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Pender is a street in Vancouver. Pender is a band. Pender is the surname of Harold Pender, the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electrical Engineering Dean under whose leadership the general-purpose electronic digital computer was invented.
What do these things have in common?! Well, legend has it the band That Kelly Boy used to practice on Pender Street in Vancouver. That Kelly Boy was formed by singer/songwriter Chris Kelly and guitarist/keyboardist Ryan Ogilvie in 2001 after the demise of their first band, Dorothy. (Another Dorothy alumni, Cameron Dilworth, would go on to form the Neins Circa). That Kelly Boy showcased at New Music West and the Western Canadian Music Awards. They performed stripped down sets that got back to basics. Their 2003 release for Copperspine Records “Lonely Lake”, did the same. Over time, they added drummer Brett Galliford, keyboardist Lara Farcasan, and bassist Derrek Kittson while Ogilvie became a part time member. From the ashes of That Kelly Boy the mighty phoenix of Pender had officially risen. As for the connection with that other Pender – the engineering dude – well, all if not most members of Pender the band own, or have at one time operated, a computer. And Chris is a whiz at the Super Nintendo.
But why should you listen to Pender when there are so many other fine sounds vying for your attention? Sounds like birds singing, children laughing, and the wind rustling through the trees on a lazy Sunday afternoon? I’ll tell you why, because those sounds have got nothing on Pender. Imagine if you will, Neil Young’s Crazy Horse and Wilco having a potluck with Nirvana and Evan Dando. Pender’s a gathering of influences of country through punk rock, 80’s synth to brit pop beats, and a side of grunge for good measure served on unpretentious white paper plates. You have just imagined the sound of Pender. But why stop there? Why not take the next step and actually listen to their new CD “hey man don’t bring yourself down”? Do it for your ears, do it for your soul, do it to drown out those annoying birds, kids and trees.
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