Matt Pond was born in the state of New Hampshire where the state tree is the white birch, the bird is a purple finch, and the motto is "live free or die." While he never hunted, he was quite skilled with a shovel and chainsaw.
During college Matt played trumpet, French horn, and a little piano. He began teaching himself guitar in college, which materialized as his own unique brand of self-proclaimed "professionally awkward" playing - kind of like a contortionist, but different. Very soon, he started playing in bands. Remarkably, his first two shows were opening for Superchunk and Bikini Kill.
While living in Philadelphia working as a furniture mover, Pond met cellist Jim Hostetter while moving his furniture. The two struck up a friendship and Hostetter immediately began writing cello arrangements which became the heart of 1998's limited release Deer Apartments, the band's first full-length. Pond soon began writing and working with engineer Brian McTear whose production and musicianship greatly fleshed out matt pond PA's sound as evidenced by their second full-length, Measure, released by File 13 Records in 2000.
matt pond PA greeted 2001 with the I Thought You Were Sleeping EP (File 13) and toured with members of Aspera Ad Astra, Ted Leo, and Very Secretary. By the time the tour ended, the line-up solidified. With Jim Hostetter playing cello and Mike Kennedy (Lefty's Deceiver, Audible) on drums, the rest of the line-up fell into place. Bassist Matt Raisch and guitarist Jim Kehoe (both from the band Rhode Island) and finally cellist Eve Miller (The Rachel's) enlisted soon thereafter.
2001 also marked the year the band signed with Polyvinyl. Their first release on the label was This is not the Green Fury, a 33 1/3 4-song 7" EP of all new material pressed on (appropriately enough) green vinyl which also served as a teaser to their next album, The Green Fury. Their third release in one year, The Green Fury melded orchestral-type arrangements over basic pop songs much as their previous records had, however, their solidification as a full-fledged band was beginning to emerge.
Less than a year later, the band returned with their fourth full-length, 2002's The Nature of Maps. Although Pond remained the primary singer/songwriter of the group, The Nature of Maps became a more holistic, collaborative project with each band member contributing heavily to the songwriting process. The band toured both nationally and on the East Coast throughout the rest of 2002 and 2003. 2003 wrapped up with Matt and cellist Eve Miller completing a West Coast tour with Eve's other band, The Rachel's.
Following a move to New York, Matt Pond formed a new version of matt pond PA with Eve Miller as the only returning member. In 2004, the band recorded their fourth full-length Emblems off of the New York based label Altitude Records.
In October 2005 matt pond PA released Several Arrows Later, which was met with much critical praise, including a spot on Rolling Stone's 2005 list of "Ten Artists to Watch." The band then headed out on a national tour with Liz Phair in support of the album. In January 2006, Polyvinyl Records released the album on vinyl.
2007's Last Light finds matt pond PA solidifying a nearly ten-year legacy of gentle chords and introspective, honest lyrics. Featuring the talent of a list of guest contributors that includes Neko Case, Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliot Smith) and Mike Stroud (Ratatat), Last Light is dependable and sincere, a ready addition to the ever-growing matt pond PA catalog.
In late 2007, following the CD and vinyl release of Last Light, Polyvinyl Records released matt pond PA's The Green Fury and The Nature of Maps on vinyl.
