Boston band dodges 'emo' typecasting

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	Piebald 6:30 p.m. today, with The Lonely Kings, Bronson, Lose Money $10 7 p.m. Saturday ,with Teradactyl, Hutchinson, Welfair $7 Pink Cadillac, both shows 255-7040

Just try to find any memorable film Molly Ringwald stretched her acting chops in after Time declared her America's "modern model teen" in 1986. And did "grunge" music really have any shot at long-term acceptance after the magazine splashed Eddie Vedder's sullen mug all over U.S. newsstands in 1993? I rest my case.

A Time noncover feature piece, however, means a trend may still have a little gas left in its pop-culture tank. Sorry, Piebald.

Earlier this month, emo — in short, a kinder, gentler punk-rooted rock genre marked most often by unthreatening electric guitars and personal, "emotional" lyrics — was declared in a Time feature piece as "developing into a broad cultural phenomenon."

Smelling much money yet to be made from the unexpected recent chart successes of emo-type bands like Weezer, Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional, major record labels, Time wrote, were "scurrying to land emo talent, just as they once pillaged Seattle for grunge."

And much to its consternation, Boston-based Piebald — in Honolulu for a couple of performances this weekend at Pink Cadillac — is known by much of its hometown media as the city's officially anointed emo band most ready for its close-up with the majors.

"It's not a very good way to describe anything," was Piebald lead lyricist/vocalist Travis Shettel's comment on the emo-heavy descriptions the local media have lavished on the band's music in recent months. His voice was an exasperated, world-weary sigh. "I know we're described like that in some circles ... probably in most circles. That's fine. I just go, 'Whatever.' But I wish people wouldn't use that word anymore."

The band — now on indie label Big Wheel Records and touring in support of its recently released third album "We Are The Only Friends We Have" — has already been approached by representatives of a few major labels looking for a few good emo bands.

"We've had lunches and stuff with a couple, yeah," said Shettel, using the kind of clipped, less than emo-tive answers that, more often than not, wound up following most of my interview questions. An uncomfortable silence followed, before I asked if signing with a major was even a goal for the band.

"I have no idea," said Shettel. "I like to think that we'll make the best decision to make at any given time. And I don't know whether it'll be a major label. I guess we'll see what happens." Alrighty then.

Shettel perked up most when told that even with all the press clippings I'd read about Piebald, emo wasn't the first descriptive label that crossed my mind upon listening to the band's "We Are ..." CD.

Yes, the disc offers up many examples of the emo genre's trademark waves of melodic guitar crescendos and hushed moments of contemplative instrumentation. And Shettel's lead vocal was every bit as grating on a first listen as, say, Weezer vocalist Rivers Cuomo's was the first time I heard "The Sweater Song."

But Piebald's guitar sound is harder edged than a lot of emo, its instrumentation choices more varied, and the band's lyrics a lot more observant and tongue-in-cheek.

"Thank you ... that's good," said Shettel, contemplating my first reaction. "I'm glad you were surprised by that. That means it doesn't sound like (emo)."

Then again, it's just one person's opinion. And no one from Time has called the band for an interview ... yet.