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Pedro The Lion

David Bazan's long-running project Pedro the Lion bridges slowcore and emo with a deeply introspective strain of melodic guitar rock. A frequently rotating lineup supported Bazan's steadfast leadership, carrying the Seattle-based band from their D.I.Y. lo-fi roots to more widespread success via seminal albums like 1998's It's Hard to Find a Friend and 2002's Control. Bazan's songwriting explored a range of themes, from moody personal reflections and political discourse to his ongoing struggle with his Christian faith. Following 2004's Achilles Heel, Pedro the Lion disbanded for 15 years as its leader embarked on a solo career. The group returned in 2019 with the comeback album Phoenix, which kicked off a fertile late-period run with thematic albums like 2022's Havasu and 2024's Santa Cruz, each one examining a different period of Bazan's early life. Bazan initially formed Pedro the Lion in 1995 while attending Northwest University, a small Pentecostal liberal arts school in Kirkland, Washington. Cycling through numerous different iterations in its first few years, Bazan eventually struck a deal with Christian-oriented indie Tooth & Nail to release the band's first EP, Whole, in 1997. A new label, Made in Mexico, was launched by a former Tooth & Nail publicist, which released the band's 1998 debut album, It's Hard to Find a Friend, on which Bazan played nearly every instrument. The album earned critical acclaim from mainstream outlets, exposing Pedro the Lion's deeply introspective mix of lo-fi slowcore and emo-tinged indie rock to a wider national audience beyond the Christian youth-group crowd that had until then formed a significant portion of their fan base. Following 1999's The Only Reason I Feel Secure EP, Bazan signed with the Jade Tree label and released Winners Never Quit in 2000, again writing, recording, and performing all of the band's parts himself. Another EP, Progress, appeared that same year via the Suicide Squeeze label as Bazan continued to tour with constantly rotating lineups and widen his fan base. Control, Pedro the Lion's third LP, was a concept album about a businessman having an extramarital affair. Arriving in 2002, it sold better than any of their previous releases, though Bazan's increasingly secular themes continued to frustrate a number of his early followers. Around this time, a former touring bandmate, T.W. Walsh became more heavily involved in the writing and recording process and moved to Seattle to join Pedro the Lion as a full-time member. Bazan, Walsh, James McAlister, and another frequent tourmate, Casey Foubert, all pitched in to record 2004's Achilles Heel, marking a more collaborative effort that also made inroads on both the Heatseekers and Top Independent Albums charts. It would also prove to be the band's last album for 15 years. Bazan and Walsh maintained their collaboration even as Pedro the Lion began to fracture as a project -- the two musicians recorded a 2005 side project as Headphones. At the end of that year, Pedro the Lion played their final show and Bazan announced the band's demise in early 2006. The following decade saw numerous solo releases from Bazan as well as his involvement in groups like the Undertow Orchestra, Crystal Skulls, Overseas, the Soft Drugs, and Lo Tom. In the summer of 2018, Bazan felt inspired to revive Pedro the Lion and put together a new lineup featuring himself on bass and vocals, along with guitarist Erik Walters and drummer Sean Lane. Working with producer Andy Park in Seattle, the trio recorded Phoenix, the first album to bear the Pedro the Lion moniker in 15 years. It was released in January 2019 by the Polyvinyl label. The band's late-period revival continued in 2022 with Havasu, an album that explored Bazan's conflicted relationship with Arizona's Lake Havasu, where he spent part of his youth. This examination of place carried through to their next album as well. Released in 2024, Santa Cruz covered in poignant detail Bazan's crucial teenage years in California.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo
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