Doug and Telisha Williams, the Nashville-based, country-roots musical duo known as Wild Ponies, have a mystical connection. Partners in every way, they have spent the last decade building more than just their careers as musicians - they've built a life. One they're wildly proud of and ready to share with the world. Their upcoming album, “Dreamers,” centers on exploration beyond the traditional nuclear family and into the community, joys, and heartbreaks they’ve experienced as part of a queer, polyamorous family undergoing fertility treatments and becoming foster parents in the state of Tennessee.

In addition to their work within their local Nashville LGBTQ+ musical and social communities, Wild Ponies bridge together fans and friends through many creative avenues. Whether it's their annual Trail Ride fan adventure weekend of distillery tours, friendship, and music, their weekly Whiskey Wednesday radio show broadcast on WSM’s Route 650, or their podcast, The Long Ride with Wild Ponies, where they interview their songwriting heroes on their journey to and through songwriting, there is no shortage of ways to join their community. 

Their live shows, which have often totaled into the hundreds per year, are notoriously personal. No one is merely a spectator at a Wild Ponies show; there are only enthusiastic participants on a collective musical journey. Whether it’s Doug and Telisha with their acoustic guitar and upright bass, respectively, or a full rock ‘n’ roll outfit with drums and electric guitar, everyone is welcomed into the magic.

But during the height of lockdown, without an outlet to share that musical connection in their favorite way, Doug and Telisha launched Dreamers Food Truck with their partner, Laura Schneider. Their hope was not just to earn an income during the music industry shutdown, but also to make a tangible difference in the lives of struggling Nashvillians. During its nearly two-year existence, Dreamers Food Truck fed locals buying a quick pizza or bowl for themselves, launched a pay-it-forward program, and donated more than 5,000 meals to those in need.

The Dreamers experiment also brought new people and new ideas into Doug and Telisha’s lives. Those experiences redefined their view of who comprises their nuclear family and what having children can mean, as they became certified foster/adoptive parents and FET (fetal embryo transfer) parents. “We realized that there’s a limited amount of time and energy you can spend,” says Telisha, “but love is not finite.”

The culmination of these changes has only reaffirmed what Doug and Telisha have known about themselves all along — that any action they take must feed their community, family, and art. As Doug says simply, “We’re redefining family and community and our place in that.” So as Wild Ponies gear up for the next chapter of their lives and prepare to release new music, they’re recommitting to these priorities and introducing a reinvigorated sense of lyrical progressivism and community service.

In their wondrously intertwining identities and lives, Wild Ponies’ music is fueled by Doug and Telisha’s love; in turn, that love keeps their art fresh, earnest, and honest. What makes Wild Ponies so special, though, is how their community responds, perpetuating such a mystical connection in generous and unexpected ways. For Wild Ponies, that feedback loop is the circle that remains unbroken. It just keeps getting larger to welcome everybody who wants to join.