The Egg Presents: Pure Prairie League/The Champagne Poneys

With support from The Champagne Poneys of Catskill, NY.

From their beginnings in mid-Sixties Ohio as a group of friends playing cover tunes to the present-day unit featuring drummer Brian Czach, bassist Jared Camic, keyboard master James Sonnentag, pedal steel guitarist and saxophonist John David Heinrich, and guitar ace and vocalist Jeff Zona, PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE continues to build on the 50-plus-year history of one of Country-Rock’s pioneering forces. As one reviewer recently wrote: “PPL’s sound combines sweet memories with edgy, contemporary muscle. Their vocals are as strong as Kentucky moonshine and the musicianship and performance skills are as sharp as a straight razor.”

Their eponymous first album, featuring the Norman Rockwell/Saturday Evening Post cover that introduced fans to PPL’s trademark cowpoke “Sad Luke,” has been hailed as a “major early influence in the emerging popularity of Country-Rock music.” Their second album, the multi-platinum “Bustin’ Out,” brought us the Craig Fuller-penned classic “Amie” and other gems of the genre. With “Two Lane Highway,” ten more albums, and countless shows, PPL has forged and enriched a legacy that includes contributions from original co-founder George Ed Powell, the Goshorn Brothers, Country Hall of Famers Gary Burr and Vince Gill, award-winning writer Jeff Wilson, top Nashville session vocalist Curtis Wright, and many others.

Now in their sixth decade, PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE continues to lead the way for a new generation of Country/Rockers, including Keith Urban, Nickel Creek, Wilco, and Counting Crows, who cite PPL as a major influence. Their new album, “Back On Track,” features a dozen new songs that complete the circle begun in 1970 and continues to this day.

The Champagne Poneys are a vocal trio rooted in the Hudson Valley at the foot of the Catskill Mountains. A breeze of “wildflower country,” their sound is fresh yet steeped in the bright lights and big hearts of country and western, folk, and honky-tonk traditions. The trio is fronted by Holland Belle, Allison Godleski, and Helen Rose, whose three-part harmonies and lilting vocal precision grew out of an immediate musical connection while rehearsing for a Lucinda Williams tribute.

The Poneys capture a room with their original songs and inspire dancing even in the most stubborn of souls. Their band features Kramer Sanguinetti on pedal steel and electric guitar, Lee Godleski on bass, and Ryan MacLean on drums and mandolin. They have played dance floors across the Northeast and opened for roots acts including Mama’s Broke and The Deslondes. The Champagne Poneys will release their debut EP on Friday, Dec. 4, on Misery Mother Records.