The chamber pop quintet
matt pond PA is led by eponymous singer/songwriter
Matt Pond (previously of Mel's Rockpile), who formed the group upon relocating from New England to Philadelphia. Also featuring 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 the Unheard? unsigned bands competition sponsored by online retailer CDNOW. Sophomore effort
Measure followed in 2000, garnering comparisons to a stripped-down version of
the Cure, and the
I Thought You Were Sleeping EP appeared in spring 2001. Within the next year, the band shifted its roster to include
Mike Kennedy (drums),
Matt Raisch (bass),
Jim Kehoe (guitar), and
Eve Miller (cello) -- the latter member from experimental outfit
Rachel's -- alongside
Pond and
Hostetter. A third album (and the band's first on Polyvinyl),
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.
In 2003,
Pond left Philadelphia for Brooklyn, and eventually met the rest of the band that would ultimately become the strongest lineup of
matt pond PA since its inception.
Brian Pearl (guitars/piano),
Dan Crowell (drums), and
Daniel Mitha (bass) joined
Pond for the recording of
Emblems, which was released on Altitude in May 2004. Shared dates with
Keane and
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists followed until the end of the year. Prior to releasing their fifth album, the seasonal EP effort
Winter Songs was issued in January 2005.
Several Arrows Later, which also included the debut of cellist
Dana Feder, followed in October. Tours dates with
Liz Phair and
Guster also coincided with its release. In early 2006,
Mitha departed
matt pond PA and was replaced by
Steve Jewett. A limited-run EP,
If You Want Blood, was released the following summer, and the band returned with a new full-length album,
Last Light, in September 2007. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide