Alternative country-Americana singer Pony Boy is celebrating the release of her debut album Blue Gold (out today) at The Basement on Saturday, Aug. 29. We’ve been talking about her for the past couple weeks as she’s released her slow-burning, moody takes on country and western fueled by a completely unique voice and a lovely weird hodgepodge of aesthetic influences from noir to soul to riot grrl. Blue Gold sees the current Nashvillian looking back at her previous life in California while cementing the aesthetic and musical elements that were coalescing on last year’s EP The Devil in Me. Grunge/surf/country band fronted by esteemed local producer Justin Collins Justin & the Cosmics will open with alternative singer-songwriter Lilly Hiatt.
PONY BOY
It’s weird to think that Pony Boy’s music has been featured on hit network TV shows Gotham and Nashville, even though the latter is the city she calls home and, according to a press release, the community where she feels most comfortable despite splitting her time between here and England and having lived all over the place previously. Her music is fringe alt-country which she’s referred to as “junkyard country,” a style that throws all kinds of other junk into country music, and is too weird to be on TV even though it’s cinematic. Her low, throaty voice is beautiful and unique. See “Marquee Man,” about an old Hollywood actor who deludes himself into thinking he’s the biggest star ever.
JUSTIN & THE COSMICS
Even if you don’t know Justin & the Cosmics frontman Justin Collins, he’s definitely worked with lots of people you do know. He’s half of the local production duo Cosmic Thugs with Adam Landry, and they’ve produced albums for tons of great artists from Nikki Lane to Deer Tick. Collins also counts Diamond Rugs among his frequent list of collaborators. The group’s EP Home, Boy was named one of the top EPs of the year by the Scene last year, and we told you ourselves how awesome seeing them open for Diamond Rugs was back in May.
LILLY HIATT
Lilly Hiatt is the daughter of famed Nashville songwriter John Hiatt, who has written tunes covered by Emmylou Harris, Willy Nelson, and Bob Dylan. Following in his footsteps, Lilly is a singer-songwriter also but with more of a confessional, ’80s and ’90s alternative feel to her music brought out by working with producer Adam Landry (Deer Tick).
Pony Boy, Justin & the Cosmics, and Lilly Hiatt will perform Saturday, Aug. 29 at The Basement. The show is 21+, begins at at 9 p.m., and tickets are available for $5.