Frank Orrall Abra Moore John Nelson Ted Cho Dave Max Crawford Susan Voelz Paul Mertens Kornell Hargrove Dag Juhlin Ron Hall Rick Geherenbeck Charlette Wortham Robert Cornelius Carla Prather Ryan Murphy Cicely Elam Naomi Davis
Poi Dog Pondering is an American musical group which is noted for its cross-pollination of diverse musical genres, including various forms of acoustic and electronic music. Frank Orrall founded the band in Hawaii in 1984, initially as a solo project, and as his music production alias. In 1986 Orrall formed the first line-up of PDP to perform its first concert at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The band then embarked on a yearlong street performance busking tour across North America. They eventually settled down in Austin, Texas in 1988, where they recorded 2 E.P. (extended play) albums for Texas Hotel Records, and 2 subsequent full length albums for Columbia Records. In 1992, the band relocated to Chicago and they began to incorporate orchestral arrangements and elements of electronic, house music, and soul music into their acoustic rock style.
The membership of Poi Dog Pondering has evolved from album to album, with over three dozen members having drifted in and out of the line-up; at any given time, the band often features anywhere from 8 to over a dozen players on stage. Frank Orrall (vocals, guitar, other instruments) has been the sole constant player since 1984 (the inception of the band). Abra Moore (vocals), John Nelson (percussion), and Ted Cho (electric guitar, mandolin, bass), Joined in 1986. Dave Max Crawford (organ, trumpet, accordion), Bruce Hughes (bass, vocals), Adam Sultan (guitar), and Susan Voelz (violin, guitar, vocals) joined the group in 1988. Paul Mertens (flute, sax, clarinet), Dag Juhlin (guitar), Robert Cornelius, and Kornell Hargrove (vocals) joined in 1993. The rest of the current line up joined in 1999 through early 2000. Some members have left the group and returned at various junctures.
Hawaii / Street performing years; members
During the Hawaii years (1985–1986), the band had the following lineup:
Frank Orrall – Guitar, vocals, marimba, penny whistle
Additionally, the records featured literally dozens of musicians credited as "Satellite Poi Members". Most prominent amongst these satellite members were vocalists Abra Moore and Malford Milligan, sound artist Ellen Fullman, drummer Sean Coffey and (on their third album) turntable operator Ashton "DJ Cassanova" Irons.
Beginning with that third album, 1992's Volo Volo, the band began to experiment with new musical styles, including fully incorporating DJ Cassanova into the line-up. Orrall's emerging interest in dance and house music led the band to relocate to Chicago in 1992, where it developed a loyal local following and was named best band by Chicago magazine in 1997 & "Best Pop and Rock Act" in the 2009 Chicago Readers Poll.
Early Chicago years; members
From 1993 to 1999, the band recorded the albums Pomegranate and Natural Thing and performed live with the following members in the lineup:
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