Ponderosa is forward-thinking instrumental music based out of Portland, OR.. The beef of what we do is duo work: cello (Bill Nichols) and banjo (Stephen Kierniesky). You will also hear guitar/banjo and keyboard/cello combinations. Sometimes we add drums (Andy Parker) and the resulting sound is quite different. Whichever the combo, we play original compositions almost exclusively. We've been playing music together for years in a wide variety of settings, but Ponderosa was born in the spring of 2006. We are named after the stately western tree, the Ponderosa Pine, not the steakhouse.