SOUNDTRACK: PINEGROVE-Tiny Desk Concert #583 (December 2, 2016).
I recently saw Pinegrove live and it was a great experience. Although it was only a few months after this Tiny Desk Concert, it’s pretty amazing how different the band sounded during these two shows.
Pinegrove are sometimes referred to as having a country flair. And they certainly do here (they really didn’t when I saw them–they rocked pretty loud and hard). For this set, the guitar is often slide, the banjo is prominent and the songs are quieter.
But rather than countryside (which would not have attracted me at all), I like the term that the blurb uses:
The New Jersey group’s sound feels fresh and scrappy at the same time.
Evan Stephens Hall and drummer Zack Levine, who’ve been friends since they were 7, form the core of Pinegrove: Evan Stephens Hall (vocals, guitar); Nandi Rose Plunkett (keyboard, vocals); Zack Levine (drums, vocals); Adan Feliciano (bass); Sam Skinner (banjo, guitar); Josh Marre (guitar, vocals). I was delighted to hear that (Hall and Levine’s dads play music together, too (in a band called Julie’s Party)).
It’s interesting that they play two older songs and only two from Cardinal, the album that was garnering most of their attention. The first two are earlier tracks
“Need” is a slow folkie song that begins quietly but after a minute bursts into a wonderful full band sound (they sounded really full when I saw them too). Many of the Pinegrove song are short–this one is only 2 minutes. “Angelina” is a pretty rocking song (live it was a really rocking). It appears to have been a new song recorded for their release of their collected works. Here its a solid catchy song but is again only a minute and half long–barely getting started when it ends.
There’s a strange edit cut after this song before “Old Friends” starts–not sure what it means (what did they cut?) But they launch right into “Old Friends” and its notable opening. This snog is just outstanding the way it feel like there’s no real melody in the beginning, but it’s all there and quite subtle. And then there’s the powerful chorus where it all comes together. This version is really quite different–prominent banjo, a slide on the acoustic guitar and outstanding backing vocals. They even do a cool thing with the ‘as if I needed a reminder’ section in which it goes an octave up–which I like quite a lot. “Waveform” is a slower song on Cardinal (and seems even slower here–I love how they play off their surroundings). The harmonies are really great on this one.
The whole set is a great introduction to the band, although seeing them live is a very different experience again.
[READ: June 20, 2016] Awkward
Sarah brought this book home as well and it looked fun. And so it proved to be.
The title is a little overused at this point but it proves to be rather accurate for the story. It follows Penelope (Peppi for short) as she starts her first day at a new school. While in the hallway, she trips over her own feet in front of just about everyone. There is much laughter until a boy comes over to help her. But as soon as he does there is even more laughter as the mean boys chant that “Nerder found a new girlfriend.”
She was utterly humiliated and acted out in the worst way possible–she got mad at the boy who helped her. She pushed him away and shouted Leave Me Alone! And as she looked back she says “I will never forget the look on his face.”
The story quickly jumps to weeks later. She has some friends n the art club, where she feels very comfortable, but she is still really sorry about what she did to this boy. She wants to say she’s sorry to him, but she can’t bring herself to do it. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 