Pavement

Pavement
Pavement 1993: Nastanovich, Young, Malkmus, Ibold, Kannberg (from left)
General information
origin	Stockton , United States
Genre (s)	Indie rock , lo-fi , noise pop
founding	1989
resolution	1999
Website	pavementband.com
Last occupation
Vocals , guitar	Stephen Malkmus
Vocals , guitar	Scott Kannberg
bass	Mark Ibold (from 1991)
Percussion , keyboard	Bob Nastanovich (from 1991)
Drums	Steve West (from 1993)
former members
Drums	Gary Young (1989-1993)
Drums	Jason Turner (1989)

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

Slanted and Enchanted   UK 72 04/25/1992 (1 week) Westing (By Musket and Sextant)   UK 30th 04/03/1993 (2 weeks) Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain   DE 77 04/04/1994 (8 weeks)   UK 15th 02/26/1994 (4 weeks)   US 121 03/05/1994 (4 weeks) Wowee Zowee   DE 60 05/08/1995 (9 weeks)   UK 18th 04/22/1995 (3 weeks)   US 117 04/29/1995 (1 week) Brighten the corners   UK 27 02/22/1997 (3 weeks)   US 70 03/01/1997 (4 weeks) Terror Twilight   DE 63 06/21/1999 (2 weeks)   UK 19th 06/19/1999 (4 weeks)   US 95 06/26/1999 (2 weeks) Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe   US 152 11/09/2002 (1 week) Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: LA's Desert Origins   US 164 11/13/2004 (1 week) Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition   US 185 11/25/2006 (1 week) Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement   US 170 03/27/2010 (1 week)

Singles

Watery, Domestic EP   UK 58 11/28/1992 (1 week) Cut your hair   UK 52 02/12/1994 (1 week) Gold Soundz   UK 83 08/13/1994 (1 week) Range Life   UK 76 01/28/1995 (2 weeks) Rattled by la Rush   UK 85 04/01/1995 (1 week) Give it a day   UK 82 01/27/1996 (2 weeks) stereo   UK 48 02/08/1997 (2 weeks) Shady Lane   UK 40 05/03/1997 (2 weeks) Carrot Rope   UK 27 05/22/1999 (2 weeks)

Pavement was founded in 1989, American rock band that the indie and alternative rock much impressed. Until the breakup in 1999, the band released five studio albums. In 2010 a reunion tour took place . Two concerts have been announced for 2021.

Numerous music critics, including Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine , call Pavement the best band of the 1990s. The Pitchfork website named Pavements Gold Soundz the best song of the decade.

Band history

Foundation and occupation

Inspired by punk , new wave and indie rock of the 1970s and 1980s, such as The Fall , the Pixies and Sonic Youth , the two guitarists and singers Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg (aka Spiral) came to Stockton , California in the late 1980s Stairs) to write and play pieces of music. In the early 1990s they founded Pavement after the first EPs and the first album Slanted and Enchanted had got around as an underground project among musicians, independent listeners and critics . The pieces of music brought together partly ironic, partly cryptic texts, which were performed in a nasty, often freely rhythmic style of singing with a not too precise, emphasized casual instrumentation consisting of electric guitar, electric bass, drums and noises such as feedback or extremely adjusted effect sounds.

To Malkmus and Kannenberg came as drummer Gary Young , an old hippie in her forties, who a small studio Louder Than You Think owned and hallucinogens and alcohol consumed. Bassist Mark Ibold and percussionist and keyboardist Bob Nastanovich were not added until the first public concerts were about to begin. Nastanovich, who Malkmus got to know while studying history at the University of Virginia , was initially mainly a substitute behind the drums of the always drugged Gary Young, but more and more integrated himself as a keyboardist, background singer and man for them Background noises that are typical of the band's sound. After Pavement broke up with Gary Young in search of a style change to a clearer, more classic rock, but also because of his excesses, Steve West, an old friend of Nastanovich's, joined the band in 1994.

1989-1993

The first 7inch EP Slay Tracks (1933-1969) was recorded in Gary Young's Stockton studio at a cost of around 800 US dollars and released in the summer of 1989 on the Treble Kicker Records label, which was founded by Malkmus . The music was stylistically reminiscent of The Fall and Sonic Youth, which were popular at the time, and although only a few hundred copies of the EP were pressed and no information about the band was published (Malkmus and Kannberg are on the back of the cover as SM and Spiral Stairs It quickly became popular in the underground indie music scene, eventually reaching as far as John Peel . The BBC's radio DJ was known beyond the borders of England and promoted unknown bands from the independent sector , so that Pavement also played live on Peel's radio show a few years later. The young band accepted an offer from the indie label Drag City , and in 1990 the second EP Demolition Plot J-7 was released , in which a specific style of the band could be recognized for the first time. Gary Young became a member of the band, and in early 1991 the third EP was released with the ironic title Perfect Sound Forever . Bassist Mark Ibold and percussionist Bob Nastanovich completed the band, and the resulting repertoire of pieces was played at first concerts. On August 24, 1991 Pavement gave their first concert in front of the Philadelphia Record Exchange .

In 1991 the first album Slanted and Enchanted was released , on which Pavement had found his own typically casual style. The recording received positive reviews from the relevant press, which helped the band to a modest breakthrough. The stylistic palette ranged from catchy, driving songs (" Summer babe (Winter version) ") to melancholy pieces ( Here ) to musical experiments ( No Life Singed Her ). Although the names of all band members are mentioned on the back of the cover, none of the pieces were recorded by the band together, but rather were put together in individual tracks by Malkmus and Kannberg. A long series of EPs and singles began with the single Trigger Cut Plus 2 (1992). Domino Records released the first EPs again in March 1993 on the compilation Westing (by musket and sextant) .

This was followed by the first big tour through the USA , on which Pavement became known not only for the indie sound but also for the young clown interludes. Young, for example, greeted the guests at the entrance of the concert hall with a handshake or tried to loosen up the performances with acrobatic interludes. At some concerts Young collapsed due to excessive alcohol consumption, which is why percussionist Bob Nastanovich had to sit on the drums more and more often. Different ideas about performance and musical ideas eventually led to the separation of Young in favor of Steve West, an old friend of Nastanovich. Before that, the EP Watery, Domestic was released with Young, which is generally regarded as the link between the first few years and the coming phase. Gary Young started a project under his name and released the LP Hospital in 1994 .

1994-1996

In February 1994, the second album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain was released . The recording technology was significantly improved compared to its predecessors, and stylistically Pavement approached classic rock. Malkmus' voice and his idiosyncratic solo playing on the electric guitar countered the often melodious, harmonically clearly structured pieces with rough, sometimes disharmonious sounds. The record reached number 121 in the US charts. With the single Cut Your Hair , the cover of which featured a German woman drinking beer, Pavement made it into the top ten of the US and the top 50 the UK singles chart. With the second release, Range Life , Pavement was criticized for ironic remarks about the bands Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots . The third single was the catchy Gold Soundz , whose hard-to-decipher text is typical of Malkmus.

In April 1995 the third Pavement album Wowee Zowee , named after a piece by Frank Zappa , was released , which was partly a bit more experimental. The opening piece We Dance , which was mainly orchestrated with guitar , provided the predominantly melancholy mood of the LP. Again ironic texts can be found, as in Rattled by the Rush , a piece in which the narrow-mindedness of the petty bourgeoisie of the American southern states is satirized. In many other, apparently freely associated texts, there are socially critical statements that are presented in catchy melodies ( Fight This Generation ). The songs Easily Fooled and Kris Kraft appeared on single B-sides .

In 1995 Pavement played at Lollapalooza , the American traveling festival, with Sonic Youth , Cypress Hill , Beck , Hole , Yo La Tengo , Built to Spill , Moby and Patti Smith in front of thousands of fans of the Irish pop singer Sinéad O'Connor . Their fans threw mud on Malkmus until Pavement broke off their performance. In 1996 and 1997 the band played at the politically motivated Tibetan Freedom Concert .

1997-1999

With Brighten the Corners , produced by Mitch Easter , Pavement's most commercially successful album was released in February 1997 and was released not only in the USA, but also in Europe and Asia . In addition, with all single releases, at least a modest success succeeded in relevant indie circles. Scott Kannberg aka Spiral Stairs contributes several pieces on which he also sings. Stereo opens the album with powerful rock, a stylistic direction that underlies many of the tracks on the record.

In 1998 the band met at Malkmus' new home in Portland , Oregon to record songs for the Pavement album Terror Twilight . The album is produced by Nigel Godrich and will finally be released in June 1999. Under the influence of Godrich, some sound engineering experiments take place on the album. Malkmus emphasized in interviews that the pieces on the album were created while listening to his record collection. Against this background, musical borrowings from Bob Dylan , Captain Beefheart and Black Sabbath can be made out in the songs . The single releases of Terror Twilight appear each with different B-sides. Bassist Mark Ibold makes his debut as a singer on Carrot Rope . Malkmus was already writing songs at that time, which he will later record and play with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks .

On November 20, 1999, Pavement played their last concert in front of 4200 fans at the sold out Brixton Academy in East London . The last three songs played live were Stop Breathing , Conduit for Sale! and finally Here . After the concert, Pavement announced their dissolution. The reasons for this, if you believe the ironic statements, were above all personal: Start families, sail around the world, get into the computer industry, dance, and get some attention . A reunion of the band was not ruled out. With the exception of Bob Nastanovichh and Mark Ibold, all band members subsequently released new albums under different names.

Before and after pavement

Stephen Malkmus on the 2010 Pavement Reunion Tour

Malkmus has released four albums with the solo project Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks ( Stephen Malkmus 2001, Pig Lib 2003, Face the Truth 2005 and Real Emotional Trash 2008). Stephen Malkmus composed and arranged all pieces. Pavements guitarist and vocalist Scott Kannberg aka Spiral Stairs released two albums under the band name Preston School of Industry ( All This Sounds Gas 2001 and Monsoon 2004). He also founded the Amazing Grease Records label . Drummer Steve West released the LP Sunset Sprinkler under the name Marble Valley in 1999 , on which he also sings. The band around the poet and songwriter David Berman , The Silver Jews , is seen as the second widely received project alongside "Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks" . The band was founded before Pavement in 1989 and released seven albums until they broke up in January 2009 ( The Arizona Record 1992, Starlite Walker "1994, The Natural Bridge 1996, American Water 1998, Bright Flight 2001, Tanglewood Numbers 2005 and Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea 2008). Gary Young, Pavement's first drummer, also recorded an album under his own name entitled Hospital . Finally, the tribute album Everything is Ending Here "was created in 2003, on which Pavement pieces by bands and musicians like Solex , Appendix Out , The Tindersticks and Silkworm are covered. Former Pavement bassist Mark Ibold has played with the indie band Sonic Youth since 2006 .

There were rumors of a reunion of the band again and again, and in fact Pavement had an appearance almost with the lineup in which the band had been together since 1994. It was the wedding party of drummer Bob Nastanovich, but only cover songs were played. Only guitarist Scott Kannberg did not take part in the performance, although he was present. In September 2009 the band announced a series of concerts in the line-up of Mark Ibold, Scott Kannberg, Stephen Malkmus, Bob Nastanovich and Steve West for the spring of 2010. There have been numerous appearances in the USA and Canada as well as Europe, Australia and New Zealand, including at the Roskilde Festival , the Pitchfork Music Festival and the Hollywood Bowl .

In March 2017, Kannberg held out the prospect of reunification, as all members had agreed. In May 2018, however, Malkmus stated in an interview that he ruled out a comeback for Pavement. Two months earlier, he said that for private reasons he didn't have the time and that he wanted to concentrate on working with The Jicks. In May 2019, Malkmus once again announced that he could envision a return from Pavement if the fans were still interested. At the beginning of June 2019, Pavement announced their second reunion, but only appearances at the Primavera Sound festivals in Barcelona and Porto were planned for 2020 . The concerts have been postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic .

Discography

Albums

• 1992: Slanted and Enchanted ( re-released as Luxe & Reduxe in 2002)
• 1994: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain ( re-released as LA's Desert Origins in 2004)
• 1995: Wowee Zowee ( re-released as Sordid Sentinels Edition 2006)
• 1997: Brighten the Corners ( re-released as Nicene Creedence Edition 2008)
• 1999: Terror Twilight

Singles and EPs

• 1989: Slay Tracks (1933-1969) EP
• 1990: Demolition Plot J-7 EP
• 1991: Perfect Sound Forever EP
• 1992: Watery, Domestic EP
• 1992: Summer Babe
• 1992: Trigger Cut Plus 2
• 1994: Cut Your Hair
• 1994: Haunt You Down EP
• 1994: Gold Soundz
• 1995: Range Life
• 1995: Rattled by la Rush
• 1995: Father to a Sister of Thought
• 1995: Dancing with the Elders (split single with Medusa Cyclone )
• 1996: Give It a Day
• 1996: Pacific Trim EP
• 1997: Stereo
• 1997: Shady Lane (released as EP in Japan)
• 1999: Spit on a Stranger
• 1999: Major Leagues EP (with a cover version of The Killing Moon ( Echo & The Bunnymen ))
• 1999: The Hexx
• 1999: Carrot Rope (appears in four versions with different B-sides)

Compilations

• 1993: Westing (By Musket and Sextant) (compilation of the first EPs)
• 2010: Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement
• 2015: The Secret History Vol. 1

swell

1. ↑ ^{a b} Chart sources: Germany - UK charts - US charts
2. ↑ Pavement Announce Reunion Shows on pitchfork.com (accessed June 3, 2019)
3. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine: Pavement: Terror Twilight on allmusic.com, accessed October 19, 2017
4. ↑ Nitsuh Abebe: How Pavement Became the Greatest Band of the Nineties This Year on vulture.com, accessed October 19, 2017
5. ↑ Chuck Klosterman: Greatest. Indie-est. Tape. Ever. on gq.com, accessed October 19, 2017
6. ↑ Maik Brüggemeyer: Pavement Brighten The Corners on rollingstone.de, accessed on October 19, 2017
7. ↑ Dylan Schellenberg: Pavement Is The Best Band Of The 90s And Is Still Cool Today on theodysseyonline.com, accessed October 19, 2017
8. ↑ Simon Sweetman: Pavement: The Greatest Band of the 1990s on offthetracks.co.nz, accessed October 19, 2017
9. ↑ Max Gösche: The pleasure of looseness, in Rolling Stone 05/2018, issue 283, p. 78.
10. ↑ The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 20-01 on pitchfork.com, accessed October 19, 2017
11. ↑ http://www.visions.de/news/10725/Pavement-Beinah-Reunion
12. ^ Pavement Reunion Tour Confirmed for 2010 , James Montgomery, MTV, September 17, 2009
13. ↑ Pavement @ Fox Theater, Pomona 4/15/2010 (event information ), Brandon Stosuy, Stereogum, April 16, 2010
14. ↑ 'Everybody Has Said Yes': Scott Kannberg Says A Pavement Reunion Is Coming on themusic.au (accessed June 11, 2018)
15. ↑ The foundation has not changed - Stephen Malkmus in an interview on musikblog.de (accessed June 11, 2018)
16. ↑ Stephen Malkmus speaks out on the chances of Pavement reuniting for their 30th anniversary on nme.com (accessed June 11, 2018)
17. ↑ Stephen Malkmus Calls Pavement Reunion Chances “Realistic” on pitchfork.com (accessed May 24, 2019)
18. ↑ Pavement celebrate 2020 reunion (but there is more, right?) On rollingstone.de (accessed on June 3, 2019)
19. ↑ Primavera Sound Announce Exclusive Pavement Reunion for 2020 on festicket.com (accessed May 9, 2020)

Web links

• Pavement at Matador Label in the USA
• Pavement at Domino Label in England / Europe