Wednesday, November 25, 1998
Indie bands score legions of new fans with songs at Pinch Hit
Explosion
MUSIC: Groups like Pinwheel spin out of control, fuse multiple
genres into eclectic melodies at The Gig
By Stacy Sare
Daily Bruin Contributor
Why would anybody want to stay home when they could have been
rocking to the great original bands playing for the Pinch Hit
Records Indie Explosion event at "The Gig" Saturday night?
At first, the scene was fairly hanging and mellow, but before
midnight, the club had about 300 people moving in and out.
The club’s ambiance was cool and comfy. A bar was located
directly behind the dance floor and on wall-to-wall sofas toward
the back, loads of people lounged, kicked back and enjoyed the
tunes. Interestingly enough, the club even had a wall designated
for cigar art.
The crowd was eclectic and ranged from about 21- to 40-year-olds
who wore just about everything from black leather jackets and
button-down shirts to blue jeans and tight black dresses.
But what about the music? The bands began at 9:15, starting with
Pinwheel.
The sound of Pinwheel spins back to an ’80s influence. These
mild-mannered looking dudes wore suits, ties, and had cropped hair
and a cool pop sound.
Vocalist John Surge tried to stir up the audience members (who
mostly moved their heads up and tapped their heels to the beat of
the music) by saying, "There’s going to be someone to break this
wooden floor. It’s going to happen tonight, so be the first."
Pinwheel then played, among other songs, "Everything," "Once
Upon A Lie" and "Superball."
The second act was Gift Horse, which blended together pretty
tight harmonies and played good rock ‘n’ roll. Although they lacked
stage presence, the instrumentals flew, and its encore song,
"Small," had excellent baselines.
But the band that woke everybody up was Even Rude, which ignited
the kind of pumped-up energy that could wake your great, great,
great grandparents and get them groovin’ out of the grave. The
band’s sound fused hip-hop with rock and occasionally had a ska
influence.
Chris King on vocals, with spiked hair that could probably cut
your fingers if you got too close, had a knack for exciting the
crowd. Soon, audience members on the dance floor were screaming
"Yeah!" and "Whoa!" as they raised a fan in the air to crowd surf.
The band’s music was as unpredictable as its costume changes; from
King’s bright red sequin cape, his cowboy getup and sparkling
chrome sunglasses to the band members’ funky hats. Even Rude played
songs like "Litany," "Smooth" and "Super Duper Funkin’ Groovin’
Fuzzy Wuzzy Loveathon," which was a real crowd pleaser.
The last act, which also produced high energy, was World Tribe.
This six-piece band played infectious rhythms and grooves with an
R&B, ’70s funk style and had a reggae world-beat influence.
The band played some skillful trombone and sax solos and duets.
Drummer Oren Avineri sang most of the lead vocals. Some of the
songs played were "67" and "Jamaica, Jamaica," with two new songs,
"Morning" and "Mystery."
The audience was still dancing at the songs’ end. "World Tribe"
had a fun and intensified energy and the keyboard player, Shag,
could really jump.
You could say the event was a hit. Mike Long, bassist for
Pinwheel, plays at The Gig on Pico Boulevard.
Photos by JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Ron Cambra, drummer for Pinwheel, performs at the Indie
Explosion.
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