Pernice Brothers Bottom of the Hill July 6, 2003 Review by Jake Thomas Woo-hoo! I was hyped up for this show; I've seen a lot of rock lately and the Pernice Brother's brand of morose pop music was exactly what I needed, and it was exactly what I got. The band came out swigging whiskey from the bottle and ready to break all the ladies hearts. Or at least I would imagine that to be the case, but since I'm not a lady that's merely speculation. He had a full band, with faces both old and new: a drummer who made funny faces while he played; a british bloke playing keys and occasional guitar; Peyton Pinkerton ('the greatest name in soft rock' was how I believe Pernice referred to him), his regular guitar guy whose sound often reminds me of The Cure; and Thom Monahan, his regular bassist and back-up vocals dude. They played what I would imagine to be pretty much the entire new album, which was great à but since I don't know it yet it's not quite as good as hearing those old favorites. Nothing can match the joy I feel when he plays 'Clear Spot' or 'Monkey Suit', which made their way into the set along with '7:30' and a Pretender's song. They sounded like the bastard love child of Teenage Fanclub and Elvis Costello, but when I mentioned this to my friend she looked at me like I was crazy. Well, crazy or not, it was a damn fine show, and I'll be right back up at the front of the stage again next time he's in town. Pernice Brothers Check out our previous Pernice experiences: Photos November 1, 2001 @ Bottom of the Hill Review and Photos August 3, 2001 @ Bottom of the Hill ©2003 playinginfog.com