There’s a heavy tradition of music greats that come from the American south, a feisty breed of malcontents with a rebellious nature and a thoughtful view of the world around them. Artists such as Lucero and Drive-by Truckers have been carrying the flagpole long enough, and that’s where A.A. Bondy comes in. A singer and songwriter that sees the world through an honest, sometimes dark lens and reflects it back to us in song.
Auguste Arthur Bondy was literally born on the bayou in 1972 (it was a great year in music history with Led Zeppelin's “IV” and “Houses of the Holy," Springsteen writing “Greetings from Asbury Park,” and Elton John and Rolling Stones giving classic albums to the world, “Honky Chateau” and “Exile on Main St.," respectively). He was born in New Roads, Louisiana, but the family soon moved, and he grew up in Mountain Brook, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham.
First finding music as trumpet player, Bondy discovered the guitar right around the time he discovered the skateboard. He formed his first band, Verbena, in the early 1990s and played with them until the group dissolved in 2003. During that time, he relocated north to the Catskills, in the small town of Palenville, New York.
But he never left his southern soul behind.
He released his first solo album, “American Hearts,” in 2007 on Mississippi-based blues label Fat Possum Records. His subsequent albums “When the Devil’s Loose” and “Believers” were released on Fat Possum as well. He is a road dog performer with a guitar case full of songs about love, loss and lament – the southern way.
A.A. Bondy will be performing Thursday July 9 at Zanzabar. Theshow begins at 9 p.m., and tickets range from $12-$15. Local singer and songwriter Justin Lewis will also be on the bill.
Photo courtesy of A.A. Bondy