Pegstar Presents: matt pond PA * Laura Stevenson

Rudyard’s presents Pegstar Presents: matt pond PA * Laura Stevenson.

matt pond PA (New York)
http://www.mattpondpa.com/

Although originally formed as a chamber pop quintet, matt pond PA went through several different lineups throughout its existence, with each incarnation revolving around the talents of singer/songwriter Matt Pond (previously of Mel’s Rockpile). Pond formed the group upon relocating from New England to Philadelphia, and he filled out his first lineup with guitarist/bassist Josh Kramer, cellist Jim Hostetter, violinist Rosie McNamara-Jones, and drummer Sean Byrne.

The band debuted in 1998 with Deer Apartments and won top honors in an unsigned bands competition sponsored by online retailer CDNOW. A sophomore effort, Measure, followed in 2000 and garnered comparisons to a stripped-down version of the Cure, while the I Thought You Were Sleeping EP appeared in spring 2001.

By the next year, the band shifted its roster to include drummer Mike Kennedy, bassist Matt Raisch, guitarist Jim Kehoe, and cellist Eve Miller, alongside Pond and Hostetter. A third album (and the band’s first release for the Polyvinyl label), The Green Fury, was released in spring 2002 while Pond also took on duties writing music for the Oxygen Network. The Nature of Maps followed several months later, marking the band’s third release in two years.

For his new album, Pond holed himself up in a cabin outside of Bearsville, New York, with producer Chris Hansen and several guest musicians. The result, The Dark Leaves, was released in 2010, and additional material from those cabin sessions found its way onto several EPs, including the digital release Auri Sacra Fames.

After fronting the band he shared a name with for over a decade, Pond dropped the “PA” from matt pond PA in late 2012. Working again with collaborator Chris Hansen, Pond recorded the first album to be issued under his own name, The Lives Inside the Lines in Your Hand, released in early 2013.

The band took to the road shortly afterwards performing a ten-year anniversary tour in support of the album Emblems, playing the album in its entirety. Coinciding with the tour, the band successfully appealed for funding for their next album, and The State of Gold was released in 2015.~ Jason Ankeny

Laura Stevenson (Brooklyn, NY)
http://www.laurastevenson.net/

“A young singer and songwriter from Long Island… a lot like a sweeter voiced Sharon Van Etten with very smart witty lyrics, very literate, and wonderfully strong melodies that can then erupt into these jams… this had everything I love.”Jim DeRogatis, NPR Sound Opinions

“Laura Stevenson is a slice of indie-pop heaven with a kitchen-sink mentality: chiming guitars, strings, violins, and Stevenson’s soaring voice all stack atop one another, and the results are shimmering pop songs.”Marcus Gilmer, A.V. Club

“Laura Stevenson comes into her own on Wheel. A boost in fidelity and aggression elevate the big-hearted indie jams… Lovely and heartfelt, Wheel is an introspective delight.”Annie Zaleski, Alternative Press