Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Carson Poncé – Vocals, guitar
Michael Poncé – Vocals, drums
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to PONCÉ. How long has the band been around?
Carson and I have been playing music together since we were 12. Our first band was called “Zephr”, we’re huge Red Hot Chili Peppers fans so we stole the name from their “The Zephyr Song” and dropped the “y” because we thought it looked “edgier”. We played with a Wisconsin band for about six months who had then recently moved to Nashville called “Daniel And The Lion”.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
The name is pretty straightforward, our last name is Poncé and we thought it would make a pretty clean, ambiguous band name so we kept it simple! When we first moved to Nashville we were called The Poncé Brothers but thought it sounded a little too folky and Americana for the styles of music we were exploring.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
Carson is the main songwriter but I might offer my input or suggestions on certain lines or a theme. Topics and themes change over time and with getting older and experiencing more. We like to write all styles and genres of music so we’re never shy to explore different themes or stories within a song.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
The local Nashville rock band Omega Swan is a huge inspiration to us. Their front man Marcus Garceau produced our record and he’s constantly pushing our sound along with his own. They have an incredibly engaging and energized live show and that’s very inspiring to us. They’re playing an awesome show in Nashville May 5th with Goodbye June at The Basement East. If you’re in town and want to rage for two hours, definitely check it out.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
Not that inspired us to start a band. That said, we saw The Killers in Louisville when we were about 16 years old and I think that was the first show we saw where we were like “whoa, these guys are truly entertaining this massive crowd and they fully have the attention of 5,000 people.” It was our first live exposure to that type of front man and how a band could really control a crowd.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …
To be honest, it usually consists of a shot of Jameson washed down with a Miller Light.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
We played the Roxy in L.A. two years ago and it was a pretty big thrill to play “Moving To Los Angeles” to a packed crowd at that type of venue in that city.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Jenny Lewis, Ryan Adams and Tom Petty would be pretty amazing. They’re all huge influences and seem like they’d be good hangs!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Definitely check us out and follow us on Spotify! We have four released singles and our EP “Afterglow” drops Friday, April 28.