The Jade Shader
Kristen Cudmore reviews The Jade Shader's recent show opening for Pinback in Vancouver
On Monday April 24th, 2006 at Vancouver’s Plaza Club, San Diego’s Jade Shader warmed-up the stage for melodic post-rockers Pinback. The room was crowded with anticipation for Pinkback’s onion-like textured vocal and instrumental styles. With their call-and-response-style vocals, guitars and effects, bass played flamenco/classical style, Rhodes pianos and other synth sounds, Pinback has formed a devoted fan-base.
Having Jade Shader there to get the show going was a perfect match. Though I am sometimes ashamed to say that I was a part of a Vancouver audience, since responses here often resemble a turtle dragging a ball and chain. That considered, the fact that this show drew a decent crowd on a Monday night and that they responded at all is quite the accomplishment… believe me!
The Jade Shader filled the room with hard-edged indie rock inspired by bits of minimalism from contemporary classical symphonic works, jazz idioms, and other influences; they could be thought of as an unpredictable brother to Pinback. The band has a very developed sound thanks to Chris Prescott, known in the San Diego music scene not only as the guitarist/ vocalist and keyboardist for Jade Shader, but also as the drummer for Pinback. Terrin Durfey, Prescott’s partner on “No Knife,” and “Boilermaker;” plays bass and vocals. Matt Lynott, an ace session musician, sets a drum groove steady as a heartbeat.
The show was high energy: there was intensity in each performer and a real collective equilibrium. At moments I wondered if they had formal
training, because they melted into these moments of real expression and the whole newness to the music and the band made it that much more appealing.
When I recognized songs from their CD – tracks like, “Minnesoda”, “Cha Cha Choo Choo”, “Eraser”, “Master of the Harpies”, “Spacegoat”, “Buzz Genie”, “Scallywags” – I could see how much the songs came to life in Jade Shader performances.
The band’s musicality was focused on making the room’s faces show their curiousity, get people tapping their feet, nodding their heads and body rocking. This is how Vancouver scenesters react to new and appealing music. It was a treat!
