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Matt Pond PA Setlist
Tour Dates
11/17/15 Columbus, OH Rumba Cafe
11/18/15 Philadelphia, PA T Fillmore Philadelphia 11/19/15 Cambridge, MA Middle East 11/20/15 Kingston, NY BSP Lounge 11/21/15 New York, NY Marlin Room Read More
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A weeknight evening in mid-November St. Paul should be a state of cold; but instead, with Matt Pond PA headlining a show at the Turf Club, it was a State of Gold.
With eleven full-length albums (including newest release, The State of Gold on Doghouse Records) and ten EPs under their belt, the prolific Pond and band had plenty to choose from to satisfy both the longtime fans and the newly christened.
First up on this triple-bill evening was a short set of solo cello music from engineer, producer, and musician Shawn Alpay, who performs under the name Completions, and whose seven-song debut self-titled EP just came out last month. The passing of his mother and another close friend pushed him through self-doubt and he resumed songwriting, with his stage moniker serving as a constant reminder that revision can serve too much like a shield and to finish things, even if imperfect.
Alpay did double duty this night, as he also plays in Pond’s PA, but his opening set was arresting in its reflective, often somber, and eloquent delivery. Alpay’s vocals are delicate in a Ben Gibbard way with a string-plucking style borne from his formal musical training.
The attentive crowd listened intently as Alpay played most of his EP, including the lyrically wrenching ‘One Quiet Down’, a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case of U’, and his own ‘Completions’ which found Alpay plucking over a series of sound loops he built up.
New York singer-songwriter Laura Stevenson was next, accompanied by her Very Best Friends, as in that’s the actual name of the four-piece band that currently performs with her. Her newest release, Cocksure (Don Giovanni Records) was so new (out Oct 30th) that the band unfortunately was still waiting on copies themselves to sell, but it didn’t stop Stevenson and band from playing cuts from the new album.
Though she’s dabbled in folk previously, the new songs are full frontal rock, somewhat reminiscent of Liz Phair and the Lemonheads’ mid-90’s output, such as on lead single ‘Torch Song’. Stevenson even dedicated a song (‘Emily in Half’) to ex-step moms everywhere and revealed the new ’Jellyfish’, to be about stopping any worrying and to just go on.
An unseasonably warm November evening meant Matt Pond PA were overheating mid-way through their 73 min. set, with Pond asking for a towel or two from the bar, to cool down. Pond is justifiably proud of his latest effort, which was also crowdfunded, though vocally less than pleased with his current label (though he didn’t go into any details).
The stage was adorned with a white diamond-shaped emblem mounted on the back curtain and dim amber lighting that slowly spun woods silhouettes on the stage as the band played. The first three songs of the set, were also tracks 1-3 from the new record, before Pond and band dialed it back ten years for 2005’s ‘So Much Trouble’.
The normally non-plussed Pond didn’t say much between songs, other to calm down an over-zealous fan determined to get a high-five or fist bump numerous times, or to mention this evening was going better than Des Moines the previous night.
Stevenson re-emerged mid-set, reprising her album duet with Pond on the new ‘Four Eyes’. Musically, the band was spot on, with longtime guitarist Chris Hansen leading the charge, and cellist Alpay adding an appropriate elegance to many of the indie pop songs.
The three song encore deviated slightly from the setlist, starting with the requested and lilting ‘Summer is Coming’, then the also-requested ‘The Hollows’ and ending with ‘Measure 3’, with its opening lyric “Will we both be happy to stand alone / I can't see forever, where will I go”.
If the rumors are true, the band goes on an indefinite hiatus after this tour, the result of its recent label dealings, and Pond planning to step away to open a restaurant/bar in Kingston NY. If that’s the case, we’ll no doubt miss seeing Matt Pond PA in concert, but have the plentiful back catalogue to always go back to, and grateful that we saw the last (for now) hurrah.
A few dates remain in 2015, so see the band while you still have a chance.
With eleven full-length albums (including newest release, The State of Gold on Doghouse Records) and ten EPs under their belt, the prolific Pond and band had plenty to choose from to satisfy both the longtime fans and the newly christened.
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Completions |
Alpay did double duty this night, as he also plays in Pond’s PA, but his opening set was arresting in its reflective, often somber, and eloquent delivery. Alpay’s vocals are delicate in a Ben Gibbard way with a string-plucking style borne from his formal musical training.
The attentive crowd listened intently as Alpay played most of his EP, including the lyrically wrenching ‘One Quiet Down’, a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case of U’, and his own ‘Completions’ which found Alpay plucking over a series of sound loops he built up.
Laura Stevenson
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Though she’s dabbled in folk previously, the new songs are full frontal rock, somewhat reminiscent of Liz Phair and the Lemonheads’ mid-90’s output, such as on lead single ‘Torch Song’. Stevenson even dedicated a song (‘Emily in Half’) to ex-step moms everywhere and revealed the new ’Jellyfish’, to be about stopping any worrying and to just go on.
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Matt Pond |
The stage was adorned with a white diamond-shaped emblem mounted on the back curtain and dim amber lighting that slowly spun woods silhouettes on the stage as the band played. The first three songs of the set, were also tracks 1-3 from the new record, before Pond and band dialed it back ten years for 2005’s ‘So Much Trouble’.
The normally non-plussed Pond didn’t say much between songs, other to calm down an over-zealous fan determined to get a high-five or fist bump numerous times, or to mention this evening was going better than Des Moines the previous night.
Stevenson re-emerged mid-set, reprising her album duet with Pond on the new ‘Four Eyes’. Musically, the band was spot on, with longtime guitarist Chris Hansen leading the charge, and cellist Alpay adding an appropriate elegance to many of the indie pop songs.
Setlist
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If the rumors are true, the band goes on an indefinite hiatus after this tour, the result of its recent label dealings, and Pond planning to step away to open a restaurant/bar in Kingston NY. If that’s the case, we’ll no doubt miss seeing Matt Pond PA in concert, but have the plentiful back catalogue to always go back to, and grateful that we saw the last (for now) hurrah.
A few dates remain in 2015, so see the band while you still have a chance.
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Matt Pond PA at Turf Club, St Paul (10 Nov 2015) |
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