LOOKING BACK
Pinback performs from its catalog as it celebrates 20 years
To say Rob Crow is a busy man is an understatement.
The San Diegobased musicians is a master when it comes to scheduling.
In fact, it’s the only way he can go about his day.
“I make every spare minute count,” he says during a recent phone interview. “Basically, I’m wall to wall smashed in what I’m doing,” he says. “Right now, I’m putting together my entire setup, and I don’t know what it’s supposed to be. I have three of my kids at the practice space with me, because I didn’t have anywhere to take them. It’s a balance.”
Crow is half of the San Diego-based indie rock band Pinback, which formed in 1998 and is celebrating its 20th year in the music industry.
The band essentially is Crow and Armistead Burwell Smith IV, but the duo is known to travel with additional performers.
Crow says the band tours with Chris Prescott on drums.
Crow and Smith met while playing in their previous bands, Three Mile Pilot and Heavy Vegetable. The bands were often booked together, and the pair became roommates in the ’90s.
“During that time, it never occurred to us to be in a band together,” he explains. “That idea didn’t happen until the late ’90s. After that, we’ve been a pretty dependable duo.”
It’s been nearly six years since Pinback’s last album, “Information Retrieved” and Crow says there’s new material being worked on, but no deadline.
“It’s something that we’re working on,” he says. “But we’re not working on it too much. We both have a lot of projects in our future.”
In addition to music, Crow is balancing side projects and being a dad to five children — two are newborn twins.
“I’m a househusband and my wife works full time,” he says. “I’m also working on the biggest project of my life, and once that gets done, I’m sure I’ll have more time. I get on the road because I have to. It’s my contribution to the family.”
With no new music in the foreseeable future, Crow says, the band is having fun performing its catalog.
“It’s really fun for me because I love all of our music,” he says. “I haven’t really been burned out from performing.”