Local favorite Under the Pavilion to perform week two of drive-in concert series
Riverside Concerts’ new Car Park Concerts series is successfully off and running, thanks to a near-sold out show from series opener Karate Chop, Silence. Wednesdays for the foreseeable future will bring the same excitement, and July 22 is no different — this upcoming Wednesday, be ready for a group of longtime local standouts to rock your car stereo.
Under the Pavilion, the week two headliner, has played their blend of garage rock and vintage pop across Rochester’s favorite venues for the better part of the 2010s. The four-piece has played alongside regional standout bands like Har Mar Superstar, Yam Haus, and (most recently) Bad Bad Hats, opening a packed show at Thesis Beer Project.
Last summer, original members Pat Obert (vocals/guitar) and Adam Lien (bass) brought on Alex Smith and Alex Ortberg to round out the band’s new lineup, solidifying the future of a group that has already justified its place as one of Rochester’s most notable acts.
Before their show this upcoming Wednesday, we talked with three of the four members (Pat, Adam and Alex Smith) about what Under the Pavilion had planned before the pandemic, the future ahead, and how the music scene around the band has matured since they started playing music.
What were your plans for summer 2020 pre-quarantine? How have things changed?
Pat: Well, I think we were all excited to start the summer since we have ten or eleven new songs to put on our second album, but once the pandemic hit I think our priorities switched — from thinking of our band to taking care of ourselves and our families. Now, we’re just trying to adjust to this new normal. We are still working on the second album, but we really want to make sure we can promote it appropriately and effectively during these circumstances.
Adam: Along the same lines of what Pat said, we really had some cool shows lined up, a solid release plan for a brand new album and were really excited about that. When this all hit mid March we really all just took a bit of a break which was really nice. I feel now that we’re back at it again there’s a really new fresh energy in the group!
In the absence of shows, what have you guys done? Have you recorded or written any new music, or tried your hand at streaming shows?
Pat: I think all of us started writing during this time. Like I said before, we have songs done for our second album, so I assume this wave of music will be for either some EP’s or the third album. One thing that’s really exciting is that we are all writing songs cohesively. A lot of the writing was done by me before, so it’s really nice to see the music evolve. We haven’t played any live streams yet. I personally wanted to see how places were handling it. Some live streams events seem below par — only due to the fact that this is all new for everyone — so I just wanted to see the technology develop a little more before we dipped our feet into it.
Adam: We’ve definitely been doing a little bit of writing, reworking and really fine tuning some existing songs as well as bouncing new song ideas off of each other as a group. One thing that we really have had a lot of fun with is something called UTP Weekly. We started doing YouTube vlogs with some rapid fire questions and then discussing larger topics as a group. It’s been a great creative outlet and something new to us as a group.
Alex: The vlog idea was something that had been bouncing around my head for a while before quarantine as a way to hone our rapport and get comfortable in the online interview/roundtable setting. The absence of live shows just gave us the time to experiment with some of these ideas and put them into practice.
What’s exciting about the new format, and playing shows in a new way? Will your show be any different?
Pat: I’m excited to hear how talented people really are. It’s a lot harder to hide mistakes and poor lyrical content during crystal clear live streams.
Adam: Definitely feeling the same here! This new element to live entertainment really puts a spotlight on acts and puts everything out there on the floor. It’ll definitely require bands to really tighten up their sound and work harder at putting together a cohesive set.
Alex: I’m excited to hear some original music… not the same old covers again and again! We’ve spent a lot more time on nailing the transitions from song to song to hopefully give more of a “live album” feel than we’ve ever had before.
What does it mean to be able to play to people in person again?
Pat: I very much feed from the energy of people so it means a great deal to me. It’s been a long 5 months. I love being able to smile at people on stage and see them smiling too. It brings so much life to me.
Adam: I can’t wait, there’s a sort of an anxious yet exciting energy that happens right before you get on stage and play your first note. You don’t get that just practicing together, I definitely missed the stage element.
Tickets to see Under the Pavilion on Wednesday, July 22 are now available. Reserve your free ticket by calling Riverside Concerts at (507) 328-2200.
