Din Pedals

The Din Pedals: James Grundler (vocals, guitar); Harrison (guitar); Ben Dejong (bass); Alex Wong (drums).
Additional personnel: John Low, Tommy Coster (Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards).
Recorded from February to June, 1997.
Hailing from San Luis Obispo, the quartet the Din Pedals released their debut album in early 1998. They are one of the first, and best, examples of the influence of Radiohead on late-'90s alternative rock. Lead singer James Grundler manages to capture the vocal skittishness of Radiohead's Thom Yorke with a bit of Bono's bravado and drama thrown in with good results. Guitarist Harrison, bassist Ben Dejong, and drummer Alex Wong also manage to re-create Radiohead's sonic attack on tracks like "Ashtray" and "Kangaroo Kourt." The lyrics are a bit too self-consciously quirky as on the closing cut, "Plastic," and the line referring to "blow through the ceiling" in the same song echoes a similar line in Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees." The music is dynamic, however, and the Din Pedals are a band worth watching. They have a solid blueprint and it will be interesting to see if they can create something a bit more their own. ~ Tom Demalon