[Online Exclusive] The Pale is en route to name recognition, success ““ without ego to match

With its masterful combination of melodic hooks, guitar crunch
and popish keyboards, the rock band The Pale is finally achieving
well-deserved success and popularity. And refreshingly, the band is
not jaded.

From the tiny rural town of Bellingham, Washington, which has
spawned such indie-rock phenomena as Death Cab for Cutie and The
Posies, The Pale recently kicked off its first nationwide tour.
After playing through Oregon and California, the band found itself
last Sunday on the small and muggy stage of the Knitting Factory in
Hollywood.

The Pale’s nine-song set was a satisfying blend of
harmonic pop and emo rock, executed with near perfection.

Vocalist Gabe Archer has a voice that fits the genre perfectly,
mellifluous at times and loud when appropriate, but not entering
into the realm of strident.

The two guitarists, Archer and Cameron Nicklaus, played with
astonishing synchronicity. Their guitar riffs overlapped and
complimented each other cleanly and precisely. Effects pedals were
used without excess and pauses were clean and unaccompanied by
noodles or hums.

But perhaps The Pale’s most appealing quality was the
contagious cheerfulness its members exuded while onstage.

At Sunday’s show, the band members were unfazed by the
low-energy audience, continuing to smile and joke with a buoyancy
of tone that was refreshingly sincere.

Archer was particularly animated, standing on his toes while
playing the guitar and practically dancing out of his seat while
playing the keyboard. The band looked like they were having so much
fun that at least some of their enthusiasm rubbed off on the crowd.
By the end of the set, smiles and bobbing heads abounded.

Between songs, drummer and backing vocalist Greg Swinehart
kidded about how star-struck the band was to be in Hollywood. They
had spent all afternoon, he joked, searching for the star of
someone who they felt had “really made a difference”
““ Leeza Gibbons.

Indeed, the band members exude the attitude that they are
grateful for the success they have achieved so far. Having paid
their dues with 10 years of experience under their belt, one is
struck by their humbleness, despite their recent, and seemingly
overnight, success. It was endearing to hear Archer recount how the
band members’ parents all came to the first show of their
tour at the Crocodile, a small, smoke-filled club in Seattle.

“They really enjoyed the show. I mean they have to like
it, right? We’re their sons!” Archer joked onstage.

Although relatively unknown in Los Angeles, the band has had a
number of successes in its 10-year career, including the release of
three albums and a performance this year at Seattle’s
Sasquatch! Festival, which also featured Coldplay and The Flaming
Lips.

The Pale’s most recent release, “Gravity Gets Things
Done,” by independent label SideCho, has been garnering rave
reviews nationwide. Their catchy single, “Gravity Gets Things
Done,” received airplay on popular Seattle radio stations
such as KNDD The End, made famous on “The Real World:
Seattle.”

Judging by the quality of the sound at this Sunday’s show,
it was evident that The Pale is not going to be unknown in Los
Angeles for much longer. Let’s just hope that the boys
don’t lose their humble attitude when their fame takes
off.

–Andrew Wenzlaff