MandoPony
MandoPony's pony
Other names	Andrew Stein Andy Stein Daniel Andrew Stein II
Active since	October 5, 2011
Known as	Musician
Account(s)
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MandoPony is the pseudonym of an American brony musician. The name refers to his favored instrument, the mandolin,^[1] but he also plays a variety of other instruments including the guitar and the piano.^[2] He became a fan of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic around July 2011.^[2] His first published MLP cover was Winter Wrap Up, posted on YouTube in October 5, 2011. The MandoPony YouTube channel was created a week later. A collection of pony-themed songs (including some alternates and instrumental versions) was released on Bandcamp on May 18, 2012.

Contents 1 Style 2 Reception and other activities 3 A Long Way from Equestria 4 Selection of other songs 5 References 6 Comments

StyleEdit

His pony-related work ranges from acoustic covers, instrumental karaoke pieces and remixes of the show's songs to original music inspired by the show, both vocal and instrumental. MandoPony's output is quite versatile, spanning genres as diverse as dubstep, chiptunes, techno, country, pop, rock, and classical music. 

Reception and other activitiesEdit

He was one of several brony musicians mentioned specifically by the Friendship is Magic's primary song composer Daniel Ingram during a Skype interview at BroNYcon 2012.^[3] He has also collaborated with Michelle Creber, Apple Bloom's voice actress, on two charity covers.^[4] He was a guest host for an Everfree Radio interview with show composer William Anderson, who complimented him on his work. MandoPony also co-wrote the script and music for the fanmade animation Epic Wub Time, as well as being in charge of the storyboard for that animation.

In the summer, he played mandolin for show musician William Anderson on a short cue for an episode of the third season;^[5][6][7][8] MandoPony wrote in early November 2012 that "Apparently it's in the season finale this year"^[9] and that it "almost didn't happen" as it was "extremely lucky" that their schedules coincided for it;^[10] however, Anderson ended up not having any role in the episode at all, as Daniel Ingram and Steffan Andrews received the only music credit. MandoPony later confirmed that his mandolin part was cut along with William Anderson's work when the music production shifted entirely to Ingram and Andrews.^[11]

In March 2013, MandoPony recorded vocals for a song for an episode of Littlest Pet Shop titled "Miss Anna T, If You Please".^[12]

A Long Way from EquestriaEdit

A Long Way from Equestria
"demo"
A Long Way from Equestria -- Original MLP music by MandoPony & AcousticBrony(04:59) 0 views final version
Composition	MandoPony
Lyrics	MandoPony
Vocals	MandoPony
Instruments	final only: Acoustic Brony (guitar, drums) & MandoPony (other)
Published	November 17, 2011 (demo) January 16, 2012 (final)
Duration	3:52 (demo) 4:59 (final)

In November 2011, MandoPony posted the "demo" of a new song on his YouTube channel. It is purely vocal and acoustic and was reportedly created within a day, as a reaction to encountering "MLP haters" on the internet.^[2] A more fully orchestrated version was released two months later, with MandoBrony's vocals accompanied by the British duo AcousticBrony.

The lyrics concern two people, one male, one female, who are ridiculed and put down for attempting to counter the cynicism prevalent in "this world of ours". The refrain states twice that "we're a long way from Equestria" before the speaker defiantly proclaims that he or she won't give up and will try to make the world better and "more like Equestria".

Selection of other songsEdit

Published	Title	Length	Genre	Notes
2011-10-11	Twilight Sparkle	2:09	Chiptune	first original pony composition
2011-10-17	Octavia's Prelude	2:09	Classical
2011-11-23	With a Sister	2:33	Country	unprocessed live version availabe here (19:05-21:08)
2012-01-03	So Much Left to Know	3:55	Musical/Broadway
2012-02-14	The Return of Scratch	3:26	Dubstep
2012-02-20	Smile Song	3:34	Instrumental karaoke version of the Smile Song by Daniel Ingram
2012-03-25	Sweet Apple Acres	4:07	Country rock
2012-04-26	Shining Armor	3:05	Rock
2012-05-22	Gilda's Theme	2:00	Rock/instrumental
2012-05-22	The Adventures of Daring Do	4:27	Orchestral/instrumental

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ Tumblr post (March 21, 2012).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Everfree Radio interview (December 2011).
3. ↑ Daniel Ingram Skype interview (January 2012).(4:24-5:53)
4. ↑ Excerpts from the livestream the tracks premiered on (February 16, 2012).
5. ↑ William Anderson Panel - Equestria LA 2012 - YouTube (2012-11-04). Retrieved on 2013 January 18.
6. ↑ Twitter / MandoPony: So, to clear things up -- yes, ... (2012-11-08). Retrieved on 2013 January 18.
7. ↑ deviantART: Comment on Christmas banner by *Sibsy (2012-12-10). Retrieved on 2013 January 18.
8. ↑ deviantART: Comment on The Rumours Are True by *Sibsy (2013-02-07). Retrieved on 2013 February 8.
9. ↑ Twitter / MandoPony: Apparently it's in the season ... (2012-11-08). Retrieved on 2013 January 18.
10. ↑ Twitter / MandoPony: It was extremely lucky that ... (2012-11-08). Retrieved on 2013 January 18.
11. ↑ Andrew Stein (2013-02-19). I think it got cut from the final score.. Retrieved on 2013 February 24.
12. ↑ Sethisto (2013-03-27). Mandopony Invades Littlest Pet Shop.. Retrieved on 2013 March 29.