Homegrown: A love letter to local music with Pond View
By Gabriela Margarone
Photos by Logan Healey
It’s a Saturday night in New Haven at the State House where creatives and fans from all over Fairfield County are here to celebrate one thing: Sludge Fest. With vendors, food, drinks, and handmade merch, Pond View has organized an event to celebrate their new album, Sludge. Hailing from New Haven, Connecticut, Pond View consists of members Luke Kraszewski, Josh Sansone, Mike Scialla, and Matt Nagy, who are currently going through the "sludge" that is life. When I asked about the meaning of Sludge, it came down to both the recording process and personal experiences. “We recorded it completely live…so instead of doing layer by layer by layer, we all played together live and then did stuff on top of that. So it kind of made it sound messy but really kind of…swampy…you know? Kind of messy” says Nagy. It’s their sound, smashed and warped together to create this perfect music stew of garage rock with an indie edge.
As for Kraszewski's interpretation, he credits it to more personal experiences. “I think sludge is when, you know when you're walking through some really high snow..and you're like, I'm trudging, I’m sludging! It's when life gets real hard and you're at the sludge.” Both of these explanations marry one another to explain the album and how Sludge came to be.
Kraszewski, who is the main songwriter and lead singer of Pond View, gets most of his lyrical inspiration from life experiences and interactions he has with other people. “If you talk to someone and they're like, oh, man, I'm having a rough day, and [then] they tell you about it. Maybe it's something weird where you talk to someone and they're like, on top of the world. Same thing. You know what I mean? I'm very interested in people-to-people type of interactions. [But] some of it is a more general concept…I think structurally, this is the most cohesive we've ever had, whereas all the songs are kind of in the same realm.”
Spearheading the group, 21 year old Kraszewski shows incredible artistic potential at such a young age. As for his writing process, he pulls up his phone and shows me his notes app, filled with pages and pages of lyrics. Nagy chimes in to say this “I do think the music is like your brain on a plate, though…you can just tell it's [Krazewski], by the way he writes stuff. If you sit down and read what he writes, it's just him. You could put me on a polygraph; I've seen him write a song in like 30 seconds and it was something we recorded and put out. You [Kraszewski] just formulate it! It's very impressive.”
One thing that has always stuck with me about the band, as well as the community that surrounds it, is the love that is shared and felt at these shows. Not only is it seen on stage between the boys, but also in the crowd. Pond View has created a community to make friends and bring old ones; a way to connect through music and feel the creative energies of those around you. We discussed this in depth, citing the importance of uplifting these communities. I asked them when they realized that the community surrounding their musicwas starting to branch out into something very unique.
“Last summer” says Kraszewski, “Because we were just playing a bunch of shows and people like; that was the first time people seemed like they actually started to give a sh*t about it.”
“When people outside of your family start to know” Nagy chimes in. “Yeah. When I look upstairs and I see people I don't know, that's cool.”
Not only is there connection with the crowd, but also with the different bands that are met along the way. “I don't know these other bands” Says Kraszewski, regarding the lineup for the night. “Under any other circumstance, we wouldn't be, like, hanging out…there's something really cool about making homies at one show, and then two months later, you're like, ‘oh what's up! It's good to see you’ know what I mean?”
“There's people doing cool f*cking stuff, and there's people expressing themselves and being individual, and that's really cool. It's really cool to see; like you don't see that shit when you're looking at, like, some f*cking big ass band or whatever, you know what I mean? You don't get to see [other bands] and say ‘these are all their friends.’
“This is accessible" Nagy adds. “Anybody can talk to anybody. And it feels really good. See any show. Everybody can come sit down here [in the greenroom]. It's really cool.”
Kraszewski ends his thoughts on this: “And just like making good friends that you alternatively probably wouldn't have.” Which I can relate to: through going to local shows, such as an endless amount of Pond View shows, I have reconnected with old friends, such as merch designer Neo, and have created countless new ones along the way. It has come to feel like family. The people you meet at shows, they're the ones who have your back. When you're moshing, they pick you up when you fall. If you get hurt in the pit, you have about 10 people rushing to your aid because they care. Seeing this type of concert etiquette is not only refreshing, but allows for a safe, fun environment to enjoy music.
When it comes to their merch, everything is made by their merch designer and dear friend, Neo. All of their pieces, such as flannels, T-shirts, hoodies, and even underwear, are all hand printed by Neo, which allows for every piece to be unique. All T-shirts, hoodies, and flannels, are thrifted, giving the clothing a new life. Neo’s talent, love, and creativity shines through in every piece she makes. It allows for a truly unique experience when it comes to everything about Pond View. You can check out all of her artwork via her Instagram account, @gnarlyneo, which includes custom lighters and mixed-media art. Accessibility and susutainbility is key for Pond View, as they want the experience of their music and art to be easy to reach for all creatives that may come in their path.
Surrounding myself with CT creatives has sparked a fire inside of me to continue my artistic and journalistic journeys. As we all stood together, eagerly awaiting to watch the premiere of Pond View's music video for “T-Shirt”, I felt an immense moment of gratitude that I am alive, here and now, able to experience a community as special as this one filled with musicians, jewelry makers, clothing designers, and tattoo artists. There is an overwhelming surge of emotional energy when the music video premieres that nearly knocks me off my feet. The crowd is cheering, even seeing themselves in the DIY video Pond View has filmed and produced themselves. After this, the show kicks off and we are jumping around, moshing, and singing along to the songs we know so well, but never get tired of.
I often tell people that there is no way to describe the scene unless you experience it yourself. Throughout the past year, I have not only gained friends, but a family. The power of music has brought connection and community that I would have never been able to experience otherwise, and it has been a saving grace for me. As for Pond View, you can find them on Instagram, @pondviewct, and on all streaming platforms.If you were looking for a sign to join your local arts community: this is it. It may save your life, like it did mine.