East Village band
Pinc Louds rocking
neighborhood with
one-of-a-kind sounds
Claudi performing solo at The Front in September.
TBY BOB KRASNER hrow Billie Holiday, Iggy and the
Stooges, Latin salsa, 50’s harmony
groups, Sam Raimi cinema, 1920’s
jazz, rat puppets and a kalimba into a
blender and you might get something
resembling Pinc Louds, the somewhat
unclassifi able musical project of its lead
singer/songwriter Claudi (not their given
name, but we’re not going to divulge that
information).
The band has been the East Village hit
of the summer, performing marathon sets
all over the neighborhood and attracting
more fans with each gig.
We’re going to label it “Vaudeville
Punk,” but perhaps that inadequately
describes a man in a wig and a dress with
a voice that recalls Miss Holiday, bashing
out a version of “My Baby Just Cares For
Me” that sounds like the Violent Femmes
on speed, while dancers attired in garbage
bags and a set of oversized teeth run
through the crowd.
After busking in the subway and then
achieving success in various NYC clubs
– fi lling Joe’s Pub and Le Poisson Rouge,
among others, performing elaborate shows
that sometimes became surreal musicals –
the COVID lockdown forced Claudi and
company outdoors, which has not necessarily
been the worst consequence of the
pandemic for them.
“I always wanted to perform in the
street,” they explain. “I was part of a political
theatre group in Puerto Rico , where I
grew up … I always felt that the best way to
do art is to do it on the street, where you’re
not preaching to the choir.”
Pinc Louds performing in September at
the Abrons Art Center. L-R: Marc Mosterin
( bass) , Meena Ysanne ( violin ) , Claudi (
lead vocals, guitar, mbira) and Raimundo
Atal (drums).Photo by Bob Krasner
Claudi began their musical career at
seven years old playing violin, later teaching
their self guitar and piano and began
writing songs at fi fteen. Although they
grew up in a musical family, with a dad
who played bass and a sister who sang
jazz, their infl uences suddenly widened
considerably when, at nineteen, they got
their fi rst computer.
“All of a sudden I had access to all
sorts of music – harmony groups, punk,
Al Bowlly, the Pixies, Ismael Rivera — it
didn’t stop,” they recalled.
Another infl uence that affected Claudi’s
future was less musical but just as profound.
New York City cartoonist/writer
Mark Alan Stamaty’s classic children’s
book “Who Needs Donuts?” had become
a favorite, prompting them to dream of
coming to New York and accomplishing
that goal in 2014.
Pinc Louds was born after a breakup,
which left Claudi “needing to reinvent
myself.” They explain that the previous
musical project was “much more tame.”
“I began to spend hours jamming with
a friend and I found myself singing in a
new voice, nothing like my own. That voice
began to write the lyrics.” Feeling the necessity
Claudi at home
” to go completely into the madness
that was happening, I needed to externalize
it in a physical way, to look like a different
person,” they add.
Putting on an old robe and a wig that
dated back to their theatre days, Claudi
found that “everything came together in a
couple of weeks.” They found the musicians
that became the fi rst band while performing
at a Day of the Dead party and at least
one woman gifted a dress that they still
perform in.
“It was an easy, magical process,” they
muse. “I don’t consider myself a musician
– I’m a creator. I really don’t know what
I’m doing and I’m reticent to learn. I don’t
know what the rules of songwriting are —
it’s wonderful when you catch something
and you don’t know where it came from.”
PHOTOS BY BOB KRASNER
As for their look, Claudi notes that “the
main thing is to look different from my
other self. I fi nd it very liberating. I like
the androgynous aspect, but I don’t shave
my legs.”
“I have a very strong feminine side and
sometimes I feel very sweet and vulnerable
as Claudi,” they explain. “But I also
get more aggressive in the dress – there’s a
certain violence in Pinc Louds.”
The Pinc Louds repertoire is expanding
and getting more diverse all the time. While
they do about 85% originals, with titles
such as “Last Chance at Love,” “Roaches,”
and “My Teeth,” they have been having fun
with more covers and are emphasizing the
rhythm more as dancing has become more
important in the shows.
“I want everyone to have a good time,”
Claudi points out, adding, “our mission is
to bring everyone together, have fun and
dance!”
Besides the upcoming release of two
projects – an EP of Spanish songs and a
second full length CD – Claudi is looking
forward to something big.
“I want to NYC to have a scene again —
something beautiful and weird and bigger
than myself,” Claudi says. “I want to see
something good come out of the pandemic.
We have a very diverse audience and that’s
why I moved to New York – to be surrounded
by the world.”
Claudi, who sometimes refers to their
performing persona as “that creature,”
thinks of Pinc Louds as “an imaginary
band – like when you’re eight years old and
everything is possible. We’re a band that
doesn’t believe in limitations.”
Pinc Louds music is available on Bandcamp.
com, merchandise such as CD’s,
T-shirts and pins are sold at all shows and
there are many videos on Youtube. Up to
date info on all shows (and a livestream
for the G Claudi performs ap) is on Instagram @pinclouds.
12 October 29, 2020 Schneps Media