“This song is about a love affair that both parties are “all in” for, yet they still long for better times and still question the other side’s motivations and commitment.” – Ryan Osbahr, Pony Creek
Five years ago, Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area natives Ryan Osbahr and Billie Frost teamed up to play their mix of country folk, blues, Americana and rock. Straying true to their roots quite literally, the duo decided to name their newly formed band Pony Creek after a small creek that runs between Osbahr and Frost’s homes. Finding success rather quickly – their 2016 debut album Easy Way Out was nominated for “Album of the Year” by the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards and the group has been nominated for “Best Country” artist every year since – Pony Creek has continued to grow locally and grab the attention of who’s who in the industry. Their sophomore album, Pott Country, was mastered by world-renowned multi-GRAMMY Award winning mastering studio Lurssen Mastering. Last year, Pony Creek got back into the studio to record their new single “It Don’t Hurt” off their upcoming LP Hearsay, and today they are premiering the official video exclusively with The Country Note.
A nod to a craft that has perhaps disappeared forever thanks to the overrated rage of CGI and other techniques, the animation in the video is fully hand-drawn by visual artist Eric Post who drew over 40 individual scenes. If his work looks familiar to any PC fan, Post also drew the album cover art for Pott County.
“Eric is someone that I’ve collaborated with several times over the years,” says Osbahr. “He’s an amazing artist who has my full trust. He’s never produced a piece of art for any of our projects that I didn’t immediately love. He’s truly an inspiration to work with.”
Pony Creek also re-teamed up with Aaron Gum, who produced the music video for “Pott County” in 2018. For “It Don’t Hurt,” Gum directed and animated the video, bringing the story line to life with color and motion. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Aaron,” says Osbahr. “We really wanted to do something different and unique; I wanted something outside of the box and not your traditional video. I wanted something weird and dark but also fun and entertaining. Aaron is such an accomplished videographer and director, it was an easy choice to work with him again.”
That storyline is one that has been around for eons: ““It Don’t Hurt” is a song written about the constant struggle and union between two star-crossed lovers hell bent to make it work. Despite a long, winding, and tumultuous relationship, both seem to have made it out the other side of things and this is a love song reassuring the other that, despite all that, their love still burns.”
Watch the official video for “It Dont’ Hurt” below:
Recorded at Make Believe Studios in Omaha, NE in August of 2020, “It Don’t Hurt” is the lead single from Pony Creek’s forthcoming LP Hearsay and is available this Friday, October 15. Pre-save here.
Hearsay will be released on limited press vinyl November 2021.
Pony Creek is: Ryan Osbahr (vocals, guitar), Billie Frost (vocals), Eric Nelson (lead guitar), George Cooper (bass), Travis Goddard (guitar), Tim Blair (drums), and Mitch Towne (keys).
For more information on Pony Creek, visit their website at www.ponycreekband.com and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.