Heeldos, Gorilla Love and Red Shirts: Pile Visits WVAU
March 19, 2013
How do I introduce Pile? They’ve made their way into my heart quicker than any band in recent memory. They’re essentially the cult band of WVAU and it feels like their popularity is only growing. It only makes sense that Pile would be the first band to play in the WVAU studio.
After some creative arrangement, a sound check and banter about the Heeldo, Pile was ready to start. Rick Maguire couldn’t decide whether to introduce themselves or just play a song, but chose the latter. The band tumbled and thumped through “Bump A Grape” in perfect synchronization, led by Kris Kuss’ spacious drumming and punctuated by Rick’s impromptu “Woo!” at the song’s end.
In between “Bump A Grape” and “Pigeon Song,” Rick took the time to thank WVAU, double check that the tape was still rolling, introduce himself, introduce “Pigeon Song,” introduce Pile and tell the audience that he was wearing a red shirt, but that bassist Connery (who claims distant relation to George Lopez) was not. “Pigeon Song” was explosive, alternating seconds of silence with bursts of grungy guitar and Rick’s muscular voice.
Up next on the set list was “Pets,” a song about sleeping with gorillas. Rick admitted that he had personal experience with the subject, but was unsure of the gorilla’s gender, only that it had broken his heart. “Pets” manages to seamlessly blend beautifully bending folk-influenced guitar lines with the band’s brutal tendencies. By the end, all band members’ faces were red with intensity from shouting and singing along with Rick even in the absence of a microphone of their own.
The band finished with “Came As A Glow,” another mix of everything that makes Pile great. There were crunchy rhythm guitars, snare cracks, Rick’s singing and even a Zeppelin-esque jam in the middle led by Connery and guitarist Matt Becker. Rick took the time to thank everyone involved in the performance, calling it “pretty good,” which was quite the understatement. While I’m excited for the next band to step into the studio, Pile couldn’t have set the bar much higher.
