STUDIO RECORDINGS

Brand New Poi Dog Pondering Release: “Remnants of Summer”

Available now Digitally & Physically

AMA Frank OrrallFull Album 2014

Solo Album of selected songs by other artists from Poi Dog Pondering's Frank Orrall.
Including songs written by: Scott Walker, Paul Weller, Woodentops, The Smiths, Lou Reed, The Velvet underground, Cole Porter, Edwyn Collins (Orange Juice), Van Morrison, Sade & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Produced by Frank Orrall   / Mixed by Ted Cho & Frank Orrall
 
With special guest Musicians:
Paul Von Mertens, Ron Hall,  Alison Chesley, Julio Davis, Rick Gehrenbeck, John Nelson, Ted Cho, Susana Maria Voelz, Bruce Hughes, Chris Fernandez-Pellon Larumbe, Rob Myers, Dag Juhlin, Ashish Vyas, Gilles Aniorte-Tomassian, Mariko Usui & Sanequa Young

01: Duchess ->>>  Writer: SCOTT WALKER
02: My Ever Changing Moods ->>>   Writer: PAUL WELLER
03: Everything Breaks ->>>   Writer: ROLO MCGINTY
04: This Night Has Opened My Eyes ->>>   Writer: JOHNNY MARR, STEVEN MORRISSEY
05: Over You ->>>   Writer: LOU REED
06: Coney Island Steeplechase ->>>   Writers: VELVET UNDERGROUND
07: I Concentrate On You ->>>    Writer: COLE PORTER
08: Intuition Told Me, Part 1 ->>>   Writer: EDWYN STEPHEN COLLINS
09: Crazy love ->>>   Writer: VAN MORRISON
10: By Your Side ->>>   Writers: SADE ADU, STUART MATTHEWMAN, ANDREW HALE, PAUL S. DENMAN
11: The World's Strongest Man ->>>   Writer: SCOTT WALKER
12: Aguas de Marco ->>>   Writer: ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM

NEVER TRADE THESE DAYS   Frank Orrall  Full Length Album: 2013

An intimate, hand made album from PDP's Frank Orrall. "One of the major driving factors for me making this record was that I missed the simple process of how I first started writing and recording music,  on my brother's 4 track cassette recorder (and then later with a Fostex cassette 4 track I bought, and set up make shift studio in my bedroom).  I like to sleep where I am recording so I can wake up and work when ever I want...& follow the ghost of the song no matter what hour it comes to me.  So, for this record, I made a monk's bed in mystudio & took my meals, coffee and wine at the mixing desk & slept 4 feet away from my recording equipment and in the room with all my instruments. It really brought me back to a really good place for writing songs; a gentle place where song buds can bloom, free from any expectations,  except to just be their own unique selves. I am very happy to visit the original process again".

Track List:

1 - CALL OUT TO ME
2 - THREE SUMMER STORIES
3 - LIFE IS HARD
4 - GODLESS CHURCH
5 - I'M NOT GONNA WANNA LEAVE WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO
6 - MY PAST IS A MYSTERY & MY FUTURE IS UN-WRITTEN
7 - NEVER TRADE THESE DAYS
8 - LITTLE BLOSSOMS FALLING DOWN
9 - YOU'RE LIKE A WHISPERWILL

MUSIC FROM THE GAIJIN HOTEL   8FATFAT8 / FRANK ORRALLFull Length Album 2010

"A Lusciously Cinematic 10 song suite. An ever unfolding tour de force of sublime musicality. A Naturalist's soundtrack; subtly stunning".

The Debut album from Frank Orrall's ELECTRONIC Solo project, 8fatfat8. This album was recorded around the same time as "In Seed Comes Fruit" and features lots of brilliant guest appearances from many PDP members and friends.

FEATURING: Charlette Wortham, Alison Chesley, Susan Voelz, Paul Mertens, Carla Prather, Ari Brown, Joe Sonnefeldt + more.

AUDIO LOVE LETTER:  Poi Dog Pondering 7 song mini album 2011

This is a spontaneous 7 song mini album, send salutations to a few random midnight inspirations. A loose limbed, spontaneous quick draw salute, to a few super inspirational folks in no particular order...  Steve Marriott, Jeremy Brett, Van Morrison, Matt Johnson & David Bowie...aw fuck... there's no rhyme or reason to it, it's just a mini album for the pure fun of it... to send some love up into it all... like hot air into the ballon of love...      ... dig?! 

Track list:
Steve Marriott (PDP)
Sweet Thing (Van Morrison)
Jeremy Brett (PDP)
Uncertain Smile (The The)
Young and Wilde (PDP)
Win (David Bowie)
Starlight (PDP)

"7"   Poi Dog Pondering   Full Length Album: * 2008

A tour de force filled with love, swagger, raw honesty and moxie. After a 10 year exploration of expansive orchestration and electronica, PDP trimmed it all down and turned up the amplifiers. "7" somehow sounds like a brother / sister record to PDP's '95 release "Pomegranate". This is a rock record, Filled with sex, romance, mischievousness, glitter & psychedelic soul. Arguably their best record to date.

An instant classic in the poi catalogue.

Track List: PERFECT MUSIC / STICKY / LEMMON DROP MAN / HEAVEN ONLY KNOWS / BABY TOGETHER / BUTTERFLIES / FROM THIS MOMENT ON / PALM LEAF EFFIGY / RUSTED WEATHER / IN COMES THE NIGHT / OUTTA YER HEAD / ROCK CANDY / SUPER TARANA / SPACE DUST

SWEEPING UP THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR  POI DOG PONDERINGFull Length Album: 
A collection of studio out takes from 1987 to 94 (rarities & b-sides). Includes the beautifully haunting "cotton and wood pulp paste" featuring Abra Moore on vocals and piano.

IN SEED COMES FRUIT   Poi Dog Pondering   Full Length Album:    * 2003
One of the most elegant albums of the poi catalogue, and some would argue, one of their most un-characteristic. This is the most collaborative of all the PDP records with many members sharing in the writing of lyrics as well as the music. Chief song writer Frank Orrall seems more interested in sound than lyrics during this period and so cozies up to co-producer Martin Stebbing's chair and enjoys the ride in more of a sonic conductors role. Susan Voelz and Paul Mertens stretch their orchestral wings on this record and give this record a unique intimate - yet expansive sound. Singers Charlette Wortham, Carla Prather, Kornell Hargrove and Susan Voelz take the lyrical reigns and the result is broad in palate, but richly cohesive.
 This is a record for musicians, painters, long distance drives and lovers.

 1. Had I Known
 2. You Move Me
 3. A Love Rains down
 4. 10-28
 5. Daytrippin
 6. Hangover
 7. Keep The Faith
 8. True
 9. So Real
 10. Hotel Seze
 11. Simple Song
 12. In Seeds Come Fruit

NATURAL THING    Poi Dog Pondering   Full Length Album:   * 1999
"Natural Thing" is the sound of PDP in the summer light fire of re-invention. Again.
The lyrics get thrown in the fire, and the music rises higher.
"At this time in my life I felt like music was so much more expressive than words..." said Frank Orrall, "And I just wanted to let the music speak." "Rather than traditional song writing structures like; "verse / chorus / bridge " etc., We just let the musicians be musicians and play. Martin and I followed where they went and made the song fit their intuitive structure.... The instrumentalist was the conductor, and the songs just wrapped around that cosmic shape."
 "Also at this time in my life lyrics were not coming to me and so I just felt like lyrics should be short and to the point. Set the stage and let the music talk to the listener in the sound of the soul. The arc of emotion in "Octavio / Beautiful to meet you", Spend my life", "Diva" and "Tracery / Tana dery Na" literally pull at my heart" say's Frank Orrall.

 1. Octavio/Beautiful to Meet You
 2. Ta Bouche Est Tabou (french mix)
 3. Natural Thing
 4. Come Together
 5. Diva (Live at House of sound)
 6. Berry
 7. That's the Way Love Is
 8. Spend My Life (Moorea mix)
 9. Hard Sometimes
 10. Jealous
 11. Tracery/Tana Dery Na (waterlily mix)

POMEGRANATE    Poi Dog Pondering   Full Length Album:   * 1995
Made under the pressure of tending to a lover ( and band member ) struggling with cancer, this record emerged a diamond. It's a determined deep breath, and acceptance of life and it's ways, and choosing to live and love it.
It's sex and dreams and dirt and earth. A masterpiece.

 1. Pomegranate
 2. Catacombs
 3. Complicated
 4. Chain
 5. Big Constellation
 6. Sandra at the Beach
 7. Diamonds and Buttermilk
 8. Shu Zulu Za
 9. God's Gallipoli
 10. Shake of Big Hands
 11. Al le Luia

PALM FABRIC ORCHESTRA    Full Length Album:   * 1994
This was recorded before Volo Volo & was meant to be the 3rd PDP album, but Sony did not want an instrumental album so they blocked it. Thankfully the band got the rights to the album and released it as soon as they parted ways with Sony.

It's a sublime, and beautiful, all instrumental record. Pure natural music. Featuring Frank Orrall, Ellen fullman, Kit Ebersbach, Mark Willams, Susan Voelz, Max Crawford, Paul Mertens, John Nelson, Ted Cho and other Members of PDP.

 1. Time And Gravity
 2. Thawing Spring
 3. Angelika Suspended
 4. Window Down, Still Far From The State Line
 5. Wood Box And Block Of Ice
 6. The Garden
 7. Rounding The Trees By The Forest Edge
 8. Coda: Lover's Reprise

VOLO VOLO    Poi Dog Pondering   Full Length Album:    * 1992
This began as an instrumental record, When our label contact heard what we were making he flew right down to Austin and said, point blank:
"Columbia wants a lyric record or else they're gonna drop the band."
In-sensed by this form of control PDP decided rather than to quit or quibble, to take their cue from Madona; "Gain power, then do what you want with it", so they wrote a stone solid pop lyric record, put boxing gloves on for the cover photo and let Columbia know they were in the ring. "In retrospect, I'm glad Columbia pushed us - cause it ended up producing 2 good records - the one we meant to make (Palm Fabric Orchestra) and Volo Volo.... " 
That's a good story - and true... but an equally important truth is; when the band was on tour in England in 89 and they heard the Happy Mondays, that kinda started a revolution in the poi sound. And with Palm Fabric in the bag - they were happy to move on and explore again. You can start to hear it here.
The band got hate mail from fans who feared they sold out when volo volo hit.

 1. Lackluster
 2. Collarbone
 3. Get Me O
 4. The Hardest Thing
 5. Ta Bouche Est Tabou
 6. I've Got My Body
 7. Jack Ass Ginger
 8. Be The One
 9. Tall
 10. Building
 11. Te Manu Pukarua
 12. Blood And Thunder
 13. Entrance
 14. Endtrance

WISHING LIKE A MOUNTAIN, THINKING LIKE THE SEA     Poi Dog PonderingFull Length Album:   * 1990
The whimsical apex of early PDP.  Before the Sony / Columbia machine and cynical press cavity toothed mutterings scared them into self awareness... (which is not as bad as it seems... they survived just fine.) This is the sound of PDP just happy to be there in the world playing music and unaware that it might matter to anyone - and bliss-full to the fact that the lions in wait of "thou shall not from 'indie to major label' trade" were ready to pounce.
Little had anyone known that they had (in their brashness), beaten the best contract out of Columbia, better than any indy contract- filled with creative control.... (including clauses for a kid's record, and an instrumental record... ) and kept their own publishing- all because they could care less and fought them for it. But none of this has anything to do with the sound and the songs here.
This is pre-indy back lash poi being it's natural heart on the sleeve self. 
Angered letters from fundamentalist religious zealots came in addressing the songs: "Bury me deep" and "Praise the lord". PDP took it as a good sign.

 1. Bury Me Deep
 2. Watermelon Song
 3. U-Li-La-Lu
 4. Everybody's Trying
 5. Big Beautiful Spoon
 6. The Ancient Egyptians
 7. Spending The Day In The Shirt You Wore
 8. Thankgiving
 9. Praise The Lord
 10. The Me That Wa Your Son
 11. Fruitless
 12. Big Walk
 13. Sugarbush Cushman

POI DOG PONDERING    Full Length Album:   * 1988
Poi dog Pondering's debut CD. Originally released as 2 e.p.s on Texas Hotel records.
This record captures the whimsical elegance of the the bands early acoustic rock sound, fresh off the street from their beginnings as a street playing "busking" band. This album sounds as fresh today as the day it was recorded thanks to Mike Stewart's warm analogue recording. It's time-less and heart-felt. Earnest and honest.
Violins, accordions, mandolins, mando cellos, bass, oboe, drums, electric guitars, penny whistles, harps and trumpets are a few of the instruments that give this recording it's unique texture. Threaded together with prose that knows that life is short, and sometimes painful, and should be lived with both hands and a healthy thirst. Zorba the Greek would like this record.

 1. Living With The Dreaming Body
 2. Fall Upon Me
 3. Postcard From A Dream (Toast And Jelly)
 4. Pulling Touch
 5. Sound Of Water
 6. Fact Of Life
 7. Circle Around The Sun
 8. Aloha Honolulu
 9. Wood Guitar
 10. Falling

DVD / CONCERT FILMS

POI DOG PONDERING: LIVE AT METRO CHICAGO   DVD2011

 A sweeping 32 song 2 DVD Retrospective Concert Film; spanning the 25 + year long history of Poi Dog Pondering; From Hawai'i to Austin to Chicago... this is the sound of PDP's arc from Bohemian street musicians to Chicago's rock and soul dance band.

3 + hours of PDP in Concert plus never seen before early footage of the band & a special short film entitled "Origins" by Frank Orrall on the early Bohemian street playing days of the band in Hawaii and on the road.

AUDIO VISIVO   POI DOG PONDERING: DVD by Marco G. Ferrari + 3 song CD:      2004
(dvd and 3 song e.p. packaged together)
Features videos of "Simple Song" & "Natural thing" + Marco Ferrari's documentary on the making of "In seed comes fruit". Package also includes a c.d. of the up-dated 'soul kitchen' mix of "Simple Song", a cover of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" and a juicy re-mix of "Natural thing"

TO ORDER: Send pre-addressed 9 X 12envelope

+ $25 Check or Money Order made out to: Marco Ferrari

c/o Platetectonic Music   943 E. Hyde Park Blvd., #2 Chicago, Il.,  60615

(shipping is included)

LIVE RECORDINGS

POI DOG PONDERING: LIVE AT METRO CHICAGO4 CD Set: 2011

4 CD or DIGITAL Download Audio SET: Exclusively available online HERE!  A sweeping 51 song Retrospective Concert Album; spanning the 25 + year long history of Poi Dog Pondering; From Hawai'i to Austin to Chicago this is the sound of PDP's arc from Bohemian street musicians to Chicago's rock and soul dance band. 3 + hours of PDP in Concert .

SOUL SONIC ORCHESTRA  POI DOG PONDERINGFull Length LIVE Album:   2000
The neo Disco soul of poi dog pondering shines here live at the turning of the millennium.
This record captures PDP in the midst of exploring how to combine the 70's Philly soul disco with House and rock.
With a controversial new line up and focus on soul, disco jazz and house music, PDP set out to explore that field planted in the 70's by The Sound of Philadelphia (or TSOP), Big band live disco with strings and horns, Jazz keys, bass, congas and drums. Striving to become the organic link between that and the electronic present.
Recorded live on NYE at the dawn of 2000, This record captures the band feeling flush with creative energy and determined to follow it's heart in-spite of a vocal portion of it's fan-base resistant to let the band morph as it always seems to need to do.

LIQUID WHITE LIGHT  POI DOG PONDERINGFull Length Double LIVE Album:    1997
The quintessential live PDP record to date.
This captures the early Chicago line up in it's prime. Knowing it was the band's first live record, and at the decade mark of the band's existence - they chose to lay the concert out like a sonic retrospective; Starting with "Angelika Suspended" 's early poi acoustic sound and ending the night with the bands emerging interest in electronic textures and dance / rock music.
Recorded over 4 nights at the Vic Theater,
Expertly mixed by PDP's #1 trusted 'man at the controls' Martin Stebbing and assisted by Max Crawford's dedicated attention to detail and choice of passion over performance...
This record captures the late '90's poi to perfection.

COMPILATIONS

THE BEST OF THE AUSTIN YEARS  POI DOG PONDERINGFull Length Album:    * 2005
A Sony music compilation of songs from the first 3 PDP albums, spanning 1988 to 1992.

REMIX RECORDINGS

ELECTRIQUE PLUMMAGRAM  POI DOG PONDERING   Re-Mix Album:   * 1996
In the mid 90's PDP were enjoying fresh inspiration from the vibrant Chicago underground electronic dance movement, and so Fresh off of releasing "Pomegranate", PDP went back into the studio with producers Frank Orrall and Martin Stebbing and engineer Scott Ramsayer to make this RE-MIX album. They locked themselves into the studio and experimented with vintage synthesizers and drum machines to make club ready versions of 4 previously released PDP songs. This session yielded 3 new cuts; "Zap Disco" (inspired by Chicago's south side 'Juke' and ' booty house' sound), "Platetectonic" a quasi rock / electronic house Frankenstein, and the hidden GEM of the whole record; "Diva (bliss mix)" closes out the record.
This record freaked out some fans of the band who thought the band "went disco" - but it also made new fans, and is a testimony to PDPs musical elasticity.
"Diva" is singularly beautiful in it's organic electronic-ness - fully electronic - but somehow it sounds like it could fit right along side PDP's most acoustic tender songs.  Frank Orrall counts "Diva" and "Falling" as two of his favorite PDP recordings - they are like the north and south pole of the poi catalogue - a world apart from each-other, but very much in the same glove of poi's tender melancholic joy.

THAT'S THE WAY LOVE IS  POI DOG PONDERINGRe-Mix e.p.:   * 1999
Re-Mixes of the Ten City classic "That's the way love is" as well as 2 tuff re-mixes of Poi dog pondering's "Complicated". (check out Lego's "side tracked dub").
Featuring remixes by Maurice Josusah, Mike Dunn, Lego, Jesse De La Pena and Bunky.