16 Sep - Remember Pim? We know, it's ages ago, but once upon a time he used to be our bass player. Well, his band Silence is Sexy just released a new album, which you can download for free at www.silenceissexy.nl.
Meanwhile, the recording of our own new album is finally finished. We'll be filming a video for the first single soon, which should come out in October.
20 Aug - We're playing at the In Vervoering Festival this Friday, August 22, in Houten, at the Kooikerspark. Our singer Rick lived in Houten for seven years as a teenager, so it's bound to be a nostalgia trip! See you there at around 7 p.m. (for free).
Then the next day, at 6 p.m., we're in Asten-Heusden at the Misty Fields festival, with Voicst and Triggerfinger, amongst others.
28 Jul - Check out some pictures of our show in Park Lepelenburg in Utrecht. Good weather, nice people, fun gig!
18 Jul - Not a very hot summer here in Holland. Which is good, so we can focus on all the stuff we need to do before the new record comes out. If we ever find the time to get all six of us together in this holiday season. Sometimes being in a band with that many people is not ideal. To complicate matters, our keyboard/trumpet-player/dancer Laurens is going on some kind of world-trip next fall, so we'll be playing some (hopefully not too boring) shows without him. And then there's the obscene amount of babies expected by band-members, right around the time of the planned album-release. So unprofessional...
Well, at least we've got some nice relaxing festivals coming up this and next month. Come see us in Utrecht, Houten, and Asten-Heusden (see LIVE for details).
20 Jun - After five weeks of recording in our home studio in Wilnis, the new record is currently being mixed in Utrecht by Martijn Groeneveld, with our producer Minco Eggersman. Man, we're excited about it. It's quite a change from the first record; more experimental and more rock. Though it's still your friendly neighbourhood Ponoka, don't worry.
We'll be busy with post-production, artwork, practicing the new songs, etc. for the next couple of months. The album probably won't be out till January '09, but we'll put out a single in the fall. Of course you'll hear all about it here soon.
15 May - We've been a little quiet lately, but for good reason. We're busy recording our second album in our studio in Wilnis (somewhere in the country near Utrecht). It's expected to be finished sometime in the summer, but unfortunately it will probably take a while before we can let you listen to any new stuff. We promise it'll be worth the wait though; we're pretty excited about our new sound! We'll keep you posted here.
Due to the recordings we won't be playing too many shows the coming months, but some are coming up this summer. Stay tuned.
17 Apr - Don't forget to come to the Volkoren festival tomorrow in Hedon in Zwolle. We'll be playing with Anderson, Brown Feather Sparrow and at the close of every day. We're on at 20.30.
3 Apr - Have you seen Radiohead's Scotch Mist film? We figured if they can do it, so can we, so we recorded some songs in our studio Wooden Cup (which belongs to our guitar player Theo). Two oldies (Back by Midnight and Help is on the Way) and one new song (Disconnected). You can check them out at YouTube.
Oh, and if you missed us presenting an hour of exciting radio at Kink FM yesterday, you can still listen to it at their site.
28 Mar - On Tuesday April 1, alternative radio station KINK FM celebrates its 12,5 year-anniversary by letting Dutch bands and artists take over the mike all day long. Between 18.00 and 19.00 o'clock Ponoka will get to play all our favourite tracks and pretend to be DJs. This will be a great opportunity to let you hear our best jokes, our wittiness and our deep, sexy voices, along with some cool music.
Check out the full program here. We'll be in good company - other wannabe-DJs include RACOON, MOKE, SOLO, JUNKIE XL and VOICST.
5 Mar - If you live near Amsterdam, come watch us play Friday the 7th in Winston Kingdom, together with GRAM, which is 'Marg' spelled backwards, and refers to Marg van Eenbergen, who used to be the singer for Seedling.
This will be our third gig in the Winston, by the way. We played our very first show here about one and a half years ago, with about five people in the audience (all belonging to the other band that played). Oh, sweet memories...
19 Feb - We've been asked to open for Kula Shaker tonight in a sold out Tivoli. Rock on!
Meanwhile, 'Back by Midnight' hit the 12th position in the Kink 40.
4 Feb - Not only has our third single 'Back by Midnight' entered the Kink 40 at number 22, it's also KINK XL this week, which means a lot of airplay. Cool. We predict another numer 1 hit, baby.
25 Jan - Listen to the radio! You may hear our new single 'Back by Midnight'. Then again, you may not. But it's out anyway. Of course, if you'd like to hear more Ponoka on your favorite station, you can always send them an email request to play the song.
If you've never heard 'Back by Midnight', you can still download it for free in the media section of this site. And if you've never heard us play it live, why don't you come watch us next Wednesday (30/1) in Stairway to Heaven in Utrecht. We'll be rocking at 22.30. If you live nearby, you might just make it back by midnight. (See what we did there?)
31 Dec - After wrapping up the year with some fun shows in Haarlem and Zaandam (Jon and Ricks former turf), we can't wait to keep rocking (and popping) in 2008. Some stuff we happily look back on:
* releasing our album 'Hindsight'
* getting rave reviews for that
* rehearsing like crazy to be able to play the album live
* getting better and better at that
* finding a new bass-player (too bad we lost the old one though...)
* becoming Serious Talent at 3FM and playing at the Popronde
* playing 25 shows at cool venues like De Melkweg, Bitterzoet, Desmet, Studio K, Het Paard, Patronaat, 3FM, Kink FM, etc.
* reaching first place in the Kink 40 with our second single 'Help is on the Way'
* officially becoming an Utrecht-band after Jon and Rick moved there
And then for some stuff we're looking forward to in the new year:
* scoring a huge hit with the third single from 'Hindsight' - out soon; stay tuned!
* recording a new album (sometime - we're working on new songs at the moment)
* playing more, bigger and better shows than the 25 we did in 2007
* playing at some cool festivals and possibly across the border (Belgium, Germany, England?)
* dressing up like animals or cartoon characters live, possibly combined with some mime-acts
* meeting YOU at our shows!
For now Ponoka wishes you all the best for the new millennium - watch out for that bug!
30 Dec - 3VOOR12/Utrecht anually picks the best albums from bands based from the Utrecht-region. We came in fourth.
17 Dec - Check out some pictures by Lisanne Lentink and a review at 3voor12/Utrecht about our recent show at the Oude Pothuys in Utrecht.
9 Dec - Don't forget to come watch us this Tuesday, the 11th, if you live in or near Utrecht. We're playing at the 'Oude Pothuys' at around 23.00; free entry. Since Jon and Rick moved to the city recently, we're officially an Utrecht-band, so that's a reason for a celebration...
14 Nov - Hi, here's a sign of life from us. We've been a little busy in the past weeks: Laurens got married, Jon moved to Utrecht, and Rick is about to (move to Utrecht, not get married, he has been for awhile). But we've still managed to play some cool shows. And we've got a few more planned for December, check out dates and places on the live-page. CU Around!
18 Oct - Just our luck. Once a year or so the radio show 'Utracks' gets bumped off the air because some city council meeting needs air time (who'se gonna listen to that?), and of course that happened just when Rick and Theo were visiting the studio for an hour of Ponoka-related entertainment. Luckily you can still listen to the show the rest of the week (and maybe after that, we're not sure) online at www.utracks.nl. Check us out!
17 Oct - Listen to Ponoka live tonight at www.Utracks.nl or, if you live in Utrecht, on the local radio. Between nine and ten p.m. Ponoka will be in the studio playing some live songs, talking about the band, and letting you hear some of our influences. If you miss it, you can always check it out later at the Utracks site.
5 Oct - The Volkoren Festijn at Ekko on October 27th has unfortunately been canceled. But if you want to see Ponoka play in Utrecht, you have a chance next Friday, the 12th, at Café De Poort, as part of the Popronde. See you there.
27 Sep - There's an interview with Rick in the free newspaper Metro tomorrow, in their column about the Popronde. Go check it out in a train or bus near you.
24 Sep - We played our first 'Popronde'-gig last Friday, in the smallest pub in Rotterdam. People had to wait in line to get in - mainly because we took up half the room. We had a lot of fun though, with Lucas squished in a corner, forced to play like the drummer from Def Leppard, and people crossing the stage to use the washroom. Coming up: a movie theatre lobby in Maastricht and some pubs in Utrecht, Groningen, and Leiden.
Besides that we're playing at two Volkoren-festivals next month, in Utrecht and Enschede. Unfortunately Laurens, our contagiously swinging keyboard-player, will be enjoying his honeymoon then, but he's already busy teaching all the tricks to his protege Jolinde.
See you at one of our shows!
14 Sep - That's right, we're still in the Kink 40 after all these weeks. Slow and steady wins the race...
Also, the traveling festival De Popronde starts today. Go to the 'live' page to see where you can check us out.
20 Aug - Here's some pictures from our show in La Luna (only the first five, the ones with the purple lights are older). Oh, and we're still rising...
10 Aug - 'Help is on the Way' climbed to 15 in the Kink 40!
3 Aug - Our new single 'Help Is On The Way' is out, and doing quite well in the Kink 40. Now playing somewhere on a radio near you!
12 Jul - Check out an article in De Volkskrant (leading Dutch paper) about our label Volkoren. Not much on Ponoka :( but you can listen to a little fragment of 'Hindsight'.
11 Jul - You may have noticed not much is happening in Ponoka. We're taking a summer break, but we'll be back in August - see when and where at the live page. We'll try and post some news in the meantime, so stay tuned. Enjoy your summer!
O yeah, we didn't win the John Lennon contest, but thanks for voting!
21 Jun - Our upcoming show in The Mix in Uithoorn on Saturday, June 23rd has been canceled. Our sincerest apologies, it sucks. Some mix-up in the organisation, apparently. Hope we'll be able to play somewhere sometime next month though. Stay tuned.
6 Jun - We wrote about the Amnesty International John Lennon cover contest earlier. Our version of 'Watching the Wheels' is online now, and you can vote for us at makesomenoise.hyves.nl. If we win, our song will be put up on the international 'Make Some Noise' download site, next to covers by U2, REM, The Cure, and others.
31 May - Our show in Zwolle on May 30th was memorable for several reasons. First of all we rocked so hard the power went out twice during our set, and it must have been around eighty degrees onstage in Het Vliegende Paard. The place was packed – although, granted, it’s filled up pretty quickly. The stage was so small, in fact, Pim had to stand in front of it. Pim is the second reason: this was his last show with Ponoka. He’s been too busy with Silence is Sexy to keep combining both bands. We’re going to miss his antics onstage, his sex appeal and - maybe - his lousy jokes. But we’ve found a replacement: Jon van Til. He’ll be making his debut with Ponoka on June 23rd in De Mix in Uithoorn. Expect adjusted pictures sometime... next year, probably.
25 May - More than four thousand people have watched the video for our single 'September' at YouTube. Cool. Check it out here, if you haven't before.
A new single is coming up, by the way. We'll let you know more soon.
16 May - We've been selected to cover a John Lennon song for the Amnesty International campaign 'Make Some Noise'. In total six bands will compete for a spot on the A.I. website, next to U2, REM, The Cure, Snow Patrol, etc. We'll keep you posted of course, and let you know which song we picked soon. It's not 'Happy X-mas'. Or 'Oh Yoko'.
9 May - Our cover of Neil Young's Pocahontas is finally online at www.coverclub.nl. You can download it for free, along with other takes on Neil Young classics by cool bands like Moss, Audiotransparant, The Gasoline Brothers, Silence is Sexy, and Leine. Enjoy!
9 May - People often ask us: 'What's life like in Ponoka?' Here's a little slice of Ponoka culture, over at YouTube.
13 Apr - Come see Ponoka and Silence is Sexy for free this Sunday in Den Bosch. Due to the warm weather, Plein 79 has decided to drop the admission price. Show starts at 16.00 o'clock. See you there!
3 Apr - Time for a quick update: what's going on with Ponoka? We didn't make it to the FRET Festival, but thanks for voting anyway. These next two months you'll get a chance to check us out somewhere in the country. We'll be playing in Den Bosch, Den Haag, Barneveld, and Zwolle - see the LIVE-section for more details. We're also working on some new songs, so, who knows, if you come see us you might just hear something new. There's some new reviews in the PRESS-section. That's all for now.
19 Mar - Ponoka has been selected by 3FM DJ Giel Beelen as one of three potential openers for the FRET Alive Festival in 013, Tilburg, on March 31st. Do us a favor and vote for us at giel.vara.nl!
16 Mar - This month you can read a (short) interview with Rick in OOR magazine, in the 'Dayjob' column on page 95.
10 Mar - We've joined the Coverclub. Four times a year the participating bands cover a song with a certain theme or by a certain artist, and then put them all together to make an album you can download for free at www.coverclub.nl. The first edition consisted of Christmas songs, done by Moss, Audiotransparent, The Gasoline Brothers, and Silence is Sexy. The next one will feature songs by Neil Young. We'll let you know when you can download our Neil Young cover soon.
24 Feb - This sunday evening, between seven and eight, we'll be at the 3FM studios for an interview and live session. Don't miss it!
20 Feb - Watch the cool video for our single 'September' on the MEDIA page. It was made by Reinier Sonneveld and Eljee Bergwerff. If you like it, help us make it a YouTube hit by sharing it with your friends!
16 Feb - Check out the review in OOR Magazine (see press page)!
13 Feb - Bet you didn't know Ponoka had its own Miss Pageant? Take a look at the current Miss Ponoka Stampede!
12 Feb - Read what Rick has to say about the songs on Hindsight at MusicFrom.NL.
6 Feb - Our album Hindsight is finally in stores. Some knock-out reviews have been coming in over the last few days; you can read them in the 'Press' section.
30 Jan - Ponoka will be playing in Club 3VOOR12 two times in the next week. First on Thursday, February 1st in Club 3VOOR12/Utrecht, and then on Wednesday, February 7th in Desmet in Amsterdam, with Malcolm Middleton and Green Hornet. This last show will be aired live on 3FM. Tickets for both gigs are free, but you need to order quickly.
For Amsterdam, got to 3voor12.vpro.nl/service/gastenlijst.
Get more info on Utrecht here.
22 Jan - Ponoka has been selected as 'Serious Talent' on national radio-station 3FM. This means our single 'September' will be played during the evenings in the next two months, possibly combined with some interviews or live-performances. We'll keep you posted.
14 Jan - Take a look at some pictures from our gig in Dwaze Zaken in January, with Weather Kingdom. We're not actually all dressed in purple; it must be the lights...
10 Jan - Check out the video-interview with Rick at Hanx.net. Not if you're in a rush, though. It's pretty long.
8 Jan - That's right, we're offering you 'September', the first single off our album 'Hindsight', as a free download! Go to the Media page to pick it up, and download the song 'Back by Midnight' while you're at it.
7 Jan - As you must have noticed since you're reading this message, Ponokamusic.com is online! Check out info about Ponoka here, and our album 'Hindsight', which appears February 5th on the Volkoren-label. Enjoy!
