outside of music school.\u201d So Collins took what she found valuable from that experience \u2013 \u201cmusic theory, ear training and understanding the \u2018bones\u2019 of music\u201d \u2013 and moved on. \u201cWhat all that really made me realize,\u201d she says with a laugh, \u201cis that I just wanted to be a folk musician!\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins\u2019s life experiences \u2013 relocating, having relationships and groups start and eventually end \u2013 and the lessons she\u2019s learned along the way find expression in Tina and Her Pony\u2019s original songs. \u201cThe goal of most of my music is to move people to emotion,\u201d she explains. \u201cI think that\u2019s been true of all my albums.\u201d She notes that several of the songs on Marigolds<\/i> address the visceral emotion of grief. \u201cBut it’s not just songs of grief,\u201d Collins\u2019 emphasizes. \u201cThere are also songs of rebirth.\u201d She sums up her perspective in three words: \u201cNothing is forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins\u2019s years of writing and performing have brought another important change to the music of Tina and Her Pony. \u201cI\u2019ve shifted away from a literal songwriting style,\u201d she says. These days, her lyrics have an even more universally quality, one that resonates deeply with listeners. \u201cI\u2019ve been working on saying more with few words,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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