DECEMBER 1999

ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM SPOTLIGHT
PAWNSHOP

East Village alterna-rockers Pawnshop have a pared-down and yet powerful sound that is perfect suited to the New York clubs they play - even the tiniest, like the Collins, which is where I caught their act. Lead singer and songwriter Sean Smith is the mastermind behind the band, which also includes Keith Golden on bass and powerhouse drummer Ned Stroh. Signed to Home Office Records, the band has released one CD, Three Brass Balls.

ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM: 'Who’s to Blame' is a very cool song - love that bass line. 'Trip' is the other standout track in my opinion. Tell us about your songwriting process.

SEAN: In many ways I'm still trying to figure out the songwriting process. In the case of Who's To Blame I had a specific subject in mind when I started to write it. The bass line came along later when I brought the song to Pedro [Moreno, who played bass with the band for several years]. I think it really brings the song to life.

Trip was a different story. It just came out of nowhere one day while I was strumming the guitar, I love those.

ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM: You’ve gone through quite a few personnel shakeups in the last few years. Sean, you seem to be the only constant. Is the current line-up in it for the long haul or do you consider the continuous evolution part of the band’s appeal?

SEAN: Pawnshop started when I recorded a two-song single and released it on vinyl. I didn't have a band until after it was in stores. The first live incarnation included current bassist Keith Golden and Alex Alexander on drums.

At the time Alex was also in Godschild which included Chris Seefried and Bip Ruda who played on the single. Chris also produced the single and later played on several tracks on Three Brass Balls.

Despite the revolving-door policy with some of these musicians, the focus of the band has always been on my voice and the songwriting. I am however very fond of the current three piece line-up and hope to keep it like this for a while.

ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM: How do you expect it to change the band if you have a hit single? 

SEAN: Well I guess I'd be able to afford a fourth member again! Hopefully we'd be playing to larger audiences, and be able to tour a lot more.

ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM: Do you tour now?

SEAN: We've had a slow start with touring, we try to go out for long weekends and one-off gigs within a few hours from the city. Booking gigs at this level has been a bit trying, and the cost of touring has definitely slowed us down some, but we're working out the kinks and expect to be playing a lot in January and February.

ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM: Tell us about your image.

SEAN: With the line-up changes in the past the focus has been more on me for consistency. I think now with the three piece line-up there's more focus on all three individual members, and although each has great personal style I'm not sure we project a specific band image.

We're having fun and trying to get the emotional content of the music across to people, and hopefully they're feeling it.

ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM: Pawnshop is signed to Home Office, an indie record label in New York City that also handles The Cucumbers and RAW Kinder. What has it meant to your career to “get signed”?

SEAN: We've gotten a lot more attention all around since the CD came out. It's great to have someone behind you fighting for you, and I think people in general take you more seriously if someone else is paying the bills!

ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM: What advice do you each have for aspiring musicians in the NYC area?

SEAN: Move to a cheaper town--NYC is too expensive to get anything done! Unless you're an aspiring Bassist or Drummer. There's never enough of those to go around.

ROCKBANDLOUNGE.COM: Is there anything else you want the world to know about Pawnshop?

SEAN: I'd love the world to check out our website at www.web-ho.com -- and download our free mp3's at mp3.com. It all tells the Pawnshop story pretty well.

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