Matt Pond PA

Matt Pond PA
Background information
Origin	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genres	Indie rock
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Lancaster File 13 Polyvinyl Altitude
Website	mattpondpa.com
Members
Matt Pond Chris Hansen Leslie Sisson George Souleidis Dan Crowell
Past members
Rosie McNamara-Jones Dana Feder Josh Kramer Jim Hostetter Sean Byrne Mike Kennedy Matt Raisch Jim Kehoe Eve Miller Will Levatino Dan Mitha Brian Pearl Cory Popp Matthew Daniel Siskin Steve Jewett Brad Gunyon Aram Deradoorian

Matt Pond PA is a New York based band formed in Philadelphia by singer-songwriter Matt Pond. They have released eight LPs and eight EPs since 1998.

Pond has been the only consistent member, although Chris Hansen is now considered to be a core member of the group.

In the studio, they often collaborate with other musicians including former members to achieve their diverse instrumentation and expansive sound. In recent years, Pond and Hansen have produced the recordings from a cabin in Bearsville, NY.

History

The son of a minister, Pond grew up in northern New Hampshire, which proved a major influence on his music and lyrics. His first instruments were French horn and trumpet. He began teaching himself guitar in college, which materialized as his own unique brand of "professionally awkward" playing. Soon, he started playing in bands. His first two shows were opening for Superchunk and Bikini Kill.

Their debut Deer Apartments gained them recognition in CDNow CDNow's "Unheard?" competition for unsigned artists that same year. These first albums feature guitarist/bassist Josh Kramer, cellist Jim Hostetter, and drummer Sean Byrne.

Measure (2000), the first of three albums produced by Brian McTear, garnered comparisons to the Cure, showcasing a shifting agglomeration of acoustic guitar, cello, violin, French horn, flute, bass, and drums.

A third album (and the band's first release for Polyvinyl Record Co.), The Green Fury, was released in spring 2002. Now joined by cellist Eve Miller (The Rachel’s), it melded orchestral-type arrangements over pop songs much as their previous records had, however, their solidification as a full-fledged band was beginning to emerge.

The band returned with their fourth full-length, 2002's The Nature of Maps, marking the band's third release in two years. Although Pond remained the primary songwriter of the group, The Nature of Maps began a more holistic, collaborative process with each band member contributing heavily to the songwriting process.

In 2003, Pond relocated to Brooklyn, and reformed the band with Miller, Brian Pearl, Will levatino and Dan Crowell for the recording of Emblems, released on Altitude Records in May 2004. The album was produced by Louie Lino who also helmed the follow-up, Several Arrows Later in 2005. These albums present a more immediate and rocking expression of Matt Pond PA's music.

Like the previous album, Last Light was recorded at the legendary Bearsville Studios near Woodstock, NY, where Hansen was an engineer. It would be the last album recorded at the famed studio. Co-produced by Grammy nominee John O'Mahoney (Coldplay, The Strokes), Last Light features a list of guest contributors that includes Neko Case, Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliot Smith) and Mike Stroud (Ratatat).

For The Dark Leaves, Pond holed himself up in a cabin in Bearsville, NY, with producer Chris Hansen. The intimate nature of the sessions commenced a very productive period for the pair. The resulting record, The Dark Leaves, was released in 2010, and additional material from those cabin sessions found its way onto several EPs, including the free digital release Auri Sacra Fames and the Threeep, a series of three limited edition 7" singles whose sleeves fit together to form a cube.

“Somehow EP’s are less stressful. We don’t have to be as cautious — which helps make them freer than our albums. We left the door open while making our last EP. We let in all the ambient noise — the scratches, the chirps, the hiccups.” - Matt Pond

During this time, Pond and Hansen composed the score for the film Lebanon, PA starring Josh Hopkins (Cougar Town) and Samantha Mathis (American Psycho).

A relentlessly touring band, Matt Pond PA has performed with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists , Neko Case, Nickel Creek, Keane, Mick Jones, Mae, Youth Group , Guster, and Liz Phair.

The band's music has been included in the soundtrack for the Fox television program The O.C., specifically cover versions of Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" and Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea." Their song "Wild Girl" was also in the show Chuck in the episode "Chuck vs. the Wookie." In November 2010, the song "Snow Day" off their Winter Songs (EP) was featured in Starbucks commercials for the company's 'Buy one holiday drink, get one free' promotion and seasonal beverage advertisements.

“I think I just write a ton of songs, for some reason or another. In one way, I feel lucky and in some ways it's like a burden. I never really thought I'd do this [be a musician]. I thought I'd be some kind of lazy history professor, so this is a weird thing. I just keep writing songs and keep the best ones and throw out the clunkers. I mean, we might come out with another album this year. I don't know. You gotta get some kind of ... It becomes how you live your life. When you make an album, you go on tour and all of that, [so it's part of my life]. I just don't know anything else.” - Matt Pond

Members

Current

• Matt Pond – vocals, guitar
• Chris Hansen – guitar, vocals, keys
• Leslie Sisson – guitar, vocals
• George Souleidis – bass
• Dan Crowell – drums

Discography

LPs

• Deer Apartments (1998)
• Measure (2000)
• The Green Fury (2002)
• The Nature of Maps (2002)
• mpPA (With Audible) (2003)
• Emblems (2004)
• Several Arrows Later (2005)
• Last Light (2007)
• The Dark Leaves (2010)

EPs

• I Thought You Were Sleeping (2001)
• This Is Not The Green Fury (2001)
• Four Songs (2004)
• Winter Songs (2005)
• If You Want Blood (2007)
• The Freeep (2008)
• The Threeep (2009–2011)
• Spring Fools (2011)

Singles

• Lily Two/Golden Brown (2004)
• Halloween (2005)
• Snow Day/Holiday Road (2005)
• So Much Trouble (2005)
• Sunlight (2007)
• People Have a Way (2007)
• The Threeep - Part I - Starting (2009)
• The Threeep - Part II - Remains (2010)
• The Threeep - Part III - ? (2011)

Compilations

• "Champagne Supernova" (Oasis cover) from The OC: Mix 4 (2005)
• "Green Shirt" (Elvis Costello cover) from Almost You: The Songs of Elvis Costello (2002)
• "I'm Not Okay" (My Chemical Romance cover) from Guilt by Association Vol. 2 (2008)

References

External links

• Official website
• Matt Pond PA on Myspace
• Matt Pond PA collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive