Years active 2007–2009 Albums because we love you. | Labels Unsigned | |
Associated acts My Sister Outlaw, Supply Boy, Tornado Alley, Vitamins, The Kissing Party Website The Pseudo Dates on MySpace Members Suzi Allegra (bass, vocals, percussion)
Nathan D. Brasil (guitar, vocals, percussion, tape machine)
John Fate (drums, percussion, vocals)
Taylor Rice (guitar, vocals) Origin Denver, Colorado, United States Genres Indie rock, Indie pop, Sunshine pop | ||
The Pseudo Dates is a Denver, Colorado indie rock band formed in September 2007 by bassist and vocalist Suzi Allegra, guitarist and vocalist Nathan Brasil, and drummer John Fate. The members began collaborating while working with other projects, including Allegra's other bands My Sister Outlaw, Supply Boy and Tornado Alley. By the beginning of 2008, they were playing venues in Denver notable for bringing out indie acts, including Bender's Tavern, Lion's Lair and the Larimer Lounge.
Contents
In May 2008 they embarked on a small tour of the Northwestern United States, including stops in Seattle, Olympia, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Eureka, California and San Francisco. In a MySpace blog post May 31, 2008 the band said "this tour has been amazing" and that they "made lots of friends, stayed with lots of wonderful people, had lots of whiskey, and lots of crazy times".
The Pseudo Dates released an EP June 7, 2008 titled Because We Love You, and celebrated it with a release party and live performance that night at Lion's Lair in Denver. The band recorded the EP in analog to give it more of "an old-school quality." Before the EP's release, the band provided demo clips on their MySpace.
In the fall of 2008 the band added a second guitarist, Taylor Rice.
During spring 2009, the band launched their own YouTube channel which features clips of performances and of the band recording their debut album.
At the end of May 2009 The Pseudo Dates released their debut, full-length album, 400 Some Odd Songs In 400 Some Odd Days, on the eve of their 2009 West Coast tour throughout the month of June. The album was released on May 29, 2009 at a show at the Skylark Lounge in Denver.
After the tour the band stopped playing around town. In the fall of 2009, the band broke up. Allegra cited irreconcilable differences about the band's future and overall direction. The band announced it on their MySpace page with the headline "2007-2009."
Songwriting and influences
"We write songs. That’s what we do. Songs that encapsulate the feeling you get when you think, 'What am I supposed to do now?'" reads the band description given to Portland State University's KPSU ahead of their northwestern tour. Their songs generally touch on love, romance, and failed or fleeting romance, as hinted by the band's name. Their description further reads, "We have songs about walking home alone late at night, orange skies, tired footwear, feeling like a tv show that should be canceled, and purple umbrellas—among a vast array of other mundane/extraordinary things". The band also said it believes in the International Pop Underground Convention.
When it comes to songwriting Allegra said many of her songs come from events in her life "but then they can evolve into something else that's not just about the factual event; it can become more conceptual". Brasil said the song "Tambourines and Toasters" is broad, but stems from a long-ago experience, and that the other songs he penned on their EP "are about giving up and panic attacks".
Brasil said part of the band's attitude and reasoning behind their debut EP title is a response to the cynicism that runs through the music industry:
"There's so much damned cynicism. Yeah, lots of things suck, and there's lots of problems, and I don't suggest you turn your back on those things. But there are plenty of bands that have contempt for their audiences, and they're dark and scary — all of that sort of depressing stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just another angle for the whole thing."
Fate described the band's music as a lifesaver saying, "You know when your mouth is all dry after eating pretzels? We’re like the water the comes to rescue you".
The band lists some of its musical influences as The Zombies, The Velvet Underground, Donovan, The Television Personalities, The Breeders, Syd Barrett, Beachwood Sparks, The Minders, The Everly Brothers, The Beach Boys, The Olivia Tremor Control, The Dinnermints, Nirvana, Debussy, Frédéric Chopin, The Rondelles, Belle and Sebastian, Doo Crowder, The Kinks, Harry Nilson, Neil Young, Booker T. & the M.G.s, T. Rex, Gong, Elmore James, Tom Petty, Black Sabbath, Weezer, Blur, Bob Dylan, Vitamins, The Kissing Party, Christopher Moore, The Rolling Stones, The Apples in Stereo, Jefferson Airplane, Edgar Varese, John Prine, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Warlocks, The Strokes, The Casual Dots and The Monkees.
Reception
While The Pseudo Dates have not been widely written about, in early 2008 Jeremy Bradshaw wrote a blog item on the website for the Denver alternative newspaper Westword reviewing the band's May 1 performance at the Larimer Lounge. He wrote that the band was "contagious" and said, they "played with a joyous abandon reminiscent of Beat Happening. Even when they slowed down the good times, the band still sounded cohesive and uplifting".
The staff of the CCD Community News, the student newspaper for the Community College of Denver where Fate attends school, chose The Pseudo Dates as its band of the month in March 2008. In an article writer Cat Howard said they had the freshest sound she's heard come out of Denver in a long time. In describing their performances Howard wrote that their "songs are well-written and performances clean, entertaining and interactive; it's not unusual to see a group of people on stage hugging the indie rockers during a set".
Songs
You've Got My Numberbecause we love you · 2008
You Have Timebecause we love you · 2008
When I Walk Homebecause we love you · 2008