Dark-rock duo Blood Ponies tracking that fuzz all over town

"Our music is dark, heavy post-punk, made by two people who make a surprising amount of noise," says Jeff Terich, who partners with Candice Renee in Blood Ponies. “It sounds best at night when our feral selves come out.”

Before launching the duo last year, Terich had essentially retired from the music biz after a two-year stint with Cuneyt that ended in 2006. “When that band broke up, I didn’t really do much for a while. But Candice eventually started playing drums, and we’ve known each other for essentially half of our lives, so it seemed like a natural idea to do something together. We started off with the intent to play a set of cover songs by the Cure, and we did that at the Hideout last year, just sort of for fun. But it turned out to be a really good fit, and we decided it’d be a good idea to keep it going and start writing our own songs.”

The band openly pays tribute to ’80s post-punk bands such as Joy Division and the Cure, but Terich cites contemporary hip-hop acts like Run the Jewels as an influence as well. “We also both hold the late David Bowie and Prince in high esteem, and Candice’s first concert was Bauhaus, which probably cemented the darkly abrasive path we’re currently on.”

Terich says that, though their sound continues to expand, their lineup will not. “People keep offering to play bass for us, but I use two amps and an octave pedal, so we don’t really need it. This is a two-person band.” The Blood Ponies appear August 15 at the Office in North Park.

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

1. White Lung, Paradise. “It’s an outstanding punk record by a band with a knack for great melodies.”
2. The Damned, Machine Gun Etiquette. “An old favorite, but a great album that belongs in everyone’s collection.”
3. These New Puritans, Hidden. “Arty, weird, and creepy post-punk from an English band that just does things differently.”
4. Diarrhea Planet, Turn to Gold. “The best rock-and-roll record we’ve heard in a long time.”

ANYTHING YOU WERE EMBARRASSED TO MENTION?

“I never deleted that U2 album from a couple years ago that just showed up. It’s more of a passive resistance than outright hostility.”

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

“The best things about City Heights are a combination of nearby music venues like Soda Bar and the Hideout, and the fact that it still has kind of a unique character. It means sometimes we have to go a little outside the neighborhood to find some things, but I appreciate that it hasn’t been turned into another Gaslamp. Not yet, anyway.”

USELESS TRIVIA?

“The reason that people are drawn to cats is because of a parasite called toxoplasmosis that causes them to be infatuated with the animals.”

EVER BEEN A CRIME VICTIM?

“A couple of car break-ins. One was just needless destruction of a window, one was actual theft. Neither was all that fun to deal with, but they’re just cars. They can be replaced.”

FEARS OR PHOBIAS?

“I’m afraid that people are losing their humanity.”

ANYONE EVER SAY YOU RESEMBLE A PARTICULAR CELEBRITY?

“I’ve been told I look like Neil Patrick Harris. That was before I grew a beard, though, so at this point I have no frame of reference for whom I look like.”

WHAT ABOUT CELEBRITY ENCOUNTERS?

“I met Kim Gordon a couple years ago. She was really nice, but the interaction was a little awkward, if only because we took a picture after the conversation had already resolved itself and it felt like it went on a little too long. But that’s okay. Kim’s the coolest.”

BEST CONCERT?

“David Bowie, the Area Two tour in 2002. He opened with ‘Life on Mars?’ and closed with ‘Ziggy Stardust,’ utterly amazing. Set list was fantastic, he was charismatic and sounded great. I’ll never be able to repeat that experience.”

FAVORITE MOVIE BASED ON A BOOK?

“The Shining. It’s maybe the scariest movie of all time, a brilliant piece of visual art and storytelling. And Stephen King hates it, so that probably means [director Stanley] Kubrick was doing something right.”

ANYTHING MISSING IN YOUR WORLD?

“More darkness. More artists that are willing to challenge themselves and tap into something deeper and more primal.”

WHAT REMAINS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?

“Visit as many bone cathedrals and ossuaries as possible.”

WHERE DO YOU LIKE TO TAKE OUT-OF-TOWN GUESTS?

“Pioneer Park. There’s nothing quite like having a picnic next to gravestones.”

SONG THAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR LIFE?

“‘Happy House,’ by Siouxsie and the Banshees, 'We’re all quite sane.' Interpret that as you wish.”

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THE YOUNGER YOU?

“What other people think doesn’t matter. Being different is good. Embrace being a weirdo.”