Spotlight

Up & Coming Local Bands

The Pendletons

originally published September 20, 2006

This week, Flagpole lifts the lid on the warehouses containing the Pigpen Studios complex on the northern side of Normaltown, where the members of upbeat local four-piece The Pendletons can be found regularly downing beers and damaging their ears.

The Pendletons (three fourths of which met at Westminster, the same private Atlanta high attended by the boys in The Whigs) skirt the line between catchy indie pop and indie rock, with a flavorsome retro feel that motors along on mixed timing and smartly syncopated beats, incorporating both whimsical and engagingly heartfelt vocal melodies. The band also delves into slightly more straightforward garage rock that picks up an occasional surf-rock hook and/ or vibe. Think of a slightly toned down Franz Ferdinand or a more exuberant White Stripes sprinkled with the vibrant color of Ted Leo. The band has progressed from playing Ween and Weezer covers at DT’s Downunder and can now be seen playing original material at Tasty World and the 40 Watt.

For those who like what they hear, The Pendletons also have a pretty snappy self-titled demo EP recorded at the DARC studio in Athens. The demo is also available at shows and two tracks from it can be found on MySpace, alongside some tracks recently recorded at the Go To Your Room studios in Atlanta, which will go towards an album that the band intends to have finished by the end of the year.

Flagpole dropped in on a Pendletons practice to ask drummer Ben DuPriest and the rest of the boys - vocalist-guitarist Adam Saunders, guitarist Colin Morehead and bassist Matt Giordano - a few questions.

Flagpole

The name?

Ben DuPriest

Terry Pendleton, from the Atlanta Braves, was my favorite third baseman. At first it was The Terry Pendleton Brigade, but then it just became The Pendletons.

Flagpole

If the band had a mascot, who or what would it be?

Ben DuPriest

Giant squid? Terry Pendleton’s too easy, I think. Oh no… Thelonius! We have a monkey - not a real monkey, a stuffed one. We used to have stuffed animals on stage at DT’s. I mean, they were really hardcore stuffed animals. We had a poster made with Thelonius holding a Red Stripe bottle. My brother is an artist in Atlanta and he does our posters and he also does a Pendletons ninja teddy. It’s kind of a team mascot, I guess.

Flagpole

Okay, The Beatles or The Stones?

Ben DuPriest

The Beatles, but I could talk about that for hours.

Flagpole

Maybe one day. Here’s a trickier one, The Strokes or The Hives?

Ben DuPriest

The Strokes, that’s easy.

Flagpole

What about Frank Black or Jack White?

Ben DuPriest

I’d say Jack White.

Flagpole

All right, last one: Cat Stevens or Stevie Wonder?

A unanimous cry of “Stevie Wonder!” rolls around the small practice space, even though bass player Matt Giordano reveals that he was - potentially - conceived when his parents got high at a Cat Stevens concert.

Flagpole

What has the band been up to over the summer?

Adam Saunders

This summer we spent three weeks at DARC working on our debut full-length album. We hope to have everything together - mixing, mastering, artwork, CDs pressed - for an early 2007 release. Plus, we really enjoyed working with both Eric Friar and Asa Leffer. They're good guys and have helped us out quite a bit.

Ben Gerrard

Spotlight is biweekly feature looking at newer or emerging local acts. Next up: Allison Weiss. Is there a band you'd like to see covered? Email music editor Chris Hassiotis at music@flagpole.com.