March in Austin doesn’t really ease you into anything. South by Southwest spills out onto every street, patio and dimly lit room with a half-working sound system. But it is through this festival that I met with Jack Parker of Pons, an eccentric no-wave performer who travelled all the way from New York to plant a revived debut in the festival.
We met inside 21st Street Co-op before their set to talk about transitioning from a stretch of studio work to starting a US tour. No entourage, no strict itinerary. Just couches, borrowed floors and a multitude of long drives brimming with self-solitude. Maybe touring can be as simple as throwing funky sunglasses into a duffel bag and trusting the next place to sleep will work itself out.
In the midst of the chaos surrounding our interview, we chatted about the official festival, music scenes, the upcoming album and what touring looks like when you strip it down to the bare essentials.
How has your South by Southwest experience been as an official artist this year?
It’s my redemption arc because I came two years ago, but that was the year that everything went crazy with everybody dropping off the official shows, and boycotting everything because of the whole divestment push. We got wrapped up in all of that and dropped our official shows. It was still fun, but this has been my redemption attempt. I was like, ‘I want to go back and actually do it.’ It’s been great, this is the second day, so I haven’t really been here for too long. We did Mohawk last night and then the three shows today.
How do the official showcases compare to the unofficial ones?
With the official shows, you get a more dead crowd. The crowds can be a little tough. Even if the room is packed, you’re getting nothing. Everyone’s just standing there and watching, and it’s just a sea of middle-aged dudes wearing lanyards. The unofficial shows tend to be a little more chaotic, a little more engaged. If you have your foot in the door from touring and stuff, the people will hit you up to make stuff happen. But if you’re just going in blind, it’s almost not worth it. It’s whatever you make of it, but it’s almost something you just have to do. In our position, we’re getting ready to release our record and just trying to shop it around to the industry people, so it’s almost a necessary step. I get annoyed at the people who dunk on the festival. I might be a little defensive since I’m playing it, but some people act like it’s super cringe or something. Yeah, it’s a corporate festival, but I feel like there’s nothing inherently evil about playing the festival. It seems like it is a pretty divisive thing still, though.
How has your tour been?
It’s been great. I toured down solo, and I met up with my drummer here. I had played some solo shows in the past, but I hadn’t really tried to do a full tour solo yet. It’s an interesting experience, being on the road totally alone. I did feel like I was in limbo for nine days or however long it took me to get down here. I played mostly in the Deep South, so I was in this purgatory space. I’m just driving around Arkansas and Oklahoma, and being like, ‘Whoa, where am I?’ Then the show just ends, and you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m just alone.’ But there is a serenity to it as well. Some very peaceful moments that I have not had that would fully not be possible if I was with bandmates.
I bet touring alone definitely opens up many different perspectives on things.
It opens me up to getting invited and going to some random place or some random group of people after the show. When I’m one person, people want to show me around the town. And, I don’t have to worry about finding a place to crash as much, because it’s just me. I’m pretty low maintenance.
Do you have a favorite state/city/venue that you are super excited to play?
In terms of what I just did, Fayetteville, Arkansas, randomly popped off in a way that I did not expect at all. Starkville, Mississippi, was also really good. I like playing in these out-of-the-way places. Especially when you do that, and then the show is good, it feels awesome. Coming up, I’m playing in Wichita, and last time I played in Wichita, it was really fun. I’m playing at Empty Bottle in Chicago, which is one of my favorite venues, so those two are probably the ones I’m most excited for.
How does the New York scene compare to Austin?
I feel like New York and LA definitely are more standoffish. It’s more competitive. There’s definitely an aura of clout chasing, or there’s a lot of posturing about being the next hot band in New York. When I moved there, I was very used to the DIY circles, and moving there, I realized that if I want to actually make this happen, in the way that I want to happen, I have to play the game to some degree. I don’t sell my soul or anything. Navigating all of it can be tricky. I still feel like I don’t really have a grasp on it. There’s more of a down-to-earth, easier point of entry to other scenes. I do like playing in and living in New York, and in terms of the fans, it’s an incredible scene, that’s undeniable. It’s the culture around booking and promoting that I don’t want to have to deal with.
I’m hopefully moving to Brooklyn next year! I’m also worried about navigating the scene there.
If you’re the type of person who’s really fine with going for it, then New York is the perfect place. You just have to be wired in a specific way. My advice to anybody planning on moving to New York- give it two years, because I didn’t even feel like I lived there until after the two-year mark. I wasn’t even able to form an opinion about it until that point. You have to not let it break you in the first year. Then, if you can get past that, you’ll love it.
New music? New record?
Yeah, it’s all recorded. It’s just in limbo right now. I gotta get it mastered. I think it’s gonna come out in the fall, but that’s fully dependent on whether or not I’m able to get my shit together.
Will it be a full album?
Yes, it’s 11 or 12 tracks. There might be one that’s going to be released as a B-side, but somewhere in that ballpark.
How was the creative process?
It was hell, actually. I really underestimated it. I think I was in the studio for 25 consecutive days or something. The dude working on it, bless his soul, because it was every day we were in there. We’d start around noon, and then consistently, it’d end anywhere between 2 and 5 a.m. Both of our partners were probably freaking out, being like, ‘What are you guys doing?’ And we’re just both going crazy and sleep-deprived. It was randomly so much more involved to make than either of us thought it was going to be. As soon as we started, it was like Pandora’s box. I’m really happy with the way that it came out. We just had to really figure it out. The recording process was hard; the mixing process was hard. It was all tricky and, all around, a very hard experience.
Did you feel burnt out creatively from being in the studio so long, or was it inspiring?
Almost neither in a way. It was more of this crazy, deliriousness where I’m like, ‘This doesn’t even sound like anything to me anymore. This just sounds like a bunch of noise.’ You know when you hear something a million times, and you just lose all perspective on it? It was weird. For me in the studio, there’s just so much to do, so there wasn’t really enough time for me to get inspired or burnt out. It just flew by, almost like a blackout. But I do feel like after I make an album, there’s a relative trend where I’ll write a good bit of music. Almost like my brain allows me to focus on switching gears and be like, ‘Okay, maybe I’ll write some songs or something instead of thinking about this stupid album.’
Do you think this album takes a different approach to your sound?
Oh, yeah. We’ve had a bunch of lineup changes and stuff, so it’s not even the same band anymore. I’m the only consistent thread of Pons over time. But functionally, it’s not the same band as it was. In a way, it almost feels like a debut record or sort of a reintroduction to everybody of what Pons actually is. We haven’t been playing with the old setup for a year and a half at least. It’s been a while with the current iteration, but the fact that we don’t really have any of our new stuff out makes it confusing for people. It was a completely different thing; all that stuff was more rock. We did a lot of live instrumentation on this album, but it was a lot of electronic stuff. Recorded with a string quartet this time, too. That was a new, interesting thing to figure out, working with arrangers and people and that whole realm of the music world. At some point, I’m going to make a super-arranged record. It’s hard for me, creatively. I can be a really indulgent person, and so if I’m not checking myself, I will just make the dumbest thing. That was a big part of this album; there was so much stuff. Every song we were working on had 200 tracks in it. Most of the process was figuring out what to take out. I’m constantly trying not to overstuff things, but it is a very bad maximalist impulse that I have for some reason.
If your music were a movie genre, what would it be?
I think it would be a David Lynch movie, like Inland Empire or something. That’s the first thing that comes to mind. Or Blade Runner. Or maybe one of those gay, Gregg Araki LA movies.
What are you hoping this next year looks like for you as an artist?
Please, God, I just need to get this album out. So that’s step one. I need to take a break from touring. The label people were at our show last night, and there was a very sober, serious moment where they’re like, ‘No, you actually have to take a break from touring.’ I feel like they think that I’m going a little crazy because I play so many shows. So, yeah, release this record in the fall and then no telling. Every time I release an album, I’m like, ‘Oh, this is good, this is the one.’ Then I will re-listen to it a year later or something and be like, ‘This shit is so fucking weird. How did I delude myself into being like, ‘yeah, pitchfork is gonna fuck with this.’’ Listening back, I do think that this one is way, way, way, way more accessible than anything I’ve ever done. It’s the closest thing I can come to making a pop record. If anything is going to expose me to a wider audience, it’ll theoretically be this.
Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?
Ooh, I wonder if I have any hot goss. I’ll text you the gossip. You can include my expose when it comes to mind.
Now, there may or may not have been some juicy gossip sent my way, but my lips are locked, and the key is far flung. Sorry, but secrets are more fun, and it’s against my journalistic probity to start any rumors. Plus, who knows, it may or may not be about you.