Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The adult-oriented Pony Death Ride

Canada meets Chula Vista in the husband-and-wife musical comedy duo Pony Death Ride.
Canada meets Chula Vista in the husband-and-wife musical comedy duo Pony Death Ride.

‘We perform musical comedy inspired by burlesque, vaudeville, and punk rock,” says Jaye MacAskill, who cofounded Pony Death Ride with her husband Joe in 2009. “As a multi-instrumental duo, our songs reference a variety of music genres, from classic American songbook–style to pop, country, electro, metal, and even children’s lullabies. Though our lyrics touch on various inappropriate adult-oriented themes.”

Jaye (formerly of the Daffodils and Nautical Disaster) cites a few of their inspirations. “I’m from Canada, so most of my influences are funny underground Canadian bands from the 1980s, like the Dick Van Dykes, Deja Voodoo, the Gruesomes, and the Flunkees, a sleazy punk Monkees cover band from Vancouver. I like the subversive stuff, so the more commercial novelty-type artists like Weird Al have never done much for me. Plus, I could never get over Weird Al’s hair. I just don’t like it.”

As for Joe (ex–Trophy Wife and Skunk Drunk), “I’ve been friends with Steve Poltz and a fan of Mojo Nixon for a long time, [and] my last two bands had the same mindset as those two musicians. I used to listen to KGB’s Homegrown albums, and one song called ‘Chula Vista,’ which is where I’m from, got me interested in this type of comedy-driven music. ‘King Tut,’ by Steve Martin, was also one of the first funny songs that I liked as a kid.”

Pony Death Ride’s debut full-length (Not a Foal, Not Yet a Horse) is slated for release on December 11. The CD-release party is at Bar Pink on Tuesday, January 15.

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

Jaye:

  1. Garfunkel and Oates, All Over Your Face. “Playing the song ‘This Party Took a Turn for the Douche’ over and over while I’m driving makes me feel like a badass.”
  2. The Wet Spots, Hello Kinky. “Every time I worry we’re crossing the line with our humor, I think of the Wet Spots and how dirty their lyrics are, and I feel prudish by comparison.”
  3. Amanda Palmer, Who Killed Amanda Palmer. “An amazingly talented and diverse songwriter and musician who explores a lot of really dark themes with humor.”

Joe:

Sponsored
Sponsored
  1. Careful, Because I Am Always Talking. “A refreshing electronic folk mix that makes me want to make films, just so I can use their music as the soundtrack.”
  2. Art Brut, Bang Bang Rock & Roll. “A witty band with self-deprecating lyrics.”
  3. M. Ward, A Wasteland Companion. “It’s hard to just play and sing and be original these days, but somehow M. Ward manages to do it.”

IF YOU COULD READ MINDS?

Jaye: “I’d have a long conversation with our cats.”

Joe: “Find out why everyone hates me.”

BRUSH WITH FAME?

Jaye: “When I was working at a store in Canada, I served the former wife of Canada’s most beloved past prime minister. Margaret Trudeau was a 1970s Canadian version of Jackie Kennedy, except she liked to party and ran away to hang out with the Rolling Stones. She’s legendary.”

Joe: “I recently saw Rob Halford of Judas Priest at Ralphs. Growing up a metal kid, that’s a big deal.”

BIGGEST REGRET?

Jaye: “Not buying the giant framed needlepoint rendition of The Blue Boy that I saw at a thrift store.”

Joe: “Having heavy metal hair in high school.”

USELESS TRIVIA STUCK IN YOUR BRAIN?

Jaye: “My favorite trivial fact du jour is that the child actress Charlotte Henry, who played Alice in the first movie adaptation of Alice in Wonderland in 1933, ended up moving to San Diego in the 1940s and joining the cast of the Hollywood Burlesque Theatre.”

Joe: “I can name all the pro baseball teams in alphabetical order in ten seconds.”

PSYCHICS — REAL OR FAKE?

Jaye: “All the ones I’ve been to have definitely been fake, but I’m not a complete disbeliever.”

WHY SAN DIEGO?

Jaye: “I moved here from Brooklyn in 2003 to get my master’s degree in public history at USD and to live closer to my grandparents.”

Joe: “I was born here, but I’m sure one day I’ll move on.”

MOST VISITED WEBSITES?

Jaye: “Google Maps is a great way to walk around a neighborhood or look in someone’s backyard without physically having to go there.”

Joe: “Setlist.com. I’m hooked on seeing the setlists of bands I like so that, when they come to town, I don’t have to go see them.”

FIRST JOKE YOU REMEMBER?

Jaye: “What’s red and green and goes 175 miles per hour? A frog in a blender.”

Joe: “When I was a kid, every time I broke something and said it was an accident, my mom would say, ‘So were you.’”

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU FEW WOULD GUESS?

Jaye: “When I was 11 years old, I got my mom to buy me a pair of fake black leather pants.”

Joe: “When I was 40, I got Jaye’s mom to buy me a pair of fake black leather pants.” ■

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The danger of San Diego's hoarders

The $1 million Flash Comics #1
Next Article

Why did Harrah's VP commit suicide last summer?

Did the fight the Rincon casino had with San Diego County over Covid play a part?
Canada meets Chula Vista in the husband-and-wife musical comedy duo Pony Death Ride.
Canada meets Chula Vista in the husband-and-wife musical comedy duo Pony Death Ride.

‘We perform musical comedy inspired by burlesque, vaudeville, and punk rock,” says Jaye MacAskill, who cofounded Pony Death Ride with her husband Joe in 2009. “As a multi-instrumental duo, our songs reference a variety of music genres, from classic American songbook–style to pop, country, electro, metal, and even children’s lullabies. Though our lyrics touch on various inappropriate adult-oriented themes.”

Jaye (formerly of the Daffodils and Nautical Disaster) cites a few of their inspirations. “I’m from Canada, so most of my influences are funny underground Canadian bands from the 1980s, like the Dick Van Dykes, Deja Voodoo, the Gruesomes, and the Flunkees, a sleazy punk Monkees cover band from Vancouver. I like the subversive stuff, so the more commercial novelty-type artists like Weird Al have never done much for me. Plus, I could never get over Weird Al’s hair. I just don’t like it.”

As for Joe (ex–Trophy Wife and Skunk Drunk), “I’ve been friends with Steve Poltz and a fan of Mojo Nixon for a long time, [and] my last two bands had the same mindset as those two musicians. I used to listen to KGB’s Homegrown albums, and one song called ‘Chula Vista,’ which is where I’m from, got me interested in this type of comedy-driven music. ‘King Tut,’ by Steve Martin, was also one of the first funny songs that I liked as a kid.”

Pony Death Ride’s debut full-length (Not a Foal, Not Yet a Horse) is slated for release on December 11. The CD-release party is at Bar Pink on Tuesday, January 15.

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

Jaye:

  1. Garfunkel and Oates, All Over Your Face. “Playing the song ‘This Party Took a Turn for the Douche’ over and over while I’m driving makes me feel like a badass.”
  2. The Wet Spots, Hello Kinky. “Every time I worry we’re crossing the line with our humor, I think of the Wet Spots and how dirty their lyrics are, and I feel prudish by comparison.”
  3. Amanda Palmer, Who Killed Amanda Palmer. “An amazingly talented and diverse songwriter and musician who explores a lot of really dark themes with humor.”

Joe:

Sponsored
Sponsored
  1. Careful, Because I Am Always Talking. “A refreshing electronic folk mix that makes me want to make films, just so I can use their music as the soundtrack.”
  2. Art Brut, Bang Bang Rock & Roll. “A witty band with self-deprecating lyrics.”
  3. M. Ward, A Wasteland Companion. “It’s hard to just play and sing and be original these days, but somehow M. Ward manages to do it.”

IF YOU COULD READ MINDS?

Jaye: “I’d have a long conversation with our cats.”

Joe: “Find out why everyone hates me.”

BRUSH WITH FAME?

Jaye: “When I was working at a store in Canada, I served the former wife of Canada’s most beloved past prime minister. Margaret Trudeau was a 1970s Canadian version of Jackie Kennedy, except she liked to party and ran away to hang out with the Rolling Stones. She’s legendary.”

Joe: “I recently saw Rob Halford of Judas Priest at Ralphs. Growing up a metal kid, that’s a big deal.”

BIGGEST REGRET?

Jaye: “Not buying the giant framed needlepoint rendition of The Blue Boy that I saw at a thrift store.”

Joe: “Having heavy metal hair in high school.”

USELESS TRIVIA STUCK IN YOUR BRAIN?

Jaye: “My favorite trivial fact du jour is that the child actress Charlotte Henry, who played Alice in the first movie adaptation of Alice in Wonderland in 1933, ended up moving to San Diego in the 1940s and joining the cast of the Hollywood Burlesque Theatre.”

Joe: “I can name all the pro baseball teams in alphabetical order in ten seconds.”

PSYCHICS — REAL OR FAKE?

Jaye: “All the ones I’ve been to have definitely been fake, but I’m not a complete disbeliever.”

WHY SAN DIEGO?

Jaye: “I moved here from Brooklyn in 2003 to get my master’s degree in public history at USD and to live closer to my grandparents.”

Joe: “I was born here, but I’m sure one day I’ll move on.”

MOST VISITED WEBSITES?

Jaye: “Google Maps is a great way to walk around a neighborhood or look in someone’s backyard without physically having to go there.”

Joe: “Setlist.com. I’m hooked on seeing the setlists of bands I like so that, when they come to town, I don’t have to go see them.”

FIRST JOKE YOU REMEMBER?

Jaye: “What’s red and green and goes 175 miles per hour? A frog in a blender.”

Joe: “When I was a kid, every time I broke something and said it was an accident, my mom would say, ‘So were you.’”

SOMETHING ABOUT YOU FEW WOULD GUESS?

Jaye: “When I was 11 years old, I got my mom to buy me a pair of fake black leather pants.”

Joe: “When I was 40, I got Jaye’s mom to buy me a pair of fake black leather pants.” ■

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Why did Harrah's VP commit suicide last summer?

Did the fight the Rincon casino had with San Diego County over Covid play a part?
Next Article

Wild Wild Wets, Todo Mundo, Creepy Creeps, Laura Cantrell, Graham Nancarrow

Rock, Latin reggae, and country music in Little Italy, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Harbor Island
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader