Pinback In Their Own Time By Denis Semchenko F or someone who creates such emotionally-charged music, Rob Crow certainly cuts a relaxed figure. The bearded mountain man may in fact be the most laidback international artist this writer has interviewed so far; during our chat, I imagine him just kicking back on the patio. â€œWeâ€™re just working on the new record, playing shows and planning to go over [to Australia],â€? he responds, when I ask whatâ€™s currently happening in the Pinback camp. â€œFun times.â€? Pinbackâ€™s last release Autumn Of The Seraphs came out way back in 2007. Weâ€™ve been waiting a long time for their follow-up, Information Retrieved, and Iâ€™m curious as to when it will be finished... â€œFinished? I donâ€™t know. Itâ€™s never finished until itâ€™s out,â€? Rob chuckles, unperturbed. â€œThere are 30-40 songs; hopefully weâ€™ll get 12-15 that are good enough. Weâ€™re always trying to make it sound better because when we started, we didnâ€™t know what we were doing â€“ which is what makes it ... interesting, in a lot of ways. I mean, we never purposely go for any kind of sound, it just comes out sounding the most natural way.â€? These days, the creative chemistry between Rob and his ac^^]`bSR Pg THE PANICS RAIN ON THE HUMMING WIRE ALBUM TOUR E7B6 A>317/: 5C3ABA l 53=@57/ 4/7@ /D/:/<163 17BG B E=::=<5=<5 l C<7 0/@ D3B <3E1/AB:3 l :3/5C3A 1:C0 D3B AG2<3G l ;3B@= B63/B@3 0=F =44713 '## !$$$ l EEE 3<;=@3B63/B@3 1=; /C EEE B7193B39 1=; /C co-songwriter Zach Smith works on a practically telepathic level, and Rob wonâ€™t pin down any one particularly effective songwriting process. â€œItâ€™s always different,â€? he says. â€œThereâ€™s no defining ethic to how we collaborate. Iâ€™d often do a beat and Zach would start playing his bass to it, and then weâ€™ve got the song â€“ or sometimes one of us would have an idea and send it to the other person to destroy.â€? Having sung lead on four tracks of fellow Californian band Team Sleepâ€™s acclaimed album, Rob admits that the collaboration with the Deftonesâ€™ frontman Chino Moreno (who also fronts Team Sleep) was, to the best of his knowledge, a one-off. â€œThereâ€™s new Team Sleep material?â€? he deadpans. â€œChino called me at the last minute â€“ I was there [in the studio] working anyway on something else. I think Deftones are probably pretty busy with whatever they do...â€? I mention that the Team Sleep record generated quite a fanbase in Australia, and Rob is audibly surprised. â€œHa! Thatâ€™s funny â€“ I didnâ€™t think anyone anywhere paid attention to that record... I was working on a record with Zach Hill, their drummer, in Sacramento, and I was staying on his couch. He was working on a [Californian math/noise-rockers] Hella record in the morning, and we wrote songs in the evening. I was just sitting around when he went, â€˜Hey, thereâ€™s this friend of mine, they have a bunch of songs they donâ€™t have any vocals for â€“ theyâ€™d be stoked if you just came up with something!â€™â€? Rob relates. â€œI did most of the vocals in his bedroom â€“ six songs in a couple days â€“ and then re-did them in the studio... I toured with them for a couple weeks, but that was pretty much my entire involvement.â€? â€œFinished? I donâ€™t know. Itâ€™s never finished until itâ€™s out. Weâ€™re always trying to make it sound better because when we started, we didnâ€™t know what we were doing â€“ which is what makes it interesting, in a way...â€? So no Rob Crow on Team Sleepâ€™s sophomore album, whenever that may eventuate? â€œOh, itâ€™s possible. I still talk to the guys. I got called up to do vocals on the last Deftones record but went, â€˜Nah, itâ€™s not really my kinda thing,â€™â€? he admits. â€œI like Captain Beefheart, The Shaggs, The Residents and stuff like that â€“ but I donâ€™t even know what Deftones sound like. In metal, I prefer more extreme stuff like Meshuggah and Melvins.â€? Itâ€™s a surprising admission of taste, considering Pinbackâ€™s considerably less extreme and highly melodic music. Judging from the bandâ€™s recent set lists, it looks like weâ€™re in for an absolute treat when they play in Sydney on the weekend. â€œI like playing pretty much all my songs,â€? he says. â€œWeâ€™ve streamlined the way we do songs â€“ even the songs that we were weird about playing, they now sound great to us. Iâ€™m very pleased about that. Thereâ€™s also a whole digital component that weâ€™ll hopefully bring with us.â€? And according to Rob, when they get on stage, Pinback â€œplay foreverâ€?. â€œLately, the set list weâ€™ve been gravitating towards has way too many songs â€“ itâ€™s way too long, but it seems to flow the best. Usually, we play anywhere from an hour and 15 minutes to two hours 45 minutes, but we donâ€™t want to be like, â€˜Now hereâ€™s our next 20-minute song!â€™â€? he laughs. â€œWeâ€™re not forcing people to hang out â€“ [weâ€™ll play for] as long as theyâ€™re having a good time.â€? So considering those prolonged gigs, how does the singer keep his remarkable voice in shape? â€œI have been doing some exercises lately. I dunno â€“ they work for me!â€? Rob says. â€œAt soundchecks I do my highest notes as long as possible, and when I think Iâ€™m going to run out of breath, I bend it down to the lowest octave and keep it there for as long as I can â€“ and then, when I think Iâ€™m about to pass out, I go back to the highest until my eyes eventually roll back in my head. I can do it for about a minute, and then I just break it all out when Iâ€™m onstage.â€? And, to paraphrase a Pinback song title, thatâ€™s how they breathe. <3E /:0C; Âľ@/7< =< B63 6C;;7<5 E7@3Âś =CB <=E =< 23E >@=13AA 20 :: BRAG :: 425 :: 15:08:11 Where: Manning Bar, Sydney University When: Saturday August 20