clayton chaney

Clayton Chaney is an Arkansan turned Angeleno.  His songs narrate an ever-changing, never-ending, West Coast coming-of-age.  Heavily influenced by fellow Los Angeles songwriters, Taylor Goldsmith and Jonny Fritz; Chaney's sound can best be described as contemplative, Country-tinged Americana Folk-Rock with hard-hitting and humorous lyrics.

Roger Miller, Buck Owens, and Elvis Presley were on the soundtrack to Chaney's early childhood.  While he strayed into alt-rock  territory in his teens,  his Folk and Country roots led him down a different path.  At eighteen, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a Film degree.  His study of screenwriting evolved into a love of songwriting when he co-wrote and directed a musical comedy with  his future bandmate and current Bloodshot Records artist, Jason Hawk Harris.  Their musical friendship endured through a couple of indie-rock outfits fronted by Harris in college.  Those collaborations grew into the formation of the indie-bluegrass band, The Show Ponies, with Harris as the band’s producer/guitarist and Chaney as the co-lead singer and bassist alongside front-woman and co-writer Andi Carder.

The Show Ponies released three albums and an EP between 2011 and 2018, which have racked up tens of millions of listens  on digital streaming platforms.  Chaney spent years traveling the USA in a 2008 Ford Econoline-350 Super Duty Passenger Van with his bandmates. He has experienced America’s big cities and small towns, playing anything in-between tiny living rooms and big festivals.  The Show Ponies’ final tour in 2018 is the subject of a feature length documentary, We’re Not Lost, that explores the emotions of letting go of a dream.  (Sadly the film doesn't touch on the regret and trauma of selling the van.) Those emotions were also the fuel for Chaney’s 2020 debut EP, Thinking Those Thoughts.

Chaney has since released a string singles with accompanying music videos.  He looks forward to releasing his first full length album in 2024.