Poi Dog Pondering @ the Vic Saturday

You could say local "rock orchestra" Poi Dog Pondering is having a renaissance. After several albums of experimenting with electronic elements, the many-membered group is returning to their (dare we say it?) jam-bandish roots with the April 1 release of 7. "We did a lot of experimenting on the last two records with lush orchestrations, electronic atmospheres, instrumental and untraditional song structures — and it all made for beautiful recordings, but some of the songs proved hard to play live," says PDP's founder/multi-instrumentalist/wrangler Frank Orrall. "After 12 years of enjoying house and electronic music fully, rock sounded fresh to me again and I got all excited about making a spontaneous band/rock record."

They're not the only ones — their record release show at the Vic tomorrow night is sold out. The songs on 7 should translate well live, a conscious effort on the part of the band. "I wanted them all to be songs that could be played at a dinner party for friends; songs that would translate with just an acoustic guitar or piano — we knew that if we did that, they would translate live on stage as well. I love recording — but creating songs you want to play for friends and carry to the stage is ultimately the goal."

And with so many members on that stage, it's difficult to imagine how such a cohesive literal groove PDP has found. Being together for almost 30 years certainly helps, as does releasing material on your own label (PDP started Platetectonic Records in 1993). "I invite everyone’s input — that's what keeps it fresh and vibrant, they allow me to filter it all in the end — that's what keeps it all cohesive," Orrall says. "Doing what you love makes it easy to commit. We enjoy PDP for the art and the community of it. The band and crew are my family. Playing music together is a lifestyle for us — it's never been an occupation." - Kim

Poi Dog Pondering play their sold-out record release show at the Vic (3145 N. Sheffield, 773-472-0449 ) March 29