Brooklyn prog-punk rockers Pterodactyl have origins in an off-campus house at Oberlin College with a big, smelly basement crusted in mildew.
At first listen it might be hard to believe something so melodic could foster under such circumstances, but on the band’s latest effort, “Spills Out,” it’s exactly on point.
The group evolved as a house party band hosting numerous touring acts where they got a feel for what was going on in other parts of the country.
“It was awesome,” guitarist/vocalist Joe Kremer said. “Matt Marlin (drummer/vocalist) and I lived in this big house. We bought a PA through the school and were able to put on all these shows where it was us and other campus bands with groups who were on the road. It was very low key. We’d pass a hat around to collect money. There were a bunch of great shows there.”
Using their Cleveland-area origins as a learning tool, Kremer and Marlin made the move to New York, where they recruited bassist/vocalist Jesse Hodges to hone their “Sonic Youth meets Crosby Stills, Nash and Young” sound.
They had heard material Hodges sang on and it quickly became inspiration for the group.
“When it comes down to it, the songwriting for us is in the vocal melody, especially with the most recent record,” Kremer said. “We were able to take a songwriting approach we hadn’t ever really before. The songs themselves are about these sound textures. The hooks became much more melodic than squeaks and squawks.”
Brah Records will release “Spills Out” in mid-November and Pterodactyl will play Thursday, Nov. 10 at Now That’s Class with The Men, Pygmy Shrews and Pleasure Leftists.
With Hodges on board, Pterodactyl continued to make a conscious effort to keep singing the essential part of the band, says Kremer. “Spills Out” is proof.
“On this record you can hear the three distinct vocal personalities,” he said. “More so than the previous records. This record was very collaborative. There’s a nice wide range of personalities. I think things kind of gelled with us three in a way they never did before. In the indie rock circuit, there’s been a real focus of throwback bands and stripped-down stuff. We thought it would be fun to try to take those basic ingredients and do them with our aesthetic. It can be a little weird sometimes, but it’s got a different feel we all like.”
While the band has gelled with one another, with some crowds it’s been a different story. The sound of brash and aggressive instrumentation with pretty and textured singing can come off as a contradiction of styles. But what makes Pterodactyl so special is the same thing Kremer admits some audiences aren’t sure what to make of.
“The band can be a little hard to place sometimes,” Kremer said. “We end up playing for crowds who are kind of scratching their heads. Sometimes it feels like we’re this sort of early Nirvana band. It’s like when people went to see Sonic Youth and the opener is this crazy bunch of kids on stage going nuts. We kind of fall into that role, but sometimes the results are really great.”
They hope that’s the case when they make their return to Northern Ohio, touring for the first time with a keyboard player. They also look for their melodic brand of noise punk and high-energy stage show to cover all fan bases from indie rockers to punks to social deviants and the like.
“We’ve realized how important it is to communicate things on record and stage,” Kremer said. “We’ve been all about these three and now four part harmonies over this instrument texture that’s pretty badass, especially combined with punk energy. That’s the thing that makes it great.”
Go see for yourself how great Pterodactyl is Thursday, Nov. 10 at Now That’s Class.
