Band of the Week: The Pining

Harmonies swell and surround you, clinging to the air like moisture to the outside of a cold glass in a sweltering basement room. Feet stomp and plastic picks hit metal strings while fiddle and electric guitar manoeuvre through songs like a seasoned waitress in a crowded bar. This is The Pining: five (sometimes six) ladies singing and dancing their way through some of the most joyously bittersweet songs this side of the 49th parallel.

It’s a sad truth that this band’s collective gender so frequently plays into descriptions of what they are, when the simple fact is that the music they make is so finely crafted, so intuitive, that it almost transcends space and time. These songs could come from anywhere, any-when. We caught up with the band’s drummer, Dani Nash, to discuss music old and new and to see where the group is headed next.

Could you talk a bit about how the band got together?
I came into the band a little later than the other girls. They were playing shows at the Horseshoe, The Dakota and other venues, opening up for acts like The Sadies and Doug Paisley. A couple of their gigs required a drummer so they hired me and asked me to join the band. I gladly did.

Was it hard coming into the fold later than the rest of the band?
It wasn’t hard at all. The girls in the band were my friends before I joined and we all get along really well. The songs are catchy and melodic so that also made it easy for me to jump right in. 

A lot of attention has been paid to the fact that you’re an all-girl country band. Do you worry that it takes away from the music at all or was that sort of the point from the beginning?
I think people in the music industry like to press on the fact that we are all girls and we play country/folk music. It has been done before countless times — look at acts like Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt or The Judds. It does get old talking about it but we also understand that it fascinates people for some reason, the fact that we are all women and we are all musically talented. No matter how much we try to steer clear from generalizations it is hard to avoid. We aren’t concerned that it takes away from the music because the music is good, and crosses over many genres.

Could you describe your music for anyone who hasn’t heard you?
I always say, think of Trio — Emmy, Dolly, Linda — and add a little Lucinda Williams for edge. We play melodic folk songs of love, loss, pain and truth in the style of country.

It’s been said there’s a “confessional” element to your songs, but the songs are also really fun and danceable. Is it hard to balance those two sides?
Not at all. I absolutely love country pickin’ dance music. I think when I write I admit truths about myself and it makes the songs bold and barring, but on the other hand they are playful, fun and always keep a heavy blues beat. I think my writing reflects the sound of my music. All hot fun and fancy. 

It seems like people are being drawn more and more to the old songs and the old style of playing. What do you think it is about this music that makes it resonate with people still?
Country music and old style music is truth. It doesn’t lie and it is consistent. I like that about this type of music. It reflects life. I think the Toronto music scene has been riding the alternative country train for a while and it is in my opinion the most thriving music scene in Canada. And the reason for that being, country music makes you feel good. And who doesn’t like to feel good?

What’s coming up next for the band?
We’ve applied for several festivals throughout the country and are working on new material at the moment. We do have a couple gigs coming up but dates are TBA.

THE PINING – She's Gone from The Pining on Vimeo.

The Pining are:

Tara Azzopardi – Bass/Vocals
Emma Moss Brender – Guitar/Vocals
Julie Faught – Guitar/Vocals
Kaili Glennon – Vocals
Dani Nash – Snare/Vocals/Spoons
Mika Posen – Violin/Fiddle

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