Pinc Louds is the most inventive and the most happening band to come out of New York City is nearly 20 years. The trio, comprised of Claudi on vocals, guitar, and kalimba, Marc “Monster” Mosteirin on bass, and Rai Mundo on drums, is on the verge of becoming a huge band.
After five years chasing a promising but unfulfilled break by playing Sidewalk, the Bitter End, and other local music clubs, Pinc Louds initially began gaining its loyal following by busking regularly at the Delancey Street subway station. Then the pandemic hit in March 2020 and the live music circuit evaporated in a flash. Pinc Louds was one of the first rock bands to come out of hibernation by playing free shows without a permit in Tompkins Square Park starting in June 2020. At first, this venture was an experiment during a time when there was no place for a rock band to play legally. Each time the band played, however, the joyously cheering and dancing crowds grew larger and larger. Often, costumed actors and dancers would join in some of the songs. The concerts would last as long as six hours and, several times, the authorities came by and mandated that the band leave the park. Nevertheless, local residents seemingly were unanimous in claiming that Pinc Louds single-handedly “saved the summer” of 2020. Finally, winter weather put Pinc Louds concerts on hold, and wood-shedding for the creation of new songs occupied the band’s agenda. Pinc Louds returned to Tompkins Square Park on March 27 for its long-awaited 2021 debut on the informal “stage” that decades ago housed the park’s band shell. Again, hordes of fans came to support.
For its triumphant return to Tompkins Square Park, Pinc Louds performed its older catalogue plus a plethora of new pandemic-era songs that will be on a forthcoming album. Claudi, who answers to male, female and plural pronouns, crooned in a high register on softer songs and growled on the high-octane songs. Mosteirin, who previously played an acoustic bass guitar, introduced a standard electric bass for the first time in order to get a cleaner, thicker sound. Mundo crashed his arms and sticks into his drum kit. Thoroughly indie, the songs frequently did not follow traditional patterns, creatively balancing quirky arrangements with zooming energy. Spontaneous mosh pits erupted a few times. After Pinc Louds’ second set, the band invited Dirty Circuit, another popular park band, to perform, and soon the police arrived to shut down the guerilla concert. Undaunted, Pinc Louds continues to announce its upcoming concerts via social media.
