Unique voice comes to St. Louis
Will Holston
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: The Arts
St. Louis is getting an injection.
Formerly of Alabama-based rock 'n' roll band Verdana, A.A. Bondy released his first solo album, American Hearts, in 2007. With the release of his second solo album, When the Devil's Loose, in September, Bondy has been touring consistently this year with artists like Conor Oberst and The Felice Brothers.
"We're hitting it pretty hard," he said. "It's all been really organic … I just, at this point, want to be around people who know what I'm saying and I know what they're saying."
Bondy is sometimes at a loss to explain his success or his creative process, preferring to just embrace the organic approach toward making music.
"When it actually goes down, I just like to get out of the way of myself and let it happen," he said. "Generally, if I start thinking about it, I'll monkey it up, and it won't be good to me."
Similarly, he feels his sound is subjective and hopes that it is always evolving.
"I don't even want to say what I think I sound like," he said. "I want to do something different each time. I think sound is something that should evolve over time … I steal stuff from all over the place … The bands that I'm influenced by are the bands that do stuff that I don't know how to do."
Bondy grew up with music, but it wasn't until a seminal moment at school that he realized its true impact.
"I've always played music in one way or another," he said. "The first real moment of rock 'n' roll was when a band came out to an assembly at my school. It was the first time I had been in a room with an amplified guitar. That kind of just flipped my wig."
Though he began playing music more seriously soon after that, it wasn't a realistic dream for Bondy. Fortunately, his band began receiving local attention, soon attracting national interest.
"Growing up in Birmingham, you never thought you could end up on a record label … I didn't realize it was happening," he said "You just keep doing it and doing it and doing it … Before too long, we had people flying in to see us."
The rest was history.
Currently touring with a full band, Bondy isn't sure how to describe his live show, but he hopes it's entertaining for the audience.
"It's kind of like a play we put on every night. Some songs are louder. Some songs are softer," Bondy said. "[I try] to inhabit the songs as best I can and get out of the way of myself."
A.A. Bondy is performing at The Gargoyle Club on Nov. 20. The venue is located at 6465 Forsyth Blvd. For more information about the venue, visit www.thegargoylestl.com.
For more information about A.A. Bondy or to hear samples of his music, visit his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/aabondy.
Formerly of Alabama-based rock 'n' roll band Verdana, A.A. Bondy released his first solo album, American Hearts, in 2007. With the release of his second solo album, When the Devil's Loose, in September, Bondy has been touring consistently this year with artists like Conor Oberst and The Felice Brothers.
"We're hitting it pretty hard," he said. "It's all been really organic … I just, at this point, want to be around people who know what I'm saying and I know what they're saying."
Bondy is sometimes at a loss to explain his success or his creative process, preferring to just embrace the organic approach toward making music.
"When it actually goes down, I just like to get out of the way of myself and let it happen," he said. "Generally, if I start thinking about it, I'll monkey it up, and it won't be good to me."
Similarly, he feels his sound is subjective and hopes that it is always evolving.
"I don't even want to say what I think I sound like," he said. "I want to do something different each time. I think sound is something that should evolve over time … I steal stuff from all over the place … The bands that I'm influenced by are the bands that do stuff that I don't know how to do."
Bondy grew up with music, but it wasn't until a seminal moment at school that he realized its true impact.
"I've always played music in one way or another," he said. "The first real moment of rock 'n' roll was when a band came out to an assembly at my school. It was the first time I had been in a room with an amplified guitar. That kind of just flipped my wig."
Though he began playing music more seriously soon after that, it wasn't a realistic dream for Bondy. Fortunately, his band began receiving local attention, soon attracting national interest.
"Growing up in Birmingham, you never thought you could end up on a record label … I didn't realize it was happening," he said "You just keep doing it and doing it and doing it … Before too long, we had people flying in to see us."
The rest was history.
Currently touring with a full band, Bondy isn't sure how to describe his live show, but he hopes it's entertaining for the audience.
"It's kind of like a play we put on every night. Some songs are louder. Some songs are softer," Bondy said. "[I try] to inhabit the songs as best I can and get out of the way of myself."
A.A. Bondy is performing at The Gargoyle Club on Nov. 20. The venue is located at 6465 Forsyth Blvd. For more information about the venue, visit www.thegargoylestl.com.
For more information about A.A. Bondy or to hear samples of his music, visit his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/aabondy.
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