Our friend Pete invited us to this show at the Gothic Theatre in Denver in recognition of his birthday. I’d never listened to Pinback before this. Their dual vocals were the first thing I noticed. One of the two singers often sings in a punchy, staccato way while the other stretches each word out into a long wail. It’s a good effect. The music was generally interesting, but not the kind of thing that sticks in my head. I wouldn’t mind listening closely to a recording sometime. Watching the bassist (left above) was fun. He has giant arms and hands, and plays chords most of the time. Having played some bass, I know this takes strength. His right hand thumps and strums those fat strings like a funky rhythm guitar. Unfortunately I couldn’t hear the result very clearly most of the time, but I imagined him laying a foundation of thick mud for the others to make castles on top of.

A fun night with old friends.