“It wasn’t a totally conscious decision to be this instrumental band,” says Pelican bass player Bryan Herweg. “It just so happened that none of us sang or even really wanted to sing. But now we all agree that we would never, ever want to have, like, a front man.” Begun as a side project of the band Tusk, Pelican got its start five years ago at practice sessions held in the living rooms of various band members’ parents. The quartet’s sound is all over the place, with metal-riffing, acoustic picking and extended feedback excursions each getting their turn in the spotlight on the latest Pelican CD, The Fire in our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw. Hmm, maybe we should be grateful for this whole no-lyrics thing.
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 3, 2005.