>>PREVIEW
PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES
Tuesday, October 24
Warehouse
Whether they are named for a line from beat generation author Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums or a melancholy lyric from a song by the Smiths, Pretty Girls Make Graves (PGMG) possess a distinctive sound that’s sure to turn heads and stimulate the intellect of even the most jaded indie-rock fan.
Rising from the ashes of the ill-fated Murder City Devils, bass player Derek Fudesco dusted himself off and joined forces with friends Nathen Johnson and Nick Dewitt, both formerly of the band Bee Hive Vaults. Adding spice to their lineup is the feisty Andrea Zollo who had shared the stage with Fudesco as a fellow member of The Death Wish Kids. Kill Sadie’s Jason Clark completed the new ensemble and in 2001 they released a self-titled EP that proved to be an emotional Molotov cocktail.
Moving upwards and onwards together Pretty Girls Make Graves went on to release their easily absorbed full-length debut Good Health in the spring of 2002. Meshing together intense instrumentation and appealing female/male alternating vocals, the band soon amassed a legion of faithful fans who were drawn to their undeniable appeal and penchant for musical innovation. Taking a break from the band’s relentless tour schedule, Derek Fudesco pauses to reflect on their recent accomplishments.
"We haven’t really been doing much of anything lately," confesses the somewhat idle idol. "We just wrapped up a six-and-a-half week tour of the U.S., prior to that we were performing over in Europe and also in Mexico. We did a fantastic gig in Mexico City. It was just insane! There was a great festival atmosphere about the whole thing. I never thought I’d be able to play there, so it was really exciting. Everything was just so easygoing and fun and the people were so friendly and laid-back, they totally know how to have a good time. After we got over our initial shock at the scope and size of it, we settled into a great vibe," Fudesco says with a chuckle.
Fudesco has been busy with his side-project the Cave Singers while Dewitt has occupied himself of late with his other band Night Canopy. Clark has been interning at a recording studio, helping to produce tracks for bands such as the Bloc Party, Minus the Bear and Blood Brothers. The band appreciates having some downtime to devote themselves to their other musical interests.
Covering all the bases comes easily to the multi-talented members of PGMG. While they may shy away from comparisons to bands like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney and Sonic Youth they do convey a certain bittersweet intensity that hearkens back to the heyday of the early punk revival movement. Borrowing elements of angst, rebellion and introspection from the likes of Fugazi, X-Ray Specs and At the Drive-In, Pretty Girls Make Graves has gone on to inspire a whole new fleet of bands that are willing to break up the rock ’n’ roll boys club and let the girls have a kick at the proverbial can.
In the fall of 2003 the band bought up the back cover of the feminist magazine BUST to advertise the forthcoming release of The New Romance, a sure indication that they have their collective finger on the pulse of their current and potential audience.
"I don’t know if our lineup has any direct effect on our playing. We may be a female-fronted band, but the only people that seem to bring it up are journalists. I don’t think it has much bearing on whether or not people buy our records or go to our shows.
While not everyone may be familiar with their name or their sound, the effort and energy channelled into their work is sure to bring the Seattle quintet to the attention of a wide variety of people, especially with the advent of their newest release Elan Vital, produced by Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Destroyer). The addition of a full-time keyboardist, Leona Marrs, has, in Fudesco’s opinion, added an extra "fully fleshed-out" dimension to their already full sound. Straddling genres and defying traditions even as they create their own groove, this ensemble cast of players has become very adept at keeping themselves in the public eye.
Well-placed advertisements are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how far they can spread their irrepressible enthusiasm, touring with media-darlings such as Death Cab for Cutie and Franz Ferdinand has certainly enhanced their esteem to even greater heights. Fudesco acknowledges there comes a point in the process of constructing a new work of art where the artists must step back from the canvas in order to gain perspective on where they are, where they’ve come from and where the heck they’re going in the future. |
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