Pavement in session at Radio France International (Black Session) from May 10, 1999 – mostly likely the last before their split.
Pavement formed in Stockton, California, in 1989. For most of their career, the group consisted of Stephen Malkmus (vocals and guitar), Scott Kannberg (guitar and vocals), Mark Ibold (bass), Steve West (drums), and Bob Nastanovich (percussion and vocals). Initially conceived as a recording project, the band at first avoided press or live performances, while attracting considerable underground attention with their early releases. Gradually evolving into a more polished band, Pavement recorded five full-length albums and ten EPs over the course of their decade-long career, though they disbanded with some acrimony in 1999 as the members moved on to other projects. In 2010, they undertook a well-received reunion tour, followed by another international tour in 2022–24.
Though only briefly attracting mainstream attention with the single “Cut Your Hair” in 1994, Pavement was a successful indie rock band. Rather than signing with a major label as many of their 1980s forebears had done, they remained signed to independent labels throughout their career, including Flying Nun and Matador. They have often been described as one of the most influential bands to emerge from the American underground in the ’90s. Some prominent music critics, such as Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine, called them the best band of the 1990s. They have achieved a cult following.
And once you press Play you’ll understand why.
I hate to keep harping but . . .
As you probably know by now, Past Daily is going through a few changes. Over the past several months we’ve been introducing new features and losing old ones. We’ve begun to run ads, only because we really need the income to stay online and hope this isn’t a problem. Of course, if you consider subscribing and becoming a Patron via Patreon, you get the posts ad-free and the option to download all the audio we post here – our way of saying thank you for your support. Joining Patreon is easy and we’ve made it even easier for you by offering you a free trial to kick the tires, as it were. All you have to do is click on the red box just below, the one that says Become A Patron, and be part of the family. We’ll be offering more perks as time goes on – but we need to get stable first and we can only do that with your support. So do everybody a favor and join us – we’d love to have you!
