PIDGEON
SCHANDE
THE NEW CENTURIES
Café Du Nord
Jan. 23, 2007

I went to this show cause I love Schande, and they are friends of mine. Jen (singer/guitar player) told me that it was gonna be a “great show. All the bands kick ass". To be honest, I never trust this information when it's given to me by a person who is playing in one of the bands. I’ve done it myself… it happens! You’re not gonna say: “Come see our show, all the bands suck but us… but still COME; its only $8…" even though they'll be in misery before and after you go on. No way, you say, "Come to our show. It’s gonna be great and all the bands rock". It's just what you do. So, being on the other end of this speech, I was like, "Oh, yeah. Are they?…. Hmmm”.

So by the wonders of MySpace I did a little research… and lo and behold, I fell in love. Pidgeon and Schande are, hands down, amazing.

The New Centuries are great too… But, by the time we got to Café Du Nord, I only got to hear two of their songs. One, I heard from the bar; I was a bit preoccupied with getting the bartender’s attention. The other song I saw with drink in hand. They had a sax player who I hadn't heard on the MySpace recordings. I don’t know if he was there just as a special performer, or if he’s a new addition. To be honest, there was a little too much sax solo time for me…. And when the sax is played dry without a guitar-pedal set-up, I feel thrown back to the late 80s… not a great time in music history (in my opinion a lot of 80s musical failures had to do due with this over-used sax cheese). The sax player was good at laying down some riffs; I just wish his performance had been tampered with some pedals. I think that would have added a cool vibe to The New Centuries’ already great Modern Lovers meets the Talking Heads music. Anyhoo, I highly recommend this band. Even with the sax, they won-t let you down.

Next up? The lovely Schande. By now I was a bit hammered. And being thrown back to my childhood 90s faves was just what I wanted. Schande brings the shit on. I was moving with a big dopey smile the whole time. After Schande stopped playing, I noticed that my cheeks hurt from over-exertion. Toward the end of their show, Jen Chochinov, lead singer and guitar player, announced a genre name for their music that I will never forget.. she called their sound “90s nostalgia”, and I thought, “Holy shit, that’s exactly it”.

These mother fuckers rock, and they really are the only band I’ve seen who can pull off the (good indie) 90s pop with a new twist. Their music is downright lovable. I bum rushed Jen after the show, slurring my words; she was like a god to me at that moment. I was a happy little drunk wanting all of her attention?not a good time when she’s trying to get off stage. I know. But I couldn’t help myself which means this band really played me.

After that, I got another drink… Once you start, its hard to stop!… By the time I had sucked that one down, Pidgeon were playing. I was glad I had finished my drink like a proper alchy, cause

I was moving my shit around, bopping up and down from the first song (with beer in hand I would have been a mess!!), as if Pidgeon had been my favorite band for years. At one point, I was so happy I shed a tear. For real. I was “feeling the music, man”… and I know that drinking makes one’s emotions a bit more forthright… but STILL; I shed a fucking tear. Of course I tried to hold it back as not to feel like a total idiot... I had just heard them on MySpace the day before!!!

Anyhow, if I had to explain Pidgeon using genres and other bands names, I would say that they are a blend of hardcore metal with melodic harmonies?Blonde Redhead meets Pinback. I haven’t heard anything like it. And they pull it off so well. Pidgeon are my new favorite local band by far. I’ve become obsessed with them, and I have been telling everyone: "You gotta check this band out. They are insane”.

From a musician’s standpoint, I loved that their song structures are often unexpected; in other places they give you just what you expect and want. Pidgeon is a perfect mix of the two. They nail it. I will leave you with some descriptive words about Pidgeon: sexy and moving, hard and driving. They are fucking infectious. People….

You MUST go see this band.

[Olivia Parriott]

[STREAM] Pidgeon: Various Tracks
[STREAM] Schande: Various Tracks