Houston Calling

Pale returns to Houston tonight at The Meridian, w/ Southern Backtones

April 10th, 2009 · No Comments

Local rock band Pale, whose Mandatory Ambulance EP stills hogs up time on my iPod, returns to Houston tonight (Friday, 4.10.09) after a U.S. tour stint with Earshot. Rumor has it the band will perform some of its new material.

Southern Backtones, Cerebro, and The Bright are also on the bill.

Pale guitarist/keyboardist Robb Moore took a few minutes out of his busy schedule today to answer some questions for Houston Calling.

Houston Calling: Pale was recently on tour with Earshot. How was that? Did you get the exposure that you had hoped for?

Robb Moore: The tour was great. Earshot’s fan base is pretty different from ours, so as far as exposure, we got to play to a crowd that generally likes heavier stuff and probably wouldn’t have a band like us on their playlist. Merch sales were better than we had hoped. We actually sold out of a few items. Overall, we had a great time being out with those guys. Made some new friends, and Earshot are complete pros.

HC: How did the opening spot on that tour come about?

Moore: Our friend John, who does booking for us, is longtime friends with Wil Martin. He and Wil were discussing opening bands for the Earshot tour right when Pale had asked him to look into a opening slot for us. He suggested it to Wil, played him some songs, he liked it and invited us out. It sort of just fell in our lap. We were doing some shows in Phoenix two days before their tour started, oddly enough, in Phoenix.

HC: It’s been a while now since Pale has released new material. I heard some rough demos of some new songs last year, much of which seemed a departure from Pale’s previous songs. What can you tell me about that? Any plans for a 2009 release?

Moore: Calvin went through this crazy phase and wrote about 25 songs and we are sifting through them right now. Musically, they’re all over the map but are starting to evolve as we each put our own personalities in them. We have recorded four of them, but then decided to go on the road for the summer so recording was put on hold for now. We hope to start recording again around September.

HC: What can fans expect at tonight’s show at The Meridian? Will Pale play some new songs?

Moore: We will play about five new songs tonight. I think the last three months have made us a much better band, much tighter. It should be a great show. We’re all excited to be home for a bit and play a home game, so to speak.

HC: Rumor has it that the band has a new manager. Any truth there?

Moore: We did sign a management deal about a month ago. She’s great to work with…we’re going to California in a week to do some showcases and I think she is going to do an official press release about the signing, showcases, touring, etc. We are definitely hoping for some big things!

HC: From my perspective, local music is finally getting some of the exposure it deserves. Bands are playing outside Houston more often, and many are getting small record deals, and touring nationally. You’ve been around the local music scene for a while — how do you think it’s changed over the years?

Moore: It’s certainly a lot better than it was even three years ago. Now, Houston bands are looking outside of Texas to gain exposure. I just read in the Press yesterday about Spain Colored Orange getting a new deal and finally getting its record out. There are some really good bands here, bands that I think would do really well in other markets. You just have to go beyond Austin and really pound the pavement, either by touring or by “shopping” your music.

HC: What have you been listening to lately? Anything to recommend?

Moore: As far as new stuff I’ve been listening to, I really like the new U2 record. It’s very different for them, a nice departure from their norm. I can really feel Brian Eno all over that record. The new Yeah Yeah Yeahs is really good too. Also, a band from Detroit called The Nice Device just put out a new EP called Sorry We Killed You. I am in love with that band.

Thanks to Robb Moore for taking the time to answer these questions. Visit Pale online at www.myspace.com/palerocks.

Pale hits the stage tonight at The Meridian around 11pm. Doors open at 8:30pm. $10 cover.

Tags: Interviews · Music · Show listings

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