Hello from the heart of the country! Tonight we’ll be rocking at The Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta, then Snug Harbor in Charlotte tomorrow and Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro on Saturday. These are the last three shows before we all fall back into the rhythms and routines of real life for a little while.
But we’ll be hitting the road again in December! We’re announcing our winter tour dates today — an extended week of shows along the east coast ending with a hometown show. Yes!
12.09.2017 Washington, DC @DC9
12.10.2017 Baltimore, MD @Ottobar
12.11.2017 Pittsburgh, PA @Club Cafe
12.12.2017 Toronto, ON @The Baby G
12.13.2017 Montreal, QC @Bar Le Ritz PDB
12.14.2017 Allston, MA @Brighton Music Hall
12.15.2017 Brooklyn, NY @Zone One (inside Elsewhere)
12.16.2017 Kingston, NY @BSP
And speaking of the colder months, we’re also really excited to be premiering a beautifully animated short film to accompany In Winter, the first track from last year’s Winter Lives, for the first time today at BrooklynVegan. The video was illustrated, directed and animated by the talented and amazing Joy + Noelle, and I am honored and humbled that it’s also being screened this weekend at the Woodstock Film Festival in Upstate New York.
These two, Joy Buran and Noelle Melody, took our simple song to such great mythological heights with the ill-fated Norse love story of Skadi, a giantess from Thyrmheim where the snow never melts, and Njord, a god from Noatun, a bright, warm place by the sea.
Our December dates will be the last shows for the foreseeable future. I’m not planning any more Matt Pond PA events as far as I can see. Perhaps a hiatus, perhaps the end. I am endlessly grateful for your ears, eyes and minds.
I’m still going to move forward with something, somehow. But first, I need to take one huge spirit-step to the side and see what else is rattling around behind my eyes.
Thank you for making all of this possible.
Yes, yes and yes. m.
Hello! On the last day of summer and at the dawn of our tour, here’s short musical film about never-ending summer and the eternal love of tortoises.
A man, a tortoise and the summit of summer. To me, this love story writes itself. Crazy, true love that transcends traditional thoughts of dates, cakes, rings, strings and respectable ways.
Jesse Dufault, Jamie Dufault and Nora Eschenheimer introduced me to the most amazing tortoise puppet I’ve ever met. I dove in all the way and we just let the camera roll. They are the true geniuses here.
During the shoot, there were crowds surrounding most of the scenes. Folks with flip flops and cinnamon skin, shouting at me while I sang to the tortoise. But our crew was tight. And all the distraction heightened my belief in what we were doing, honestly increasing the intensity of my affection.
I think haters have always made me fight harder. Adversity is a test I’ll keep taking ’til the sun sets forever. Especially when it comes to breathtaking tortoises and the dog days of summer. And in these last few moments of the season, let us not forget its genius. The only true wealth, the golden dusk at the end of a perfect day.
Also. I lost my phone during last night’s load-out. If anyone has it, I’ll give you a million dollars. We can sail away together on my imaginary yawl, drinking cider and playing shuffleboard in the aforementioned golden dusk. Letting go of time and our minds. Letting go of all the unnecessary distractions — fearlessly trading guitar solos on the bow of our exalted, make-believe boat.
(Thank you all for being real. Yes! m.)
As summer starts to fade, here’s a horizontal interpretation of the song The Full Stop off of our new album, premiering today at New Noise Magazine.
Relationships have always been the most difficult equation. So we tried to make it simple, conveying the straightforward veracity of real exposure, the sincere choreography of two clumsy souls. (Danielle Guldin, thank you endlessly for being such a great person, such an amazing actor.)
Because I believe. I believe in the concept of trying and failing. I believe in the truth of our awkwardness. I believe in the brilliant absurdity of our ephemeral lives.
Money and fame were never the goal — it was really all about making sense. Mostly, to myself. But to you, as well. (If this makes sense to anyone reading these words, even in the smallest manner — then we are as cool as it comes.)
Hello, kindred summertime spirits!
Here’s a video about a Matt Pond Pale Ale we made with our amazing friends at Against The Grain Brewery in Louisville, Kentucky!
To celebrate, Chris and I are going to softly rock a few songs outside this evening on Facebook Live at 8pm EST, wherein we will swig this beer for the first time! (Please feel free to holler at us. We believe we’ve mastered the internet enough to answer your questions and chat like genuine amateurs.)
Also! Our cover of Drive by The Cars has been posted over at Cover Me today! A song that truly speaks of fading summers and all its innocent erotic regrets.
I had a root canal yesterday, so I might be a little wobbly tonight. But that’s just a hiccup in the long journey of our shared existence. There are obviously bigger hurdles out there in the world — if anyone reading this has been hurt, disrupted or displaced by Harvey, you are welcome to be on the guest list for any of our Texas shows. (Please write a message to info@131records.com and we’ll make it so. You are most definitely on our minds as we hope for you all to persevere and eventually triumph.)
We are small potatoes in the universe. Still, we are potatoes with eyes, ears, brains and the ability to love. I heartily hope everyone reading these words is well!
Yes!!!! m.
Good evening! It’s been a stunning summer day here in the Hudson Valley. The brazen August sun, permeating every inch of our world below with a wily golden embrace, slipping sideways into the arms of brush and trees — down, down into our lush memories.
Upon this noble peak of the week, I’ve come to realize that every season comes and goes, every dawn goes down to day and nothing gold can stay. (I’ve lifted a few bits and pieces from Messrs Frost and Hinton for this post. Pardon.)
The only valuable piece of information that I’ll carry with me through eternity is that I know almost nothing. And that I live in a world that is mostly beyond my control.
That being said, if no appropriate video appears for The Ballad of Laura and Mike, I swore to tape myself to the top of my van and drive through the country with my great friend, Chris Hansen.
Therefore, I’m extending the window for submission a few more days. I am leaving the door open for a moment more — if you have a video in the works for the ballad of Laura and Mike, please send it our way.
Because another fate is coming up fast; I have already purchased four rolls of heavy duty duct tape and I’m ready roll.
Stay gold, ponypeople. Stay gold! m.
Hello!
Today, The Ballad of Laura and Mike is being featured on Paste. And you can check it out here!
It’s the simple, real story of two amazing musicians casting love out across long-drawn distances. (On the track, Laura Stevenson croons stunningly while Mike Campbell gently tears it up on the bass.)
Simple and real. This is something that everyone reading these words knows. Therefore, we’d like to throw the summer window wide open — with this premiere, we’d like to propose that you, in the spirit of noble competition, create a video to accompany The Ballad of Laura and Mike. A friendly contest, wherein the winning submission will be the song’s “official video.” *
To find out more and learn how to enter, click here. We’re taking submissions until midnight on August 7, and Chris and Sean Hansen will pick their favorite. We’ll announce the winner on August 9.
No matter what, participating or not. Win, lose, draw — we definitely appreciate your ears, eyes and entire existence. Thank you. Very much. M.
* In case there is no video, I will tape myself to the top of the van while Chris takes a country drive.
** Please make a video.
Hello!
To celebrate the first official day of summer and in anticipation of our upcoming album, Still Summer — we’re giving away two songs on Brooklyn Vegan today — a Double Freeture! Download both tracks here.
We’re also fully stoked to post our first fall tour dates! With support from Wild Pink And J Fernandez!
A Double Freeture. This is for the heatseekers looking for some solid gold sunlight. The late-night cyclists, dipping into cool pockets of river air on pitchblack back roads. This is for the stargazers, firestarters, thunder-runners, rock scramblers and the thrill-seeking book lovers. This for the brave swimmers who have zero fear. And for the easily startled souls, who believe everything underwater is Jaws.
This is for anyone who wants to download and listen. Because these days, genuine listening is just about everything.
This is free. THANK YOU! m.
If you’re interested in more, you’re always invited to take a further step into our world.
Hola!
I recently returned from a week of weeding and rocking out with my mom in New Brunswick. We set fires, lit bottle rockets, watched eagles soar — listening to classic rock while the tempestuous waves crashed and the Canadian beer flowed.
She’s the reason I’m alive. And along with The Beatles, she’s the reason I first became mindlessly moonstruck by music. Thank you, mom!
In this video, we’re taking Still Summer for a spin. The original duo, all the way from the heart of New Hampshire!
If you’d like to pre-order the album, please feel free. Or if you’d like hear some more music before you jump in, I totally get it. (Nevertheless, Chris Hansen and all our excellent friends have put everything we’ve got into this summertime beast. And sometimes, sometimes you have to leap without looking.)
Thank you for reading these words and listening to the tunes. And mom, thank you for everything!
Here’s to summer! Yes! m.
Hello, Pardners!
Through the curtains, there’s the growing sense of summer. Ceaseless and humming, headlong dives into simple street thrills. Grazes and gazes on moonlit lawns revealing the true meaning of midnight.
In commemoration of these blooming moments, our album is now available for pre-order on iTunes. Yeah!
Also, the first single, Still Summer, is up on most streaming services. Spotify, Google Play, Shazam, Pandora, etc.! It’s been featured on Spotify’s Release Radar playlist and on this one here.
In order to find another means to make sense, I’ve also begun writing again. That’s really all I ever wanted from this world.
I/we fully appreciate you listening/contributing/everything.
Honestly. Thank you! m.
Here are a few recurring visions that keep racing around my mind:
The first single from our next album, Still Summer, is premiering on NPR today! Which makes this the official announcement of our next album.
And with that, we’re launching a pre-order! Please feel free to go nuts.
The cover was shot by the amazing Amy Toensing, the layout and design by the incredible Jenna Casey. The release date is August 11! Yes!
Everything created for this album goes way beyond me. Still Summer was built with the extraordinary talent and devotion of the best people I know — I’m both awed and honored.
And there is you. Fine human beings with brilliantly strange minds. We share similar sunset visions of hope and understanding, all within a modestly monumental summer moment. Without you, I’m just making vinyl frisbees to throw at the setting sun. 180-gram, 12-inch discs taking flight from the highest point of my roof. Dancing alone with a silent radio while the day turns dark.
Thank you for listening. That’s everything.
Yes! m.
Hello!
Here we are, back from finishing a whole bunch of baloney. We’ve mastered and tested and begun pressing. We have slid all the beads across the abacus. We are fully showered and ready for what’s next!
First things first. Before too much is said, prior to any official announcements — we’re going to offer our supporters at Patreon a 10% discount on a limited-access pre-preorder here. (Pardon anything oblique. It’ll all become clear soon!)
If you’re not familiar, Patreon is the subscription-based platform we’ve used to keep the momentum and conversation going. Song thoughts, demos, mixes and remixes. Questions and answers. All that baloney.
If you’re skeptical — I hear you. In some ways, I am with you. I singlehandedly invented the internet eyeroll. (It’s documented. In an extremely prestigious science journal. The name of which escapes my memory.) It’s merely this: There is another universe inside this universe, and everyone is welcome to ride along. (Spring and summer have apparently begun turn me into a temporary hippie. Pardon.)
Any way you choose, we appreciate you.
We’re just about to hit summertime at full speed. Thank you for helping to make it happen. More shortly!
YES! m.
Hello, Southern California!
The photograph above was taken by Michelle Hazuda in a living room in Medford, Oregon, but now we’re here! The sun and the ocean have been so generous, I feel pretty awkward with nothing to offer in return, squawking my modest thanks up from a broken sidewalk.
So let’s offer something in return. A surprise curve ball made out of music.
If possible, let’s have an impromptu show on Wednesday. If you’d like to host somewhere within two hours of LA, please write to info@131records.co — we’ll sort out the responses and see if we can make it work.
It can be something crazy. It can be something wild. It can be anything. As long as you are trustworthy, reliable, and have a way of rounding up and hosting a decent gaggle of people.
Money would be cool, too. But it is not everything. You, us and music seem to be everything to me.
YES! m.