MUSIC
COURTESY TINA LAU
Pimpbot is a forum for experimentation, says Fernando "The Love Machine," leader of the band.
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Pimpbottin’
The evolving band marks five years at the Wave
The term "necktie party" is old-time slang for a lynching, but Fernando, the single-monikered leader of Pimpbot, says no gallows humor was intended when the band picked it as the theme for its fifth anniversary party at the Wave Waikiki this weekend.
Necktie Party
Celebrating Pimpbot's 5th anniversary, with opening band Missing Dave:
Where: Wave Waikiki, 1877 Kalakaua Ave.
When: 9 p.m. Friday; Pimpbot takes stage at midnight
Minimum age: 21
Call: 941-0424
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"I thought it's kind of ironic that everybody dresses like a ska band except ska bands these days. A lot of people are wearing snap-caps, and everybody's wearing ties and stuff -- they're all dressing like ska bands used to dress, and I thought Pimpbot would try to take the neckties back," Fernando says.
Expect the band to play for at least 90 minutes and "cover all the bases."
"We're going to be doing some songs from 'Vertical Lobster,' our first full-length CD. We'll be doing 'Careless Whisper,' our single that was nominated for the Hawaii Music Awards, and we'll be doing a bunch of new stuff that will be on our next album."
The existence of Pimpbot -- let alone its survival for five years, two mainland tours and the success of "Vertical Lobster" -- is a tribute to the flexibility and open minds of the members. Fernando is also a member of Go Jimmy Go; he formed Pimpbot "as an experimental thing" to play music that didn't fit GJG's repertoire.
The sense of experimentation is alive and well five years later. Fernando is working with a new sound in local rock by playing tuba on some new material.
"The tuba is my main instrument anyway. That's what I played at the University of Hawaii (and) I'm classically trained in tuba. I just taught myself trombone on the side to be in a band ... but we're just at the point now where we're working (tuba) into the set more, just to the point where if you're going to a Pimpbot show you're gonna see a tuba."
And hear it as well. The first Pimpbot song to use tube, "Maggots," is on the set list for Friday.
COURTESY TINA LAU
The band's ready to get this party started. They are, from left, Fernando (psst, his last name's Pacheco), Eric Lagrimas, Tom Coleman and Rylan Lee.
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Eric Lagrimas (drums/tenor sax) recently became the new "Bot" in the lineup. The others in the band, Rylan Yee (bass) and Tom Coleman (guitar), also have other groups on the side -- Lee started the surf band Dr. Zaius and Coleman is with the hard-core 2 Face 2.
"Pimpbot is cool in the way that we really encourage each other to just experiment even if it's not with our band," Fernando said.
Fernando will be doing a lot of traveling this year. Go Jimmy Go goes to Japan in April. Pimpbot, Missing Dave and The Crud leave for the mainland in October for two-week self-contained "Rock from the Rock" tour.
"We spoke to Jason Miller (of Hawaiian Express and 808shows.com) and he said there haven't been three bands from Hawaii that have toured together in about 10 years ... and we're really looking forward to it."
Pimpbot has played to mainland audiences before, but Fernando says "Rock from the Rock" will be a different experience.
"We were playing big ska shows with traditional (ska) bands ... and then (the audience) sees us with distortion pedals, screaming 'What's up? We're the Pimpbot!' and they'd freak out. This is really our first tour where we're not really basing it on the ska scene. Pimpbot has kind of evolved into a rock band with horns."