New Pinback album
Autumn of the Seraphs
Rob Crow and Zach Smith , the duo behind Pinback , were in the KPBS studios this week to be interviewed by These Days Host Tom Fudge . The interview will air next Tuesday, September 11th, at 10 am. Pinback's new album, Autumn of the Seraphs , drops the same day.
The interview was lots of fun. As prep, I chatted with Rob Crow by phone to get a sense of what we should talk about. He mentioned various interests throughout our conversation, and since he's turned me on to some things, I thought I'd share them with you.
Rob has seen the documentary Vernon, Florida a gazillion times. It's an early Errol Morris doc about a city in Florida full of eccentrics. I have yet to see it, but what I've read brings to mind the communities bordering the Salton Sea, such as Bombay Beach . One interesting note on the film is Morris was originally going to call it Nub City, because he wanted to focus on the town's residents who cut off their own limbs to collect insurance money. When none of them would talk to him for obvious legal reasons, he broadened the focus.
I've always thought of Florida as a fascinating, practically lawless state, an odd mix of con artists, swamp dwellers, and retirees. My impression of the lawlessness stems from long before the 2000 presidential election and goes back to The Orchid Thief and stories of fraudulent moving companies and the like. I lived in Florida growing up and am not immune to some of its charms. Needless to say, I wasn't surprised to hear about Nub City!
The other recommendation Rob made was an avant-garde band called The Residents . You have to check them out. Here's the description from their website:
The Residents have remained a riddle of Sphinx-like proportions; cloaking their lives and music in a haze of wilful obscurity, the band's members never identified themselves by name, always appearing in public in disguise -- usually tuxedos, top hats and giant eyeball masks -- and refusing to grant media interviews.
They've released over 60 albums and last year they launched a project called The River of Crime . It's basically a series of podcasts using the formula of old radio dramas. This one falls into the true crime genre. I listened to "The Kid Who Collected Crimes" and am anxious to hear more.
I'm overwhelmed with the amount of stuff - music, films, Internet projects, visual arts - The Residents produce so it will take me a while to have a feel for their work. But I thought I'd pass on Rob's recommendation since they've definitely peaked my interest.
There you have it. Two good recommendations from Pinback's Rob Crow. Zach made sure to say how much he doesn't like the band Rush -- another wise recommendation. And don't forget to listen to the interview on These Days next Tuesday at 10 am.
Also, Pinback will play at Lou's Records in Encinitas on the same day, September 11th, at 5 pm.
