#mike pace

[imkeepinit]

Movie poster by Mike Pace for the 1993 Gramercy Pictures motion picture Dazed and Confused.

[meuponmyponyonmyboat]

That Wolfgang Puck Sound

Mike Pace explains Spago Rock

[skullofjoy]

Mike Pace - Skeletal Yoga (Tip toe forward fold) -  2012

[indierocktv]

Lets Chat! with Revill and Friends Ep 104 Mike Pace of by The Misfits Network Mike Pace is a musician from indie rock band Oxford Collapse and his solo project Mike Pace and the child actors. Mike is also the co-host of the podcast and web series Worst Gig Ever. Mike chats about his experience of making Worst Gig Ever, how his musical taste has evolved, being part of a music scene, our love of comedy, his solo project, and much more.

[slobbering]

Mike Pace Illustration

[beginningspod]

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It's time for Beginnings, the podcast where writer and performer Andy Beckerman talks to the comedians, writers, filmmakers and musicians he admires about their earliest creative experiences and the numerous ways in which a creative life can unfold.

On today's show, I talk to musician Mike Pace. A Long Island native, Mike was a member of the popular indie rock band Oxford Collapse, who were together from 2002 to 2009. They released four albums: two on Kanine and two on Sub Pop. Mike also co-hosted the awesome podcast Worst Gig Ever, which ran for 100 episodes as well as seven episodes on Official Comedy's YouTube channel. On January 13th, Self-Starter Foundation will release Mike's first solo album Best Boy, which he recorded under the name Mike Pace and the Child Actors.

Back in December, Mike came over to the Beginnings studio to talk about interviewing your friends, Superchunk puns, serious indie rock, the farm, "the promise of the West", being a landowner, pining for an undiscovered country, romanticism & traditionalism, having your identity wrapped up in your artistic projects, and peaking early.

Also! In the second half of the episode, I talk to my friend Geoff Garlock. Geoff is a teacher at UCB, a writer on their monthly show Night Late, and he used to co-host Worst Gig Ever with Mike, so I thought he'd be the perfect person to talk to in this episode. Since I got to be friends with both Geoff and Mike after being on WGE, I thought it would be interesting to talk about adult friendships. Spoiler alert: it is interesting!

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[vsmallflames]

Mike Pace and the Child Actors - Best Boy

Imagine a montage of a gathering crowd. Everyone is walking in the same direction on a bright morning. People are laughing and people are joking and people are carrying their kids on their shoulders. Bus drivers are waving. Maybe some birds fly past. The crowd grows and grows and the sense of community and excitement weave together like at the end of Ghostbusters II. Then the familar vocals declare a new dawn: "Sundrenched sunrise, light floods in my eyes."

If all this talk of unfulfilled dreams has you expecting a dour album then think again. Listen to ‘Summer Lawns’ and tell me that it’s anything other than joyous? Even with lines like “And we drive on highways past abandoned stores stocking things we always wanted but could not afford." Tracks like ‘Summer Lawns’ and ‘Cold Calling’ typify the generally straight-up and sincere attitude Pace employs, an all-so-American blend of joy, hope and disillusionment. 'The King of Corona' is a pop song in the best sense, a catchy chorus, slight melodrama, a sprinkling of 90s cheese, but it still manages to confront expectation, disappointment, loneliness etc. in an interesting and nuanced way. Similarly, 'Kiss & Fly' goes for the stadium electro-rock feel, channelling Springsteen and Simon, without losing sight of the important stuff: “’Someday soon we’ll be alright,’ he said with conviction while locked out from the inside.” 

Best Boy is for the children of the 80s and 90s, reminiscing about the age where entertainment exploded, where VHS tapes and cable TV transformed us into constant consumers. Of course, as consumers we were sold promises, told we merely needed x, y and z to be happy and successful and pretty and popular. It's kind of ironic that a time built on visions of the future is now seen as a utopia locked in the past. Pace gets at this feeling by writing feel-good songs tinged with longing, nothing too sad or serious (80s/90s kids don't take ourselves too seriously), nor a Father John Misty-style ironic assault. Instead, Best Boy is a wistful celebration of what we had and presents some convincing reasons for why we feel the way we do.

The album is being released on the 13th January. Check out the official site for more information. Stream the album over at Stereogum and watch the video for 'Fire Sale' below.

[andybeckerman]

Oh man, I'm so excited for this: the video I wrote and directed for Mike Pace and the Child Actors debuted on Brooklyn Vegan today. It's for one of my favorite songs on the album, and it stars my friend Geoff, as well as Naomi and a bunch of pals.