BIO: Andy Pond was living in Atlanta GA, and was about 15 years old when the banjo discovered him. It seems a bit late in the game, but he worked hard in High School and started gigging at local bar-b-ques and bars, by the 11th grade. He and his Brother George would go to the Freight Room Thursday Bluegrass Jam almost every week. Watching and playing along with the pickers from the corner, the two learned Bluegrass. One nite Jeff Mosier, the Local banjo hero from the band Good Medicine, saw them pickin, and made em go upstairs and pick on the stage in front of a full house of bluegrass fanatics!! What a rush! The two ripped their way thru a firey Foggy Mt. Breakdown, and, from that moment on Andy knew that The stage was for him. He was backing up the Suzuki fiddle school at the local bluegrass festivals, and playing for Boy Scout events, then college happened. After a first year of college in Idaho with little to no music performance, Andy decided to move to Boone Nc, where his brother and sister-in-law were starting a band, The Snake Oil Medicine Show. Andy Gigged extensively with SOMS thru his college career. He also founded a Raucus and rowdy regular gig in Boone with the Cygnus X-1 Blackhole Bluegrass Boyz, A.K.A., CX-1. Before Graduation, Andy put on a Recital. And invited all the Bluegrass Pickers to be in on the recital. Look out Music School, the Hillbillies are taking over! They had such a good time dressing up and "Playing fancy music" that they had to make a band. The band that came out of the recital practice involved musicians from several touring bands, including SOMS, Acoustic Syndicate, and LKE. The Band Became Known as the Acoustic Vibration Appreciation Society, or A.V.A.S. Since his Graduation from college in 1999, Andy has traveled the World with these different music groups, playing Festivals in US,England, Scotland, and Jamaica. He has recorded and produced fourteen Records in this time. One of which is a Self Titled release featuring all his music and arrangements. He has instructed banjo and bluegrass workshops at an international Folk Music Festival in Germany for two years. He plays volunteer shows for Public schools. He has had songs Played on US, British, Dutch, Jamaican, and XM sattelite radio stations. He appears at Festivals and Venues All over the Nation. CX-1 Blackhole Bluegrass Boyz Andy Pond has released his first solo album. The project is a culmination of the past 7 years of touring and meeting many musicians with a desire to collaborate. The CD involves artists from all over the East coast who were brought together in the spirit of creativity and challenge. The music is mostly Andy's original compositions, with a few songs contributed by his friends. The tracks are mostly instrumental with four of 14 tracks having vocals. Each song on the CD involves a different ensemble of musicians. This allows the diversity of musical voicings that Andy hears in his head. The wide range of guest musicians takes members from bands like SOMS, Acoustic Syndicate, Larry Keel Experience, The Overtakers, Sons of Ralph, AVAS, and the Mad Tea Party. The musicians approached the project with a a focus on composition and musicality. And it shows in the performance. Andy's playing is melodic and tasteful with a raw edge indicative of improvisation. Non-traditional is the flavor of the day, with tunes that are in alternative time signatures, and have a wide variety of instruments. From electric power trio to almost orchestral, this album will take you on a journey thru vast soundscapes. Middle eastern/Balkan flavours are followed by Hillbilly/Newgrass and Dixieland grooves and then slam into Funky dance beats. All these influences presented with a respect for tradition make The CX-1 push the envelope for cutting edge acoustic music. This first solo offering from Andy Pond show his ability to pull influences from ALL music, and meld them with ease. Like Andy's touring band The Snake Oil Medicine Show, this Album is uncatergorizable. All lovers of the Banjo should have this Album. Andy Pond truly shows that the banjo is a diverse and viable instrument in all types of music. Let the "Banjo Revolution" Begin!!! Snake Oil Medicine Show An extravaganza that blasts the audience with super charged energy channeled through the live performance of music and art! These slaphappy mountaineers infuse their old-time melodies with a new-age philosophy and an unmistakable aura of celebration, unleashing a hybrid of bluegrass, jazz, klezmer, rock, funk, polka, reggae, old-time, tropical, swing and more. Snake Oil's trademark mix of electrifying acoustic flim-flam razzmatazz is a tasty blend of musical styles, dance rhythms, visual stimulation and costumed revelers. Colors and costumes, spectacle and sound, the music of the entire planet is channeled into one band, as these ragtag trailblazers bring their view of world unity to the public at large. The Snake Oil Medicine Show is a dedicated group of artists and musicians who love and respect tradition in acoustic music, but who also share an even stronger passion to steer its future. Snake Oil's goal is to convey peace and positive ideals to their audience through music and art. Snake Oil Medicine Show features some of the hottest young talent around, and no two performances are the same! The Snake Oil Medicine show is an Ecclectic and fun mix of bluegrass, Jazz, reggae, and dance grooves from all over the world. They sing songs of awareness presented in beautiful vocal harmony. Being based in the NC mountains gives their music a hillbilly undertone, but travels to Europe and Jamaica have greatly influenced their music. National touring has shaped this band into a musical force. Not only does this band have virtuoso power, but they have a full Art Gallery on stage and a Painter to create colorful characters on canvas while they run the musical gambit with ease. A.V.A.S. The original instrumental music of the Acoustic Vibration Appreciation Society (A.V.A.S.) is the product of five musicians working together for many years as an alternative bluegrass band. Boasting a cast of some of North Carolina's hardest working young acoustic musicians, A.V.A.S.'s live presentations have been rare and impressive. Its players are veteran performers of the southeast market and include members of Acoustic Syndicate, Snake Oil Medicine Show, and the Mad Tea Party. The members of A.V.A.S. are Jason Krekel on mandolin, Andy Pond on 5-string banjo, Jay Sanders on bass, Gaines Post on flute, Jeremy Saunders on saxophone, and Billy Seawell on tablas and drums. A.V.A.S. has a sound that will impress a wide range of audiences. With styles ranging from traditional American bluegrass to contemporary jazz and from northern European reels to Eastern trance music, A.V.A.S. appeals to all types of music lovers. With a common belief that music transcends language barriers and is the voice of cultural diversity, A.V.A.S. presents their music as a peace offering from the Blue Ridge Mountains DISCOGRAPHY: 1997 -Snake Oil Medicine Show-Self-titled Release 1998 -IS WAS BE-Snake Oil Medicine Show 1999 -High Speed Highway Parade- Snake Oil Medicine Show -A.V.A.S.-Acoustic Vibration Appreciation Society 2000 -Pond Farm Pickers w/George and CarolinePond -Blue Bunny Express w/Abbot Vaughn Meader -Cort Armstrong and Blue Rooster 2001 -Jeremy Saunders- Schoolboy-Saxophone Guru from Acoustic Syndicate 2002 -The Love Album-Snake Oil Medicine Show 2003 -Jazz Thugs With A Hillbilly Fetish DVD-Snake Oil Medicine Show 2004 -BluegrassTafarI-Snake Oil Medicine Show 2005 -We Make It Nice-Snake Oil Medicine Show -The Overtakers 'pon Senic Isle-Snake Oil Medicine Show -Andy Pond and The Cygnus X-1 Blackhole Bluegrass Boyz-Solo Album