Folkadelphia Session: Matt Pond PA
Back in 2005, I started to hear a lot about this guy Matt Pond and PA, which I guessed was the state he was living in. Ever the curious listener, I decided to find out what kind of music he was making, what the talk was all about, so I picked up the new album, Matt Pond PA‘s Several Arrows Later. For me and many others, this album became the gateway into the rich and textured imagination of Pond. Perfectly crafted melodies, a glimmering sheen around the instruments, and an undeniable energy that keeps you listening (and often dancing) from track to track. It also feels seasonal – we start in the autumn with “Halloween” and end up with the hope of promise of warmer weather in “Spring Provides.” There’s no doubt that throughout the years this album has helped me to inject a modicum of brightness and color into the eternal grey of mid-winter. Thank Pond.
Since Several Arrows Later, Matt Pond has put out tons of excellent LPs and EPs, the latest of which is last year’s The State of Gold. What remains constant throughout Pond’s catalog is that deep, distinguished imagination, speckled with diverse hues, composition, and makeup. Plus the guy really knows how to write a melody. The State of Gold is just the latest release in a rich catalog that shines and shimmers so brightly that you soon yourself hooked.
It was fresh around the release of The State of Gold and the tenth anniversary of Several Arrows Later that we at Folkadelphia were privileged to record this live session with Matt Pond PA. The band had recently been robbed of precious musical equipment while on tour, but still came out to hang with us for a while. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for doing that.
Special thanks and acknowledgment is due to Drexel University’s Music Industry Program for graciously letting us use their recording studio and gear, as well as helping wrangle interested, enthusiastic, and capable students to assist. I’d like to single out Brian Goehrig and James Clark Conner, Folkadelphia’s regular audio engineers for their leadership and hard work throughout our stint at the university.