I’m very pleased to announce that BOOK ONE of my trilogy of books on Poi Dog Pondering and my reflections of the music scenes of the cities I have come up through: HONOLULU, AUSTIN, and CHICAGO is now available.
Book one (Hawai'i to CBGB) is finished and available for mail order at www.frankorrall.com www.poidogpondering.com

SHIPS AUGUST 12TH 370 pages, landscape layout, full color

I’ve been compiling elements for it for decades. Closing in on it for the last few years… and working diligently towards it for the last year, with my friends close to me in the scene, and in the band.

A journey through the nitty gritty, nuts and bolts of post punk DIY ethos. From home-made albums, busking tours, to building an indy record label, and staying viable, creative and productive for 40 plus years.

The Book on Poi Dog Pondering emerging through the very unique & fertile post punk music scene of Honolulu, 1980-86,

It’s a kind of mosaic in book form,
In that it combines a wide spectrum of photos, anecdotes, essays and memorabilia, woven together to tell the story of Poi Dog Pondering and the music scenes it has traversed through.

A tryptic; 3 books covering 3 distinct eras of PDP:
HAWAI’i
AUSTIN
CHICAGO

Book 1
HAWAI’I to CBGB
The memoir of a dream and it’s subsequent adventures
(Busking the Road from Honolulu to CBGBs in NYC) 
1980-88

Book One, “HAWAI’I To CBGB” follows PDP’s origins in the very fertile and unique post punk music scene of early 80’s Honolulu, through it’s street busking days across the continent, to Frank’s signing with Texas Hotel Records, and finally to the band’s break through performance at CBGB during the 1988 New Music Seminar in New York City (which started the buzz that would catapult PDP into a major label bidding war).

It’s a testament to the DIY spirit, and non-conformist ethos that have been the hallmark of Frank Orrall, and his band, Poi Dog Pondering.

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Books 2 & 3 are slated for release in winter 2024 & Spring 2025, respectively.


Book 2
The AUSTIN Years
Adventures in studio recording and touring on the highway seas. 
Surviving the buzz and the buzzards of a major label bidding war 
1989-92

Book 3
The CHICAGO Years 
Part 1 - Building the self-sufficient creative engine 
1993-98
Part 1 - The Soul Sonic Orchestra 
1999-2024


Years in the making, and in collaboration with friends and fellow conspirators along Frank Orrall’s PDP journey,
Frank has created what he calls a “Biblio Mosaic”, stitching together memoir, photo journalism, anecdotes, essays, snap shots, memorabilia, from a wide array of people, telling the story from lots of different angles.

It's a MOSAIC in book form.
A folk art kaleidoscope of sorts.