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Bardo Pond's Michael Gibbons and Isobel Sollenberger are taking
part in a Philadelphia Music Conference panel, but oddly enough,
they're not talking about music. The subject is hemp (with an
exclamation point). The first question from the moderator, High Times editor Steve Bloom: "What's your preferred method of smoking?"
Even for the members of an easygoing band like Bardo Pond, this
is a pretty uncomfortable moment. After all, they're no Cypress
Hill when it comes to talking about drugs. You have to do a little
research to get Bardo's cryptic endorsements of illicit substances.
Last year's Matador debut, Amanita, was named after an obscure hallucinogenic mushroom. "It depends on the situation," responds Gibbons nervously. The band members seemed much more comfortable taking in the Objects and Souvenirs exhibit at the University of the Arts a few days earlier. Bardo
Pond is comprised of art school graduates who still have close
ties to the community. On that night, friends of the band were
showcasing work created out of found materials. Although the group is a full-time endeavor, bassist Clint Takeda
and Michael and his brother John (who also plays guitar in the
band) pick up extra dollars by installing artwork at UPenn's Institute
of Contemporary Art. Sollenberger is a finisher for a local furniture
company. All are admittedly inspired by sculptor and Sonic Youth
cohort Mike Kelly, psychedelic painter Sigmar Polke, and the late
Fluxus member Joseph Boyce, who believed that everyone is an artist.
Bardo Pond's latest piece of sonic art, Lapsed (Matador), finds them inspired by a new set of influences. According
to Gibbons, listening to Japanese noise bands like Mainliner and
High Rise and avant-garde jazz like Alice Coltrane and Archie
Schepp has caused their sound to get heavier this time out. "Those bands just sort of crept into what we were doing," he figures.
Lapsed is a much more focused album than Amanita - a double album that clocked in at over 70 minutes. New songs
like "Pick My Brain" and "Aldrin" show that Bardo's distorted
noise can be gentle and beautiful. Gibbons partially attributes
this change in direction to Takeda falling in step with the rest
of the band. On Amanita, the bassist was getting used to being a full-time band member.
"We were always heading north," says Takeda, describing their
evolution metaphorically. "We had to go all the way around the
world to get to the same spot." Producer/engineer Jason Cox helped them get to that spot on Amanita and reunited with them for Lapsed. "He's like a coach," says Sollenberger, describing Cox's tireless
enthusiasm: "C'moooooooooon." "He's got a good ear and so much energy," adds Gibbons. "He makes
sure that we're doing the most we can with the songs." Though the band's songwriting is much more planned out on Lapsed than it was on Amanita, Bardo hasn't abandoned improvisation. According to Gibbons,
it's still a big part of their live show. They're still experimenting
with new elements. The group has been rehearsing with a banjo
player as well as with drum loops, saxophone and synthesizer.
It's hard to say exactly where these instruments will take Bardo
Pond's sound in the future, but you can bet it will always have
their distinctive, swirling style. - Sara Sherr
Bardo Pond