COMING SOON – Archetypes and Symbols in the Lyrics of the Ass Ponys
by Douglas W. Milbern
I first met Randy Cheek in late 1980, while we were both attending the Middletown branch campus of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. He was playing bass with Get Christie Love and I was auditioning as the band’s singer. I didn’t get the job, but they went on to short-lived infamy as the breeding ground for both the Libertines US and Perfect Jewish Couple, two of Cincinnati’s more talented early ‘80s acts. It wasn’t until 1988, when the post-Libertine US members moved on musically that I once again entered the scene. I became the front man with one set of ex-Libertines US players, while Randy Cheek joined Chuck Cleaver, John Erhardt, and Dan Kleingers to form the Ass Ponys, with both groups sharing a practice space in a defunct monastery near the banks of the Ohio River. Though my memories are certainly imprecise, I do recall once waiting in the hall for the Ass Ponys to finish a rehearsal and this was most likely the first time I met Chuck. Whereas my band, The Nicholsons, hit the ground running with gritty, up-tempo rock and country covers, I remember the Ass Ponys being a more measured band than ours in the eventual presentation of their quite original songs. I recall that little time elapsed between the Ass Ponys early shows and the release of their debut album, Mr. Superlove.
I hadn’t seen either of Chuck’s two previous bands The Lunch Buddies or Gomez, and he was a recent acquaintance. Erhardt and Kleingers, the latter soon to be replaced by David Morrison, were all three newer faces to the nascent Cincinnati alternative music scene. As The Nicholsons disintegrated, my encounters with both the Ass Ponys and its members became serendipitously aligned with bartending at several local night spots which featured live, original music. Cleaver’s strength and depth as a composer became evident with the release of the lengthy and superb second album, Grim. Meanwhile a split single with the Afghan Whigs primed the Ass Ponys for their breakout major label disc, Electric Rock Music.
While their time became dominated by touring, my time as frequent bartender for the rising local rock stars came to an end, distancing me from things directly related to the Ass Ponys. After the release of Electric Rock Music, Erhardt left the Ass Ponys to be replaced by Bill Alletzhauser on guitar, completing the line-up for the remainder of the band’s studio recordings to date. After releasing The Known Universe (1996); Some Stupid With A Flare Gun (2000); and Lohio (2001); the Ass Ponys took hiatus. On July 11, 2004, they first reformed to play a benefit concert and again for two performances on November 6 and 7, 2015; both occasions with original guitarist John Erhardt, who plays in Chuck’s current band Wussy.
Pub Date 2024 | 6 x 9