By Jason Barnard
For almost 40 years, Poi Dog Pondering has been pushing the boundaries of musical genres, blending together acoustic instruments, orchestral sections, and electronic beats. In this interview with Frank Orrall, the founder and frontman of Poi Dog Pondering, we delve into their latest album, Keep On Loving Each Other, and explore the creative process behind it. We also discuss the evolution of Poi Dog Pondering over the years, the influence of Chicago on their music, and how Frank’s experience with Thievery Corporation has influenced his work.
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind Poi Dog Pondering’s latest album, Keep On Loving Each Other?
There’s quite a few things that sonically inspired KOLEO: The Stones-y/Primal Scream “Memphis Tapes” swagger rock, The Brazilian Jazz chord voicings of Jorge Ben and Paul Weller, James & Bobby Purify’s “I’m Your Puppet”-era pop, the Velvet Underground, 80’s dream & 90s/2000s chill pop. The album title is a bit of a subtle elbow to the ribs of the divisive times we find ourselves in. But, the album is not really about that. It’s more interpersonal. There are some themes of encouragement to follow one’s own path and expressions of love and affection.
What was the creative process like for this album, particularly with such a large line-up of musicians?
For this album, I collaborated closely with my guitarist, Ted Cho (we came up together in the post-punk scene in Honolulu and have a fast, almost unspoken rapport and we can communicate ideas quickly). The two of us switched between acoustic/electric guitars, bass & drums – working out the song structures. Once we knocked the songs into a shape that felt good to play, we tracked the basics and then started inviting in the rest of the band, sections at a time; orchestral sections (violin, clarinet, sax, trumpet, flute), then the rhythm section (bass, drums, guitar, piano, synths), then the vocalists to work out backing parts and harmonies.
How does Keep On Loving Each Other differ from Poi Dog Pondering’s previous albums, both sonically and thematically?
As a drummer first, I have traditionally written starting with rhythm and bass and separately write long form prose and pull lyrics from that, and then find the melody while working the prose into lyrics. For this album, I found myself writing melody first, then finding the lyrics and the chords in the melody.
Poi Dog Pondering has been around for almost 40 years. How has the band evolved over the years?
I started out making homemade cassette albums out of my bedroom in Hawaii under the alias Poi Dog Pondering. I was inspired by the intimate and confessional writing/production of Matt Johnson (The The). I built the original line-up out of friends in the post-punk scene there. At that time, we were very much inspired by the Velvet Underground’s third album, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Talking Heads, New Order, The Pogues, Manu Negra, etc., but having no clubs to play in, we started playing on the street, busking – so our sound became very acoustic instrument-driven. We spent a year traveling around the North American continent as buskers. I got signed to Texas Hotel Records (Henry Rollins, Vic Chestnut etc.,) in 1987. Ted Cho, John Nelson and I decided to settle in Austin, Texas to record the album. We met Max Crawford (trumpet) and Susan Voelz (violin) there in 1988 and they joined the band. Three albums later, we moved up to Chicago in 1992 and met the rest of the band members there (a lot of sonic inspiration in those five years: Afro Pop, Madchester, Soul 2 Soul nights at the Fridge/Brixton, Acid Jazz, Chicago House). After moving to Chicago, we started blending our love for Philly-style disco and the intimate orchestration of Robert Kirby (Nick Drake) as well as a Primal Scream-esque take on the Exile-era Stones. I know this sounds all over the map, but when you’ve been a fan of music for this long, and letting it inspire you, it’s only natural to develop so many facets.
You’ve been a touring member of Thievery Corporation for several years now. How has your experience with that band influenced your work with Poi Dog Pondering?
It was a wonderful surprise to get the call to play with Thievery Corporation. I loved their first album and got a call out of the blue to join the touring band as they were releasing the second album (Mirror Conspiracy). Rob Garza was a fan of PDP growing up and that’s how I got the call. At that time (2000), I was not playing guitar in PDP; I was just singing and very much into electronic music, so I had gotten really rusty on the acoustic guitar – and it was Rob Garza who encouraged me to play more as we sat around the bus or backstage, trading songs back and forth. He turned me on to all the great Brazilian guitarists (Joao Gilberto, Jorge Ben, Ceatano Veloso, etc) and so I picked the guitar back up again because of him.
How has Chicago influenced your music, and what do you think sets the Chicago music scene apart from other cities?
When I moved to Chicago in 1992,I was inspired by the post-rave music scene (Screamadelica, Happy Mondays, Deee-lite) and I moved straight to the south side (Pilsen & Hyde Park) and started to immerse myself in the house music scene. It was an exciting time to be there, That mid-90s wave of Chicago House was just building and I dove right in. I was not paying any attention to the Northside rock scene at all (Smashing Pumpkins, Urge Overkill, Wilco etc.,) – the house scene was much more exciting. It all culminated at the Even Further Rave in Wisconsin in 1996 where Daft Punk made their North American debut. I developed another alias, 8fatfat8, to funnel my electronic music compositions.
But, maybe most of all (being a Hawai’i boy), Chicago gave me a large city experience. It gave me long winters to stay inside and concentrate on writing music. It gave me a city full of live music lovers to come out and support shows.
Poi Dog Pondering has had the opportunity to work with some incredible musicians and collaborators over the years. Is there anyone you haven’t had the chance to work with yet that you would love to collaborate with in the future?
I’m oddly stumped by this excellent question. I admire (and am inspired by) so many people’s work but can’t think of anyone off the bat that I would want to collaborate with. I have a really wonderful group of collaborators already and I feel we are just scratching the surface of what we can do together. One of the main people I wanted to collaborate with was the late Simon Jeffes (Penguin Cafe Orchestra). I did actually write him to try and get him to produce my first PDP album.
Looking back, is there a particular moment or performance that stands out as the most memorable or meaningful for you personally?
I think of two: the first being a concert at a small venue in the Austin campus center; we had just released the first EP on Texas Hotel – we were primarily a street busker band then and we were doing a club date. The room was half full. We started with “Sound Of Water” and, out of nervousness, I sang with my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes at the end of the first song, the room was full. It shocked me. The buzz was on. Then, secondly, being the recent album release concerts at Thalia Hall a few months back: two sold out nights in Chicago. The sets consisted of mostly brand new songs. The audience was with us. I looked around the stage and felt proud that after 30+ years, this lineup continues to come together and give it all it’s got. It’s a beautiful feeling to be creating together for all this time and feel everyone’s heart still in it for the love of it.
Can you share any upcoming plans or projects for Poi Dog Pondering or your solo work?
I recently relocated to Sonoma California to be close to some excellent farmers (I also work as a private chef), so I am excited for this new chapter. I have my studio set up here. Coming in hot on the tails of recording the recent PDP album, my engine is still running and so I am working on writing a new PDP album as well as the follow-up to my Mourning Doves International album. Thievery Corp has some European dates this year, as well. Those will keep me busy!
Further information
Poi Dog Pondering’s new album Keep On Loving Each Other is the band’s 10th full-length album: https://poidogpondering.bandcamp.com/album/keep-on-loving-each-other
See also: https://www.facebook.com/PoiDogPondering
