Louisville Rock Lowdown

By Jason Koerner

Piebald at the BRYCC House

"An Interview? Yes, Have Some."

By Jason Koerner

November 26^th marked a date to be noted in my concert-going experiences. I saw the emo-rock group Piebald, out of a "Small Town Outside of Boston." They showed their "American Hearts" in their effort to continue the "Rock Revolution" here in Louisville. (OK, enough with the song title puns...)

By the way, why the hell weren't there more people there? The band said they were very satisfied with the turnout, because it was better than a typical show here; but in my eyes, this band should be playing Freedom Hall with Weezer in front of huge crowds. The show really turned me on to something I have been missing for quite a while.

One fan commented, "They showed a really upbeat attitude, and had a very energetic stage show. They executed their live set to sound just like the album, which is hard to do. Travis hit the high notes with ease. He shook his head like the lead singer from Radiohead, which I thought of immediately when he did that."

The Amp Tour, which this show was a part of, received much acclaim here on the radio waves. However, despite all the advertising, the crowd was smaller than I expected (The place was not empty, don`t get me wrong, but it could have done better.) Not to mention the fact that the fans were almost apathetic. It was a "don't let your guard down," "no moshing," "I'm too cool to clap too much," "don't know how to have fun" kind of crowd. I barely saw anyone letting loose. I know they had to want to. The show was great! This band has great songs, catchy tunes, good melodies, and a much-needed lack of clichés in their lyrics. They have refreshing ideas that are uncommon in mainstream radio friendly music. I guess some people just do not know how to have a good time.

The group was a hardcore garage band for 7 years, listening to the sounds of Converge, Bound, and Cave In. (I hope I spelled those names correctly...)

I spoke with the Piebald guys (Travis, Aaron, Luke, and Andrew) after the show at the nearby bar, Cahoots, about various topics including the tour, their name, and... women?

LMN: Where does the name Piebald come from?

PB: It is an adjective out of a book called "Fredrick" (I think)...

The band commented that they thought it was a good name then, but now Travis just doesn't know...

LMN: Can you give me some details about the Amp Tour?

PB: It is going to some of the major market cities. They paid for the radio promotions. Other rock bands are on the tour as well. Halloween was our first show of the tour, and it is definitely our best tour so far.

Travis went on to elaborate on how nice it was to just get fed on the road and to be given $10 buyouts ("allowance") to buy beer with that night, saying, "What else do I need but dinner?"

LMN: What are your favorite TV shows?

PB: The Simpsons, News Radio, and the Drew Carey show.

LMN: What are some of your favorite bands to perform with?

PB: Cave In, Damn Personal, Thursday, Recover, Hot Rod Circuit, Saves the Day, Newfound Glory, tons... We get really personally attached to the bands we play with. We only have 3 shows left with Recover, it's sad. They helped us write a song on the road and everything!

LMN: Why aren't you more mainstream?

PB: We write the songs we love. Anyone who listens to us, rappers, whatever, we love.

LMN: What's new about this album?

PB: It's more melodic, there's more singing, and it's less thrown together. The whole thing was more fluidly planned, and makes more sense. It is more orderly. The band and the music have grown up. Seven years ago we were very different.

LMN: What is your motivation while touring?

PB: We were in kind of a mid-tour-slump, trudging through, where you keep moving through changing surroundings. The anticipation of meeting new specimens keeps it exciting. It blows me away that people come pay to see our world, it's great. We plop down in a new world every night, but we are not there long enough to get tired of it.

LMN: Where are some of your favorite places to play?

PB: Los Angeles and Columbia, SC.

LMN: What is coming for Piebald in the future?

PB: We are going to finish the Amp tour, then take time off for the holidays to spend with family. After that, we tour Europe starting in January, and we will back touring again in the US. We will also be writing new songs along the way.This is the first stop in a World Tour!

LMN: What are your best and worst show memories?

PB: Our best was Anaheim, CA. There were tons of people on stage with us, it was crazy... The worst was in San Antonio, TX. Eight (8) people paid. There was nothing around for miles.

LMN: Would you ever play there again?

PB: We would give it another chance.

LMN: How is your love life, being on the road?

PB: We don't have girlfriends, they are too hard to maintain. We had girlfriends before we left. We still would be together if we were at home, but this is not the life for having one. We could if we were like Blink182, where every member has their own separate tour bus!

Note: I believe it was Luke who said the following comments energetically...

"I love one night stands! I fall in love a million times on the road, but sex is better with a girlfriend. I just love women! It is lonely as f*** on the road."

The guys let me in on their trademark catch phrase, "Yes, have some." The origin? Ghostbusters. The proper use? Damn near anything.

"You want a beer?"

"Yes, have some."

"That girl looks really good..."

"Yes, have some."

I learned about a few things that a traveling band has to deal with, such as money orders. When your bank is far away, money orders are your best friend for paying bills. Also, these words of wisdom came from Luke (again, I am 99% sure)...

"I love how drunk I am! Jack Daniels on the rocks is the best! Sippy sip sip."

Ahhhh... being a rock star is great!

Seriously, the band is dedicated to what they do, and they are one of the nicest bunch of guys I have met. Check them out; you are cheating yourself if you don't.