Pinback are indie rock nerds and MC Chris is a rap nerd, so naturally Rybot and I were going (we're nerds for that kind of nerdism). The show was at the Avalon (once know as The Palace) in Hollywood, while I haven't been there in years, they made improvements to the interior so that it has a classier, restored look (much like the renovations to the El Rey).
MC Chris may be better known to Sealab 2021 fans as Hesh Hepplewhite, or as MC Pee Pants on Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He kicks it old school, or as he'd say "I kick the crap outta that school". His rap style is rapid fire and as funny as it is full of pop culture references. Like most rap shows, the music is prerecorded and the charisma of the MC is what carries the performance, and Chris owned the stage. Considering that indie rock and rap don't usually mesh, the crowd was pretty into it.
Pinback is now entering their 10th year together, although the band itself is mainly thought of as songwriters / multi-instrumentalists Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow. This was the last stop of their tour before heading off the Japan for a series of dates, and then likely a series of side projects over the next year or so before working on the next Pinback album.
Their albums tend to focus on precise tonal and instrument quality, so it was nice to see that once their soundman woke up after a few songs and got the mix together, it was as I had expected them to sound. The set was a mix of old and new songs, and they ended the show on a terrificly high note with a sped up version of "AFK", which is is probably my favorite song of theirs.
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