Wednesday, April 22, 1998
Breaking out the ashtray
MUSIC: The Din Pedals aim to clear the smoky haze of one-hit
wonders on the radio with their emotionally driven single and
album
By Mike Prevatt
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Upon entering the living quarters of on-the-rise alternative
band the Din Pedals, one can’t avoid the notion that this dimly-lit
quasi-studio screams rock ‘n’ roll. Strings of Christmas lights
hang over the green-painted walls. Pink Floyd’s "Live From Pompeii"
video takes center stage, booming from the center of the "living
room." One of the bedrooms, with a red drape as its only wall from
the TV area, rises a foot or so from the ground like a stage. It’s
almost out of "Trainspotting," minus the slummy appearance and
scattered syringes .
The environment seems appropriate for a band with such huge rock
‘n’ roll aspirations. Hailing from San Luis Obispo, the Din Pedals
appear eagerly poised for stardom with their recently released,
well-received debut album ("The Din Pedals") and their KROQ hit
single, "Ashtray."
Their passionate, straightforward rock sound has been likened to
such emotive rock giants as U2 and Live, but their atmospheric
textures and pop songwriting styles share likenesses with such
British bands as Radiohead and the Longpigs.
The Din Pedals have patiently waited for this day since the four
members came together in San Luis Obispo in the early ’90s.
"Let’s just say that when we all got together, we were all there
for other reasons," says charismatic vocalist James Grundler.
"(Drummer) Alex (Wong) and (bassist) Ben (DeJong) were there going
to school. I was attempting to go to school… and dropped out very
quickly. We were not high school kids at the time. And then we just
kinda all met there but (guitarist) Harrison (CQ – NO LAST NAME!!)
and I started playing together in ’91 or ’92. We brought Alex on in
like ’94, maybe ’95."
Soon after, the band found itself ready for live performances,
Its first club gig included some 500 onlookers.
"It was some night at this big club in San Luis Obispo called
Loco Ranchero," Grundler says. "And it was like this special night,
we were the ‘surprise event.’ It was packed… we thought, ‘Hey,
this is gonna be easy! Five hundred people every night!’"
"And it’s been five people ever since," DeJong quips.
Well, not exactly. Their performances in LA of late have seen
growing audiences, culminating in Friday’s tightly-packed gig at
the Dragonfly, where the crowd became visibly and audibly
disappointed as the band announced the end of their 45-minute set.
The Din Pedals have already garnered a reputation for being an
exciting live band, thanks to their precision on stage and a
dynamic emotion that seems almost confined by the small spaces
clubs like the Dragonfly and the Whiskey offer. Maybe that comes
from the band feeling that same charge the fans do below the
stage.
"When it’s right on… when the guitar’s hittin’ and punchin’,
making every hair on (your) back just stand up on end, that’s what
does it for me," Grundler states. "And when you hit that moment
when the melody just comes out, it’s not the lyric, it’s the
melody. It just goes back to the primitive state, the whole sound
that makes me go wild. That’s orgasmic to me."
It’s this sort of energy and enthusiasm that the "big" bands
they’ve been inspired by and compared to have become popular for.
In the "indie"-crazed ’90s, this sort of optimism and confidence
hasn’t surfaced much, especially within the American rock scene.
The Din Pedals pride themselves on dreaming big and standing
out.
"When the first downbeat came down, that’s what we wanted to do,
right away… the biggest band in the world, that’s what we wanna
be," Grundler admits without hesitation. "We didn’t fall to, ‘Oh
God I want top have this indie thing!’ I felt the whole indie thing
was… someone started indie as a label just ’cause it was a bunch
of shit music to begin with and then they wanted to have their shit
being played or put on some type of format. It’s all music!"
"It’s like putting that label on yourself," Harrison adds. "You
set yourself up for not being big. That way, it’s OK to be a sour
grape."
"The whole thing is like, why fucking (CQ) sell yourself short?
Why not go for the whole meat and potatoes… instead of just going
(in a wimpy indie singer voice), ‘I just want to be cool and just
like touch it maybe and swim a little in it… be the greatest band
in the world!’ Give everyone else a chance, give all of us a
chance, man!" Grundler exclaims.
When it came to getting signed by Epic Records and receiving
radio airplay, the gradual process to which the Din Pedals had been
accustomed led the band to almost expect its accomplishments rather
than be shocked by them.
"It’s almost that you don’t even notice when things happen
because you know that you’re anticipating things," Wong says, "and
then you’re anticipating the next things while you’re waiting,
like, to get signed. We were getting close, so we were thinking
about recording and then we kinda got signed somewhere in there,
and we were already recording. The milestones kinda get washed in
with everything."
"I expected (KROQ) to play ("Ashtray")," Grundler states. "I
don’t see why not. I think our album’s a great fuckin’ (CQ) album.
I just have a lot of faith in our music. That’s just me. This is
good radio music. It would be completely foolish for a radio person
not to play it. I don’t see anybody cringing over the music, not
yet anyway, that I’ve heard."
The Din Pedals have a very important ally in the quest for
breakthrough success: the blessings of KROQ godhead, Kevin
Weatherly.
"(He) came and saw us and said, ‘I get it, I get the picture.
This is a band, this isn’t a gimmick, it’s not a one-hit wonder
thing,’" Grundler says.
Indeed, such praise comes as a sigh of relief, especially from
the most influential radio programmer in the nation. In a year
featuring artists with the staying power of maybe one hit single,
the Din Pedals emerge as a band with lasting potential, a band not
looking for the almighty pop hit. "We’d rather have our music be in
someone’s record collection that they’re gonna pull out in two or
three years from now, rather than the ones that they’re playing
right now that they’re gonna trade in and get six bucks for,"
DeJong says.
"I don’t think bands like Radiohead or the Verve are saying, ‘We
need a radio hit, guys! We need to sit down and really make a big
radio song!’ I don’t think that’s that’s the way it works. People
can tell," Grundler insists.
Radiohead indeed are one of the Din Pedals biggest influences,
evidenced in their album. If the Din Pedals have met any criticism
at all, it has involved the likenesses to the acclaimed Oxford
quintet. A couple of critics have even gone so far as to dub the
Din Pedals’ album as the "sequel" to Radiohead’s 1995 album, "The
Bends."
"Well, "The Bends" was a great album!" Grundler unflinchingly
asserts. "Is that really saying ‘shame shame shame’? We didn’t go
out to make "The Bends" part two, that wasn’t our goal. We were out
to make a great record and capture the songs as best as we could
do. I mean, fuckin’ Radiohead rips off Pink Floyd! We’re not
ripping off anybody or trying to be like anybody. We’re just trying
to capture the emotion, the same passion of certain bands. Or make
it even bigger… there’s no lid."
"I think that’s the problem of most bands, especially LA bands,"
Grundler continues. "They have a problem with showing how they
really feel. (It’s) fun with horns, fun with the upbeat…they want
to have fun playing with no dynamics. It’s safe. We don’t like to
play it safe. We definitely like to play it unsafe."
Harrison adds, "I think when people compare us to those bands,
they compare the caliber of the music as opposed to the sound. I
look at it as a compliment, for sure."
If any of 1998’s new rock bands look to break the spell of
one-hit wonders, it’s the Din Pedals. With a solid release and a
single already meeting the praise of the ever-leery, pop-happy KROQ
listenership, it’s only a matter of time before the Din Pedals
really break beyond LA and find the success they’re truly looking
for. The challenge of breaking the pop-song trend could be
difficult, but this confident band shows no fear.
"I think it’s good for us," Wong says. "I think it’s our time.
It’s time for an actual, real band."
MUSIC: The Din Pedals will be headlining at the Hollywood
Athletic Club, 6525 Sunset Blvd., on Friday night (call
213-962-6600 for details). They also will appear at the Opium Den,
1605 1/2 N. Ivar St., on Monday. Call (213) 466-7800) for more
information.
Photos by MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin
The Din Pedals wove passionate melodies and driving rhythms at
the Dragonfly Friday night.
MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin
Vocalist James Grundler (left) and guitarist Harrison of the Din
Pedals.