Poi Dog Pondering

Poi Dog Pondering play 3TEN Austin City Limits Live on Friday, November 27, starting at 8 PM. It's a single-bill night with the band as the sole feature.

If you're not familiar with them, Poi Dog Pondering has a long, wandering history. They formed in Hawaii in 1986 and played their first live show at the Honolulu Arts Academy. By 1987, they'd moved to the mainland and spent a year on a bohemian tour across the U.S. and Canada, playing acoustically on street corners. They signed to the boutique label Texas Hotel and released their first record in 1988, followed by Wishing like a mountain... and VoloVolo through Sony/Columbia. In 1992, the group relocated to Chicago, founded their own label Platetectonic Music, and released Pomegranate in 1995.

From there, they leaned into orchestral writing, collaborating with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Sinfonietta. Band leader Frank Orrall also spent time as a percussionist and vocalist for Thievery Corporation. In 2005, they put out 7, which they describe as a straight-up rock and soul record. Over the decades, the large ensemble has built a following around an eclectic blend of rock, folk, and world music.

It's a big group on stage, and the set draws from that long stretch of records—the early acoustic days, the Sony years, the orchestral work, and the rock and soul of 7. The show is at 3TEN Austin City Limits Live, 310 Willie Nelson Blvd, Suite 1A, in downtown Austin, on Friday, November 27, at 8 PM.