Young, exciting group playing all over Michigan. Show full of young ENERGY. Growning quick. Current single is recieving air play. Big sounds come from small towns. - MICHIGAN ARTISTS
If you are from the UK and you hear this band being described as "garage" you could be mistaken for thinking that they are an Artful Dodger style band. Think again. This is "real" garage music, the stuff of sheds and low budget recording equipment! The band are from lower Michigan and formed around 1997, and at present consists of Ryan Smith on drums and Marc Keirns on guitar and vocals. We say at present, because at the time of writing they were still looking for a bass player! Quite an urgent concern, as they already have gigs booked and the addition of a bass player would be advantageous to say the least! Having had a listen to their stuff , we can say that it would be a shame if they had to cancel any of their gigs due to lack of a musician. - Shoe Shine
PAWN RELEASES THEIR 1ST CD. After nearly two years in existance, two E.P.s, and playing everywhere from Detroit to Chicago, PAWN's long awaited debut CD is finally here! This trio from Augusta MI has been constantly breaking new ground in a rather timely fashion, and Rumor has it that they may be on the way back into the studio later this year. These guys are a must see! - MICHIGAN MUSIC NEWS A-Z Rocks
Drums and guitars are off-kilter, but intriguingly so. Also, the dark vocals that manage to go from yowl to scream break into a scream give Pawn a great raw punk punch. Similar atisist filed with PAWN under Hardcore Punk: Nirvana, Iggy Pop, Circle Jerks, The Jesus Lizard, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Dwarves, Fugazi, The Germs, & the Hellacopters.
- Mark M. (editor ID 194) LISTEN.COM
Members of the Augusta band Pawn are lucky to have several tour dates in Kalamazoo later this month. Two weeks ago, drummer Malakai Lee was almost killed in a car accident.
It is a story that could easily be found on an episode of E!'s "True Hollywood Story," or VH1's "Behind the Music," Lee said, except for the fact that he and his bandmates are not rock stars living the glamorous life. Pawn is just four guys who want to have fun and play music to an audience, he said. But, this story has enough jealousy and blind love for Eminem's next three albums.
Lee said he was in love and had been dating a girl for eight months. However, the relationship turned sour following a gig at The South Town in Kalamazoo in November. Lee was mingling with a few fans, to the great distaste of his then-girlfriend.
"I am a musician, and we have to be social with the fans and sell yourself basically," Lee said. "I was talking to these people and the girl that I was with kept saying 'Why are you talking to her? Are you trying to pick her up?' Then she told me that I had to choose between her and the band. I chose the band."
Lee said that although it was a tough decision, it ultimately came down to the fact that he was not going to give up the one thing he is good at -- playing the drums. He also said he would not have realized the extent of the relationship if it weren't for his bandmates.
"I told her that I loved her to death, but I couldn't give it all up now just because she was whacked out," he said. "The guys told me I just wasn't the same when she was around, like I acted and played differently. I probably wouldn't be here talking to you today either, if it hadn't been for the guys who told me that I needed to get out."
But the situation and the relationship were about to take another twist, one that almost cost Lee his life.
The week after The South Town incident, Lee and the rest of Pawn were in Battle Creek playing a gig at Planet Rock. Again, Lee was chatting to people in the crowd and his then-girlfriend did not approve of his behavior.>br>"I could be talking to anyone and she would freak out," he said. "I could be talking to a guy and she would ask me why I was talking to that person."
After the show, Lee left with his former girlfriend, he said, admitting it was a poor decision, but he was blinded by love.
"After the show we were driving and she tells me that she has nothing to live for now that I am leaving," he said. "She tells me to pick a lake or a tree because we're driving into one of them. She was taking corners at 60 mph and almost hit a tree. It takes a lot to scare me and this scared the life out of me."
Now, Lee is ready to embrace his newfound freedom and rock all over Kalamazoo in the coming weeks.
Pawn first formed back in 1997 after guitarist/vocalist Marc Keirns' first band, Logic Bomb, broke up. Keirns then teamed up with guitarist Mike Fye to form a portion of Pawn. Lee said since early this year, Pawn has had a consistent line up, but are still looking for a full-time bassist. Right now Jerry Allison of Crack Baby is playing the bass for Pawn.
"I joined them back in February or March of this year," he said. "They were having problems with personnel, like keeping drummers and bassists, but now we have a good lineup that we are happy with; but we are still looking for a bassist who has the energy that we have on stage."
Lee described Pawn's sound as a mix between Nirvana and AC/DC. He said the band coined the term "but-rock" to describe their music.
"We say we're 'but-rock' because we are everything but rock," Lee said. "We don't play the kind of music that is on the radio right now or that is going to sell albums. We do our own thing and we're good at it."
Lee said the band is influenced by everything from medieval music to pre-MTV Metallica.
He added that Pawn's live shows are what sets Pawn apart from other aspiring bands.
- Larissa Chinwah - - WESTERN HERALD