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Pontiak

Pontiak

Three Carney brothers channel Blue Ridge isolation into warm, riff-heavy neo-psychedelic rock.

LIVE SESSION · KEXP

VIDEO · FROM BROTHERSPONTIAK ON YOUTUBE

Three Carney brothers channel Blue Ridge isolation into warm, riff-heavy neo-psychedelic rock.

MOODS · psychedelic · heavy · fuzzy · riff-driven · prog-tinged · stoner rock · acid rock · reverb-heavy · raw · slow-burning · warm · sibling chemistry

BIOGRAPHY

Pontiak is an American neo-psychedelic rock band formed in January 2004 by three brothers from Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains: bassist/organist Jennings Carney, guitarist/vocalist Van Carney, and drummer Lain Carney. After separately playing in other bands across the U.S. and Europe, they reconvened in Baltimore in 2005, spending four or five years there before moving back to Virginia. The trio recorded early releases, including the White Buffalo EP and Valley of Cats LP, in their own home studio, issuing them on their self-run Fireproof Records. Their sound blends '60s psych and acid rock, '70s prog and proto-metal, and '90s stoner and indie rock, drawing comparisons to bands like Dead Meadow and Black Mountain. New material won them a deal with Thrill Jockey, which released their breakthrough Sun on Sun in 2007, followed by a steady string of albums through the 2010s.

WHY THEY'RE COOL

Pontiak's sibling chemistry fuels a heavy, warmly overdriven sound that critics have singled out, with Sun on Sun described as a swirling maelstrom of sinister psychedelia powered by monstrous guitar riffs and Lizard King-esque lyricism. Their DIY approach, running their own Fireproof Records and recording in a home studio, combined with a prolific output spanning more than a decade, earned favorable notice from outlets like The Quietus and Tiny Mix Tapes, marking them as a compelling act within the neo-psych underground.

GEORGE'S PLAYS

George has played this artist 3 times.

LIVE SESSIONS