{"id":52286,"date":"2023-05-09T09:28:35","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T13:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=52286"},"modified":"2023-05-09T09:28:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T13:28:38","slug":"on-stage-spotlight-matt-pond-finds-a-new-start-with-the-natural-lines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=52286","title":{"rendered":"On Stage Spotlight: Matt Pond finds a new start with The Natural Lines"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Area music fans may not be familiar with the name of the band that is headlining a show on May 9 at Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, www.johnnybrendas.com<\/a>) \u2013 The Natural Lines.<\/p>\n

However, most area music fans know the leader of The Natural Lines very well \u2013 Matt Pond.<\/p>\n

Matt Pond is a musician from New York who formed his band Matt Pond PA in Philadelphia in 1998. Since then, the band has released 14 well-received albums and several EPs. Pond is now based in Kingston, NY, with his partner and wild dog Willa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in New Hampshire,\u201d said Pond, during a recent phone interview while he was driving up Interstate 87 heading to a gig in Boston.<\/p>\n

The Natural Lines\u00a0is at once clearly Matt Pond\u2019s work, yet a huge leap forward in its measured songcraft, melodic immediacy, collaborative detail and wryly questioning lyrics, the result is a gorgeous album of intimate reflections from a relocated, renamed, revivified talent.<\/p>\n

The album\u00a0was recorded with close collaborators and friends over a period that saw Pond make vital adjustments to his life, its stealth emergence reflects his desire to set a fresh pace for himself and come from somewhere new, somewhere more open.<\/p>\n

In 2017, Pond declared his intent to retire the Matt Pond PA name, though it lived on briefly in the reissue of\u00a0\u201cThe State Of Gold\u201d\u00a0and EPs such as\u00a0\u201cFree Fall,\u201d a tribute to Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Among a revolving cast of collaborators, one constant presence in his work has been\u00a0Chris Hansen,\u00a0who plays guitar, bass, keys, saxophone and vocals on The Natural Lines\u2019 debut. Matt\u2019s partner,\u00a0Anya Marina,\u00a0contributes vocals. Other band members are\u00a0Hilary James (cello\/vocals), Kyle Kelly-Yahner (drums), Louie Lino (keys), Sarah Hansen (horns), Sean Hansen (drums\/bass), Kat Murphy (vocals)\u00a0and, also on vocals,\u00a0MJ Murphy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was the catalyst for this band,\u201d said Pond. \u201cThere was a pandemic. We were working on a record and then COVID started to be a real problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the new songs, I was saying what I wanted to say \u2013 no more gauze or veil. I used to lean on poetry. This time, I leaned on reality. COVID went into a deep dive into my head. \u2018Stick with the positive\u2019 is my new mantra.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sent the record to Simon Raymonde, the owner of Bella Union Records. He thought that it was a different band \u2013 that it didn\u2019t sound like Matt Pond PA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bella Union is a British\u00a0independent record label\u00a0founded in 1997 by\u00a0Raymonde\u00a0and\u00a0Robin Guthrie\u00a0of\u00a0Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were several labels that wanted to sign us,\u201d said Pond. \u201cThen, Bella Union came, and they were run by musicians. Every record label should be run by musicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith The Natural Lines, I wanted to put Matt Pond PA to bed. It\u2019s hard to say my name so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Pond, there was another factor \u2013 \u201cI quit lying. I checked my harsher tones. I cut my drinking down. I went to therapy and figured out how to stop shouting at cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pond was searching for peace \u2013 inside and outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever I do, I want it to be more inclusive and broader,\u201d said Pond. \u201cI had been falling into my own formula. This time, I just wanted not to rely on the same way of thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Natural Lines is definitely different from Matt Pond PA.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still feel in a fog from before the big shutdown and now,\u201d said Pond. \u201cEverything has changed so much from when I last toured. I feel like I\u2019m in a new land.<\/p>\n

Chris (Hansen) and I have been playing together for a long time. He and I were the center of my band. But right now, he can\u2019t really tour because he has kids.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a mental shift for me with the new band. It\u2019s just a lot easier to not say my name. I want to be in this with other people and not just be the leader.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther band members are\u00a0Hilary James on cello, bass and keyboards, John Courage on guitar, keyboards and bass and Dan Ford on drums. These people in my car now are the bomb. After the tour, we want to make a new record.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I love most is writing songs. I love touring too, but there are so many variables. With the new album, it\u2019s the story of going deep inside your head and realizing you need other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Natural Lines will also be playing on May 13 at Phantom Power (121 West Frederick Street, Millersville, www.phantompower.net<\/a>).
\nVideo link for The Natural Lines — https:\/\/youtu.be\/AmwVmatnocU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Johnny Brenda\u2019s will start at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $17.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The Quebe Sisters<\/p><\/div>\n

The Quebe Sisters may be from the Lone Star State but that hasn\u2019t kept them from playing regularly at a variety of area venues in recent years. On May 9, they will add a new venue to their list \u2013 City Winery (990 Filbert Street, Philadelphia, www.citywinery.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Quebe Sisters are a fiddle-centric Western swing group from Texas. The band features a trio of sisters \u2014 Grace, Sophia and Hulda Quebe.<\/p>\n

Making harmonious music is a natural thing for siblings. There usually is a high level of harmony \u2013 onstage and offstage (unless you\u2019re talking about The Kinks, Oasis or the Black Crowes).<\/p>\n

Formed in 2002, the band performs fiddle music \u2014 Western and traditional Texas style \u2014 along with Western swing and vintage country.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur last album was our self-titled album in 2019,\u201d said Sophia Quebe, during a recent phone interview from her home in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a starting over \u2013 a new phase for the band. Then came 2020 and the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pandemic gave us an appreciation of what we wanted. Before the pandemic, we worried about ticket sales. After the pandemic, we didn\u2019t worry about it. \u00a0We just went out and played and enjoyed the audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

They haven\u2019t returned to the recording studio as of right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t recorded anything new yet,\u201d said Quebe. \u201cWe\u2019re working on our vision for the album. We don\u2019t feel quite happy with certain things we\u2019re working on. We\u2019re not ready to put them in stone. We do have songs written. It\u2019s more about how we want to express the material. We\u2019re working on our sense of artistic vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked to describe their artistic vision, Quebe offered this explanation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to describe,\u201d said Quebe. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to figure out how to communicate our feelings. The main vision is to find a way to truly express these songs. Each song will be its own feeling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about feeling the music. It\u2019s an abstract thing to explain. It\u2019s like getting the right vehicle on the right road. We have a lot of songs that are ready. It\u2019s now about all the puzzle pieces coming together at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the Quebes (rhymes with \u201cmaybe\u201d) take the stage, the triple-threat fiddle champions play and sing in multi-part close harmony. The trio\u2019s vocal and instrumental performances are authentic all-Americana.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sisters and I started playing music for fun,\u201d said Quebe. \u201cWe grew up in Krum, Texas. We never thought we\u2019d play music professionally as fiddlers. We just played little Suzuki violins. It was fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, our teacher encouraged us to enter a fiddle contest. We ended up quitting playing violin and stared fiddling. We started taking lessons and our teachers saw the potential. That\u2019s when we started competing in fiddle contests.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Hulda, Sophia and Grace were ages 7, 10 and 12 in 1998, they attended their first local fiddle competition in nearby Denton, and decided fiddling was what they wanted to do.\u00a0The sisters earned solo and group accolades early on \u2014 winning state and national championships in their respective age groups in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur teachers were Sherry McKenzie and her husband Joey McKenzie, who was a professional fiddler,\u201d said Quebe, the youngest of the three.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey gave us music to listen to \u2014 western, jazz and country. The three of us would sit in the same room and take lessons together. We\u2019d all learn the same kind of material and we kept progressing at the same level. We learned about chords and arranging. Soon, we were playing gigs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince then, we tour all the time. Tours range from a week to a month or more. We\u2019ve been coming to Pennsylvania for a long time. Some of our earliest shows were in Pennsylvania. We love touring. It\u2019s been great to see so much and to meet so many wonderful people along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for the Quebe Sisters \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/2dQEd4Mg0S4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at City Winery will start at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $20.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Area music fans may not be familiar with the name of the band that is headlining a show on May 9 at Johnny Brenda\u2019s (1201 North Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, www.johnnybrendas.com) \u2013 The Natural Lines. However, most area music fans know the leader of The Natural Lines very well […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[7426,7098,15122,8327],"class_list":["post-52286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-featured","tag-matt-pond","tag-the-natural-lines","tag-the-quebe-sisters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52286"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52287,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52286\/revisions\/52287"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/52284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}