Pinback
Date: March 9, 2002 Attached Somewhere It was only last fall that someone introduced me to Pinback, the musical force of Roberton Rulon Crow Jr. (Rob) and Armistead Burwell Smith IV (Zach). Pinback's eponymous debut quickly became a favourite of mine; and last year's follow-up CD, the beautifully crafted Blue Screen Life, more than met my expectations. Saturday night, I was able to experience the band live, at La Sala Rossa in Montreal. Although the show threatened to be defined by its technical glitches, the band battled through to deliver a fantastic performance. Although Rob and Zach are the creative powers behind Pinback, the live show increases the band to a five-piece unit. Rob handles guitar and vocals; Zach provides vocals, keyboards, and bass; and the other musicians handled drums, keyboards, and bass, with some instrument juggling between songs. Perhaps the most gripping aspect of Pinback is the band's vocal approach. Rob and Zach are each great singers and they work with each other extremely well. Their complementary vocal pairing is even more impressive live. I find it difficult to name individual songs as highlights; at one hour and forty-five minutes, the set list was almost overwhelming in its completeness. "Tres," one of the best songs from Blue Screen Life, appeared early in the night; and the beautiful sadness of that song made it obvious that the band was going to be able to live up to the emotion of the albums. "Rousseau" and "Loro" were other examples of the band's ability to create a mood. The slower numbers were not the end of the story, though. I had to expect some noise when Rob came out in a Venom shirt. (Not to mention the Wesley Willis sticker on his guitar.) Sure enough, the band came through with a great rock sound, adding kick to songs that are more delicate on CD. Zach's bass playing was particularly strong. After starting the night on keyboards, he switched to bass for the majority of the night (often employing a five-string). I had not noticed how integral the bass is to the songs until I saw them played live; and I often used my vantage point (touching the stage directly in front of Zach) to focus on his playing. Unfortunately, in the course of the show, Zach had all eyes on him at least twice for the wrong reason, as he broke strings during two songs. "One more and it'll be a record," he said; although Rob waited a few seconds before opining, "No, it won't" and jokingly debating the point. Those breaks hurt the pace of the concert slightly, especially since they came after a few other minor technical snags. It's not a good sign when the band has to mention to the crowd that they missed sound check. Rob carried the slack, though, filling potential downtime by leading the drummer through a pair of impromptu covers. The long set time was certainly enough to overcome the stutters, as there was no way to feel that the band was holding anything back. The band's self-deprecating charm also kept the vibe positive, since they always had the crowd on their side. I should also mention the opening act, the Montreal band Kiss Me Deadly, who impressed me a lot. From their sparse two-guitar opening with high female vocals to their full-on four-piece attack, with three members sharing the singing, the band rocked. I was fortunate in simply being exposed to Pinback last year; and taking in a great concert only increased my appreciation for the band. Hopefully, Mr. Rob Crow will consider my suggestion to include Ottawa on the next tour. Either way, I expect to see Pinback again in the years to come. <--Prev (Rollins Band) | Next (Ozzy Osbourne)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |