A.A. Bondy first visited us for a live session in December of 2008 while on a solo tour in support of his debut, American Hearts. While the solo acoustic Bondy is quite alright with me, I was excited to hear that his sophomore effort, When The Devil’s Loose, would employ the help of a band. That album became our favorite album of 2009.
I’ve since seen Bondy + band at The Earl in Atlanta and noticed that the band was really just two multi-instrumentalists that traded off between bass/keys and pedal steel/drums. What struck me during the concert was the new found intensity the band revealed in familiar songs. Even the acoustic tracks from American Hearts became new again with electric guitars, drums and lots of effects.
That’s part of the allure of Scott Bondy. He started off his musical career in a grunge band called Verbena that drew comparisons to Nirvana. He then took a step back and became a folk singer under the A.A. Bondy moniker. Perhaps he’s starting to find a balance between the two, as evident in the jam near the end of “Slow Parade.” And on stage with an electric guitar, he’s often less folk and (dare I say) more punk than his album leads on.
I fell in love with the warmth in his voice and his songwriting, but it’s this constant tinkering with sounds and songs, both old and new, that has me in suspense. He’s both subtle and provocative and he’s one of the most refreshing artists to emerge in several years.
Exclusive: A. A. Bondy – Mightiest Of Guns (Video)
Exclusive: A. A. Bondy – Slow Parade (Video)
Exclusive: A. A. Bondy – When The Devil’s Loose (Video)
Exclusive: A. A. Bondy – I Can See The Pines Are Dancing
Download the A.A. Bondy Live Session as a zip file.
Video: A.A. Bondy – Mightiest Of Guns
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I fell in love with the warmth in his voice and his songwriting, but it’s this constant tinkering with sounds and songs, both old and new, that has me in suspense.
Agree completely. Even though I’ve listened to both his albums countless times, have pored over the sessions he’s done with you, Daytrotter, et al, and have watched numerous YouTube videos of his live performances, I am always eager to hear him play his songs again and again because I know there will always be something new and interesting going on. His musicality, skill and confidence in his music is amazing.
Thanks so much for getting him in for a second session.
Great job guys. Keep up the good work!
Beautiful folk music, thank you.
BTW, please shoot a pic of the band, cut it in a squre with an gfx app, and add that as an album art. Since we download this, it’s important to have all the tags properly complete. And in the age of iPod Touches, we need some kind of album art, even if it’s unofficial. Thx!
Eugenia – there should be cover art in the zip folder for you to use.
What a great session. Thanks for posting it. Also, the zip file doesn’t seem to be working at the moment.
nice one awsome folk music one of the best collections of mine . this is gonna be my favoourite of this week
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Bondy has a great stage presence as well. He has a real dry sense of humor that the crowd at Lincoln Hall seemed to really enjoy.
Thanks J. Zip file is fixed.
I downloaded the mp3s, not the zip file. Please consider adding the album art on the actual mp3 file. iTunes can do that, mp3tag too.
Thank you thank you thank you for this! Amazing job.
i am a freak of folks and loved this one too
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Incredible session – maybe my favorite ever.
love him & this song – but like his first version of this one a bit more… he is great…