Stone Pony is a monthly pop-up music venue that has presented original music in Willunga’s old Show Hall the past two years.
At this year’s Umbrella festival, Stone Pony will ‘saddle up’ and venture to the big smoke to present a special night titled ‘Dark Folk’ amid the loungy, retro glamour of Vintage Vulture in the CBD.
The night will feature the talents of Tasmanian-based Daniel J Townsend, local duo Go Fish and SA songwriter Jen Lush, who also doubles as the event organiser.
The three acts are set to take folk to the darkest edges of storytelling about love, sex, death and politics in songs that will split the heart right open.
Can you explain what a Stone Pony pop-up event is like?
[Jen Lush] Stone Pony is a monthly, live music event showcasing original music in Willunga.
Every month my Dad and I, and a small and passionate bunch of volunteers, set-up chairs and tables, candles and pictures, pretty lights, sound, a bar with local food, wine and beer and bring in a double bill of amazing music. Then we tear it all down again until the next one.
What motivated you to be part of Umbrella?
We’d heard great things about the Umbrella festival and decided it would be fun to bring Stone Pony to the ‘big smoke’ for our July show and crash the Umbrella party.
As a performer and organiser of Stone Pony, this must be a passion project?
Yeah, I love curating the Stone Pony events. It’s a lot of work, but I get to hear a large range of great music each month and have a hand in promoting local and interstate artists.
But it’s especially fun to occasionally combine this with my own music. The darker side of contemporary folk music and storytelling is something I’ve had a focus on for a while and has culminated in my most recent album where poetry and music explore some of the grittier themes.
What can punters expect at the Umbrella event?
They can expect to walk through the door at Vintage Vulture and step into a cosy, eclectic environment; like an eccentric relative’s lounge room and hear some seriously great musicians doing their thing.
People can grab a drink and hear some dark folk all the while looking around and wondering if they might come back the next day and buy that incredible modernist lamp or clock on the wall.
Will you be working with the other songwriters, Daniel and Tim, as part of the show or will you guys all be performing solo?
Daniel’s playing solo, Emma Luker and Dylan Woolcock (Go Fish) are a duo and I’ll be playing with my five-piece band,. But I reckon there’s a good chance we’ll get up together and do something together if it rolls that way.
As an artist, where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration in the books I read. There’s always a line in something I’m reading that stays with me and prompts a song, and poetry too. I’m fascinated by the little things in life, the curious and hilarious, the small details often unnoticed or unremarkable like the colour of a leaf on the road or some underpants slung into a bush on the side of the road.
You'll be showcasing material from you most recent album, ‘The Night’s Insomnia’; how would you describe the record?
'The Night’s Insomnia' is an album of songs crafted from the words of 12 of my favourite contemporary Australian poets.
They’re a collection of darklings [sic], melody-driven songs from modern-folk roots, detouring through country and darker pop ballads shot through with a sparse, raw fragility. The poems leave their mark, each one a different commentary about the kinds of things that might keep us up at night.
And do you plan to perform any new music on the night?
I’ve got a few new songs in the works and may just unleash one into the night and see how it flies.
