Matt Pond PA

Matt Pond PA was a New York-based band formed in Philadelphia by singer-songwriter Matt Pond. It released twelve LPs and numerous EPs between 1998 and 2017.

Matt Pond PA
Background information
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
GenresIndie rock
Years active1998–2017
Labels131 Records 131records.co
Websitewww.mattpondpa.com
MembersMatt Pond
Chris Hansen
Shawn Alpay
Past membersRosie 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
Steve Jewett
Brad Gunyon
Aram Deradoorian
Leslie Sisson
George Souleidis
Dan Crowell
Kyle Kelly-Yahner (Touring)
Tierney Tough (Touring)
Tre Hester (touring)
Sammi Niss (Touring)
Hilary James (touring)

Throughout the years Pond enlisted a rotating cast of collaborators for recording and touring, including cellists Jim Hostetter and Eve Miller, violinist Rosie McNamara-Jones, drummers Mike Kennedy and Dan Crowell, bassists Matt Raisch and Josh Kramer, and guitarists Jim Kehoe and Brian Pearl. Chris Hansen, producer and guitarist, has been a core member of the group since 2007. Cellist Shawn Alpay, who performs individually as Completions,[1] is currently recording and touring as a member of the band.[2]

Matt Pond announced on October 30th, 2017 on his website and social media accounts that he would be retiring the Matt Pond PA moniker, but would continue making music.[3] The band released a final EP, "More Winter Lives", on November 21st, 2017, and played their final show on December 16th, 2017.

Members

  • Matt Pond – vocals, guitar
  • Chris Hansen – guitar, vocals
  • Shawn Alpay – cello

History

Early history (1998 - 2002)

Debuting in 1998 with Deer Apartments, the band quickly gained momentum through claiming top honors in an unsigned bands competition sponsored by CDNOW. Their sophomore album, Measure, was released in 2000 and a follow-up EP I Thought You Were Sleeping was issued the following year. The band first release on Polyvinyl, The Green Fury, was released in the spring of 2002 and The Nature of Maps followed soon after.

Emblems, Several Arrows Later, Last Light, The Freeep, and The Threeep (2004 - 2009)

Pond relocated to Brooklyn in 2003 and recorded the band’s breakthrough album, Emblems, which was released on Altitude in 2004.[4] In 2005 the band issued the seasonal EP, Winter Songs, which gained a larger following when Starbucks used the song "Snow Day" in a television commercial.[5][6] Several months later released their 6th full-length LP entitled Several Arrows Later. 2007 saw the launch of If You Want Blood and Last Light. In 2008 the band released a free EP entitled The Freeep which was later sold under the name Auri Sacra Fames in 2009. An EP called The Threeep was also released in 2009.

The Dark Leaves, The Lives Inside the Lines in Your Hand, and The State of Gold (2010 - 2015)

Holing up in a cabin in Upstate New York, Pond recorded The Dark Leaves with producer Chris Hansen and several other guest musicians in 2010. In 2011, Matt Pond PA released his EP titled Spring Fools, which included three songs. One of the songs, "Love to Get Used", was featured later on in the Vince Vaughn movie Delivery Man (film) in 2013. 2013 saw the brief removal of “PA” from the band name and the release of The Lives Inside the Lines in Your Hand. The band recorded and released 2015’s The State of Gold while simultaneously playing anniversary tours for both Emblems and Several Arrows Later.

Winter Lives, Still Summer, and retirement of name (2016 - 2017)

Matt Pond launched 131 Records in the summer of 2016 from a desire to retain complete control over his musical process. He uses Patreon, a platform that allows fans to directly interact and contribute to the artist, to fund the endeavor.

On November 11, 2016, Matt Pond PA released their eleventh album, Winter Lives. Keeping with the seasonal theme, Still Summer followed on August 11, 2017.

On October 30, 2017, Matt Pond announced via his website and social media accounts, "...It is time to say goodbye to the oddly named Matt Pond PA. We’ll soon release a reprising holiday EP. And these shows in December will be the last we play under that honorific. (Or at least for a long, long, long, long, long, long time.) Whatever happens next, I will continue to make music. We’re focusing the crux of our upcoming efforts here. Just without my name on all the baloney. It’s time for a different brand of baloney..."[3]

The band released their final EP, "More Winter Lives", on November 21, 2017, and played their final show on December 16, 2017 in Kingston, New York.

Discography

Albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions
US Heat
[7]
US Indie
[7]
Deer Apartments
  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Lancaster Records
Measure
  • Released: 2000
  • Label: File 13 Records
The Green Fury
The Nature of Maps
Emblems
  • Released: May 4, 2004
  • Label: Altitude Records
Several Arrows Later
  • Released: October 11, 2005
  • Label: Altitude Records
Last Light
  • Released: September 25, 2007
  • Label: Altitude Records
1143
The Dark Leaves
  • Released: April 13, 2010
  • Label: Altitude Records
33
The Lives Inside the Lines in Your Hand
  • Released: February 5, 2013
  • Label: BMG
The State of Gold 936
Winter Lives
  • Released: November 11, 2016
  • Label: 131 Records
Still Summer
  • Released: August 11, 2017
  • Label: 131 Records
"—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released

EPs

Singles

Other songs

References

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