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Commonbond
CommonbonD
is the acclaimed acoustic partnership of female singer-songwriters
Mary Beth de Pompa and Ashley Miller. Serving up an eclectic blend
of blues-edged folk/rock, the DC-based duo has been compared to everything
from the Queen of Blues Bonnie Raitt to the Indigo Girls to the Barenaked
Ladies.
Miller and de Pompa met in 1992 when de Pompa, then part of a lesser-known
duo, passed through Miller's college town in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
After the show, the two claim they found a common musical bond (hence
the name), playing guitar and testing out harmonies till the break
of dawn. Southern-bred Miller first began studying piano as a child
then went on to study guitar at Appalachian State University. De
Pompa, a DC native, started her musical career as a funk-rock drummer
in the family band. The melding of these diverse backgrounds has
led to the development of a uniquely own sound that turns at once
from sweet, lofty and lyrical to bluesy, soulful and raw.
In 1994, Miller and de Pompa formally united and began touring and recording
full-time. Since then, CommonbonD has released 5 CDs and toured 40 US states
and 2 foreign territories. They've twice appeared live on national television,
were spotlighted on FOX channel news, and have received airplay on over 100
radio stations across the U.S. Among their many kudos, CommonbonD has been
nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Group, was selected as a finalist for
Indie Band of the Year and the Lilith Fair Talent Search, and won Pop Song
of the Year and Best Folk Album of the Year for their release, naked soul dance.
CommonbonD has played some of the most esteemed venues and with
some of the hottest artists on the circuit today, including Woodstock
fame Richie Havens, Sophie B. Hawkins, Jill Sobule, Caroline Aiken,
Cheryl Wheeler, eddie from ohio, Catie Curtis, Melissa Ferrick, and
Pierce Pettis. And yet, the twosome remains un-jaded, even "adorable" confides
The Philadelphia Au Courant. And their live show? The Dover Post
raves, "CommonbonD jams, period. Take the two artists individually
and you've got different styles in writing, singing and playing.
But man! What gets delivered as the combo package will blow you away." |