Stagestruck

PINKSTON
@Red-Eyed Fly, Austin, TX
March 24, 2001
The best thing about Dallas quartet Pinkston, besides their strong songs and excellent ensemble work, is that their sound can't abide hyphens. You can't call them punk rock or psychedelic rock or emocore or whatever—they're just a rock band. They like anthemic song structures, big riffs, clashing harmonics and high volume. They dislike clichés associated with labels or drawn from certain genres. They've created an original rock sound that vaguely recalls other bands you may have heard but never quotes anyone directly. This night they brought that sound to bear on a tight set of songs for a small crowd at Austin's Red-Eyed Fly. Despite the sudden plunge in temperature with the sunset, the fans were warmly appreciative towards the mostly new set of tunes, and even more so when the band played selections from their self-titled EP. The new songs are edgier, more angular and less likely to inspire singalongs, but older numbers like "Thirteen Threats," "Say You Want It" and "Big" took full advantage of Joshua Daugherty and Benjamin Burt's complimentary guitars and Beth Clardy Lewis' thrumming basslines and room-filling voice. The set seemed kind of short, but the strong performance and smart songs made it nonetheless satisfying. Michael Toland