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2011 RFT Music Awards Winners Best Pop Band: Tight Pants Syndrome

A A A Comments (3) By Roy Kasten Thursday, Jun 23 2011

Sounds Like: Pure power pop should sparkle and shine, and the band, led by singers Brian McClelland and Jenn Malzone and guitarist and songwriter (and original founder) Tom Stephens, did its best to do just that. When the musicians collectively jangle, they do so like a single chrome-plated tambourine; when they get fuzzy, they sound like a Bakelight AM radio playing the summer hits; when they harmonize, they make the world go away. The band can be clever and coy, but it's always musical, especially when Stephens dashes off a surprising, concise guitar solo or McClelland and Malzone lock in harmonies. Over the years the band has weathered numerous lineup changes; its pop core remains irresistible.

Kelly Hogan

Tight Pants Syndrome.

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Recommended If You Like: The New Pornographers, Sloan and Big Star

Instrumentation: Electric guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and harmony vocals

Crowd Response: Tight Pants Syndrome deserved a better environment than a stage in the window at the front of the Dubliner. Chicks with breasts as fake as their IDs streamed through the door and barely stopped talking on cell phones to take a breath. The crowd that had come to rock was held rapt, urging the band on through the set with applause that, warm as it was, couldn't overcome the din of chatter through the rest of the club. And the band handled the less than ideal environment with good humor and professionalism.

Formed: 2004

Influences: The Beatles, the Raspberries, Paul McCartney and Wings, ELO

If you could only take one album on a road trip, what would it be and why? "Probably Sparks' Kimono My House, because it's so over the top and tuneful," says Stephens.

"The Zombies' Odessey and Oracle, because it regularly makes my weep. And who doesn't love a long road trip with a crybaby?" says McClelland.

Next St. Louis Show: July 8 at the Warehouse

Click here to return to the complete list of 2011 RFT Music Awards winners.

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Anon2 07/01/2011 12:04:00 PM

Hey, you two, get a room!

anonymous 06/27/2011 7:56:00 PM

what exactly did tight pants syndrome deserve? given the dubliner's lineup that night (theodore / troubidor dali / the breaks / magic city ...et al) it is clear that organizer's felt it was the best suited venue for the larger draws once the outside stage shut down. the inside "main stage" if you will. having seen all the dubliner performances except theodore, no one's performance suffered from the lack of crowd participation even in a city notorious for disinterested crowds. troubidor dali in fact won over nearly everyone in the club. the truth is that even karate bikini (a band that shares membership with tps) turned in a much better set. sometimes bands don't play well, tps had an off night, not even a terribly off night at that, just lack luster compared to the their normal level and to the other bands. i don't even intend to fault tps, but given that this is what i saw that evening, it is no shock for me to see that this inane, sexist, pile of misdirected invective comes from none other than roy kasten. kasten sees fit to trash the only wash ave venue that regularly has live rock music (or even regular live music aside from lola and side bar) and blame it and its patrons for a poor performance from one of his favorite bands. everyone else (including karate bikini!) played well if not exceptionally well in the same environs to the point where one would have left feeling exceedingly optimistic about stl music. not only is it the only negative review of the group, even people who don't know who roy is can see straight through this, albeit highly characteristic, professionally irresponsible and embarrassing review. those who do know who roy is and have read and interacted with him can see this is just another step in his public displays of misplaced personal anger. a man who routinely takes personal vendettas of imagined wrong doing to personally hurtful and professionally damaging levels, abusing his position in the local music community on a regular basis. really i'm sure roy just wishes he was on the other end of the cell phone with the fake breasted underage girls (also to suggest a venue would allow underage drinking!). perhaps it is time for roy to be put on sabbatical until he can address his personal problems and not foist them on the city at large under the guise of cultural criticism. stl deserves better than roy kasten.

Anonymous 06/22/2011 3:09:00 PM

"Chicks with breasts as fake as their IDs streamed through the door and barely stopped talking on cell phones to take a breath." Is the rampant sexism here really necessary??