Tina & Her Pony

In a soundscape rich in folk and Americana offerings Tina and Her Pony stands out with her clarity and freshness. Harmonies, arrangements, lyrics and captivating vocals combine to create something greater than the sum of the pieces which, taken individually, are deceptively straightforward.

Her music chronicles complex emotional landscapes with the kind of wisdom and honesty required from roots music in its most distilled and cherished forms.

The pandemic brought much change and loss to Tina’s world, and this is reflected in her fresh material, a collection of songs that comprises her newest record, “Marigolds” (2023).

“Tina & Her Pony deliver a gentle folk music that inexorably swells into a powerful wave. The songs themselves carry a gentle wisdom that invigorates the listener. Tina & Her Pony truly commit to a kind of chamber folk that feels as timeless as it does timely.”

– Rachel Cholst, NO DEPRESSION

But Tina has been upending expectations and convention from early on. Her distinctive vocals and songwriting are the product of both a conservatory education and her singular taste in female folk artists like Gillian Welch, Joni Mitchell and Kate Wolf.

Though originally founded as a duo by both Tina Collins and Quetzal Jordan, these days the band is centered solely around the songwriting and singing of Tina, who is accompanied by a rotating cast of inspired instrumentalists and friends. The current core band features Melissa Hyman on electric bass, Ryan Furstenburg on electric guitar and Ross Montsinger on drums.

“Even within the world of folk, Tina & Her Pony’s sound can’t be defined within a single culture or concept. What is undeniable, however, is the soul-stirring power of the music itself”.

Andria Brown, Folk All Y’all

Identifying as queer also plays an important role in how Tina approaches her unique blend of indie Appalachian folk, Americana, and her essential musical and personal expression. In recordings as well as live performances, Tina always strives to provide the listener with a deep oceanic counterpoint to her earthy, time-honored musical approach.

It’s an apt metaphor for the dark and the light of life, for the transformation of life’s joys and sorrows into songs that Tina & her Pony has strived to create since 2010. Tina counts through-hiking the Appalachian Trail as a formative musical and human experience, deepening her connection to that place and its musical traditions while also relishing places of fluidity in both art and expression, constantly inverting expectations.

Live performances weave a fascinating web of sound and intention that draw the audience in. Listening to Tina & Her Pony offers a window into an interior landscape that begs to be explored.