Another Friday, another lovely evening on Pier 17 listening to music and drinking some beers. This week's entertainment was provided by a trio of bands; Zaza, Ribbons, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Like most of the swarming crowd we were there to take in the sounds of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, a band that has been the soundtrack to a good portion of 2009 so far. But we got there early enough to check out the other bands too.
Ribbons kicked off the night, a two piece band featuring Jenny Logan the bassist from My Teenage Stride on guitar and vocals. As Jenny plays subtle, lovely sounds drummer Sam Roudman tackles the drums with a ridiculous amount of unusual beats and furious fills to cover every gap between guitar or vocal parts. It's an impressive little project that had my undivided attention during their set. Zaza weren't quite as captivating to me, but definitely kept the Joy Division influences rolling.
The real draw of the evening, aside from the fact that is a great night, free, and supports outdoors drinking, were The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, a band that has rode the buzz wave all year and seems to have built a really devoted fan base here in New York. They absolutely dominated the stage last night, with all five members doing there best to pump out their awesome pop tunes. Lead singer/guitarist Kip Berman is a magnetizing figure at the front of the stage. His huge eyes seem to lock on every person for at least a few seconds of each show before letting go and moving onto the next person. But it's his voice and keyboardist Peggy Lee's harmonizing vocals that really capture your attention. Even on a sound system meant for the outdoors they come through crisp and clean and lovely as ever.
Obviously seeing The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at a small, intimate venue would be a much more personal and probably a better experience, but watching them take over a huge crowd with their tunes was pretty special in its own way.
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