Frank Orrall is the creative head of long-running, and currently Chicago-based, alternative music collective, Poi Dog Pondering who self-released Keep On Loving Each Other earlier this year. CHIRP DJ and Features contributor Mike Nikolich caught up with Frank to talk about his band's latest album, their journey to Chicago from Hawaii, and how his diverse influences have impacted the band's sonic evolution over time.

You can learn more about Poi Dog Pondering at http://www.platetectonicmusic.com/

"All of a sudden, there were people, from Europe mostly, but , they were adopting acoustic instruments but with a punk mentality, and that's really how we started. Early on, people would say, "Oh, [you're] kind of a Neofolk band." But we weren't looking at it that way." - Frank Orrall, on the origins of Poi Dog Pondering's sound.

Produced by Mike Nikolich

Photo courtesy of the artist.