Ass Ponys was an

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band based in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

. Their sound combines rock and country into an off-kilter blend of Americana music. They have gone on national tours with bands such as Pavement, Throwing Muses, and Possum Dixon. Among other periodicals, they have been featured in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'', ''CMJ'', and ''The Cincinnati Post''.

History

The Ass Ponys was formed in 1988 from members of Ohio band the Libertines and Midwestern band Gomez. The group was active for 17 years, releasing six studio albums from 1988 to 2005. The Ass Ponys went on hiatus in 2005, after releasing the compilation album ''The Okra Years'' – four years after their last original material was released in ''Lohio''. More importantly, it appears that core band members are focused on new projects, so new Ass Ponys output seems unlikely any time soon. Vocalist

Chuck Cleaver Charles James Cleaver is an American songwriter, singer and guitarist, best known as a member of the Cincinnati-based bands Ass Ponys (formed in 1988, went on hiatus in 2005) and Wussy (formed in 2001). Biography Cleaver grew up in Clarksville ...

is focusing his attention on his current band, Wussy. Bill Alletzhauser currently fronts the band ''The Hiders''. Randy Cheek plays with The Libertines US, The Fairmount Girls, and The Ready Stance. Chuck Cleaver and Randy Cheek performed together at TedxCincinnati in November 2013. In July 2015, the band announced they would play two shows at the Woodward Theater in Cincinnati on Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7, 2015. The reunion shows featured the bands Swim Team and Vacation as openers for the Ass Ponys.

Members

*Bill Alletzhauser – guitar, slide, banjo, backing vocals (1995–2002) *Randy Cheek – bass, backing vocals *

– vocals, guitar *John Erhardt – guitar (1988–1995; 2003–2020) (died May 2020) *Dan Kleingers – drums (1988–1991) *Kevin Lung – guitar (1994) *Dave Morrison – drums, keyboards, backing vocals (1991–2005)

Discography

Studio albums

*1990 – '' Mr. Superlove'' (

Okra Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with sup ...

) *1993 – '' Grim'' (Okra/

Safe House A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor. Histori ...

) *1994 – ''

Electric Rock Music ''Electric Rock Music'' is the third album, and major-label debut, by Cincinnati-based rock band Ass Ponys. It was released in 1994 on A&M Records. It was produced by John Curley of the Afghan Whigs, at whose Ultrasuede Studio the album was recorde ...

'' ( A&M) *1996 – '' The Known Universe'' ( A&M) *2000 – '' Some Stupid with a Flare Gun'' (Checkered Past) *2001 – ''

Lohio ''Lohio'' is the sixth and final studio album by Ohio-based indie rock band Ass Ponys. It was released on June 12, 2001, on Checkered Past Records. It was produced by Brad Jones, who also produced their previous album, '' Some Stupid with a Flar ...

'' (Checkered Past)

Extended plays

*1996 – ''Under Cedars and Stars'' ( A&M)

Compilations

*2006 – ''The Okra Years'' (Shake It)

Singles

*''Little Bastard'', from ''Electric Rock Music'' (#26 on US Billboard Modern Rock)

References

External links

* * * * *
Ass Ponys collection
on the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music ...

's live music archive
Chuck Cleaver interviews on Outsight Radio Hours

CincyMusic Profile
A&M Records artists Indie rock musical groups from Ohio Musical groups from Cincinnati Musical groups established in 1988 {{US-indie-rock-band-stub