Pinback @Terminal West

Terminal West continues to feel like the Bronze , the club from Buffy the Vampire slayer an it will carry that association for me until more punk or metal shows come through  and add a dirty element. the openers Solos were no Dingoes Ate My Baby, surprising because considering how competitive the touring market in California is you tend to have high expectations, but regardless Pinback repped the west coast well. It was a weird crowd for them either forty year olds or kids who looked like they were in high school with not a big margin in the middle. It seemed like a more Cobb county crowd as well, not a lot in the way of the tattooed and mustached east atlanta crowd .

the thing about Pinback is they cover such a broad landscape of musical feeling that I did not really notice they arranged the set set list In a manner that best allowed themselves to warm up into their set and fire at all cylinders by three songs in. I thought they were just making an interesting choice of opening with a more subdued approach.

I'm not sure why I didn't see the lack of floor monitors and think too myself " Oh they are going to be using in ear monitors and this isn't a metal sow so in this venue the stage volume is going to be more subdued than I'm use to so maybe to get the fuller spectrum of sound I shouldnt just camp out in front  of the stage like I'm in high school" but no I did  and was standing in front of or slightly to the left of Zach Smith so I got a more bass in my face mix and largely could not hear Rob Crow's guitar parts  though he seems to be a rare quiet guitarist and his vocals became more pronounced as the set went on. Though this was not a gig killer Becuase anyone  who has ever considered themselves to be a bass player need to see Zach Smith in action and reassess that. Though in all fairness Smith approaches the instrument in a more chordal fashion as a guitar playing would though he can pull off Geddy Lee like single note accents.Once they really hit their stride past the midway point and Rob Crow had put away a few more New Castles, Smith's playing became  the glue which at one point escalated into Crow busting a move and break dancing his way into a full on  stage bumping worm  amd running out into the crowd , too not really mosh but defiantly engage and the way he was bobbing his head to the Misfits playing over the p.a before they went on I am sure he has a punk rock past. 

Performance wise they were pretty flawless and a lot of fun, But from myvantage point the video screen behind the drums was partially obscured and the Previously mentioned lack of floor monitors made Crow's part lower in the mix than preferred, yet it don't take wha from my enjoy,ent of the performance and they can be filed as highly recommended to fans of math or indie rock,yet I think anyone who enjoys excellent musicianship can appreciate what they do in this setting.