From left:
Marcus Johansson - Bass, vocals

Sofia Janninge - Violin, vocals

Matilda Hjärtstam - Banjo, vocals

Dennis Hollström - Lead vocals, guitar, harmonica

Jonas Hollström - Guitar, vocals

Silvio Arismendi - Drums

Short in Swedish:

Folk-rock och country-influerad musik från Blekinges dimmiga kust. Låtarna är i grunden berättande folklåtar med inspiration från både svensk folk music och amerikansk country och folk. Budskapet är att sprida värme och samhörighet där vi suddar ut gränsen mellan publik och scen. Med berättelser från hembygden och livshistorier från människor längs vägarna. Spelglädjen och vänskapen i bandet är central.

Short in English:

Folk-rock and country-influenced music from the misty coast of Blekinge, Sweden. The songs are basically narrative folk songs with inspiration from Swedish folk music and North American country and folk. The message is to spread warmth and togetherness where we blur the line between audience and stage. With stories from the home village and other people’s life stories from the road. The joy of friendship and playing live is vital.

Written about DH & TP

Swedish:

“Dennis Hollström & the Ponies är folkrock, heartland rock, americana och akustisk rock – och beskrivningen småstadsromantisk folkrock från Blekinge är klockren. Om man summerar allting så är detta en finfin platta och vilken känsla Dennis Hollström & The Ponies har i de här låtarna!“ 

/Rockfarbror om albumet Local Hero

”Debutalbumet Local Hero skildrar småstadslivet klätt i en jordnära americana/folkrock-dräkt” /LIRA

In English;

 “Hollström sounds like a true, blue folk artist — and he is. That said, he didn’t start out that way. Raised by the southern Swedish coast, Hollström first began cutting his teeth in garage bands that verged far more along the lines of rock. With each trip that he’d taken through United States, though, he began to let folk music pour into his veins. Taking his personal experiences to heart with his newfound heartful songwriting technique, he founded Dennis Hollström & the Ponies”. /For Folks sake

"Dennis Hollström & the Ponies is folk rock, heartland rock, Americana and acoustic rock - and the description small-town romantic folk rock from Blekinge is spot on. If you sum everything up, this is a fine album and what a feeling Dennis Hollström & The Ponies have in these songs!“

Rockfarbror about the album Local Hero

”The debut album Local Hero depicts small town life in earthy americana/folk-rock outfit”. /LIRA

“Follow - Dennis Hollström & the Ponies - on the road from luminous fireflies that indicate your path. On the horizon, the ears of wheat are swaying, the chatter of crickets is heard and the beautiful indie-folk melody sounds, which dissolves you in itself.”  /Nagamag

”Rarely do you find and artist from Europe such as Dennis Hollström who sounds and feels like he was plucked from the Appalachians, and playing to the beat and vibe of a Jeff Tweedy or Willie Nelson”. /Vent Magazine

”It’s a refreshing feeling of wanderlust for nowhere in particular, but skews to romanticizing small towns and living life on the road”. /Tongue Tied Magazine

Background

The Hollström brothers Dennis, Michael and Jonas grew up in a small misty industrial town by a harbor in southern Sweden. There was always music in the house as their father is a blues guitarist. He taught Dennis to play a few chords and gave him the advice to go and write his own songs. And so he did and he hasn’t stopped. 

Around 2014 when his previous touring garage rock bands, The Shy Lads and Wonder Coast, stopped playing he got the urge to do a more acoustic solo project. But he also wanted the community of a band. A herd of musicians got together under the name Dennis Hollström & The Ponies. To honor his small town upbringing he wrote the album ‘Local Hero’ which was released in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. 

Just before the pandemic began, Dennis went on a two month solo tour on the west coast of the US and in Canada. He met a lot of interesting people there and began writing songs about them. For example he met Bill, 87 years old from Portland who once ran for governor but ended up in jail. His life story became the song ‘Bill, the Piano Man’. It all resulted in the storytelling album ‘Visions of the Road’. Released in November 2022.