Piebald Says Goodbye

By Jan Rosenfeld

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I can't explain my emotional connection with Piebald. Say what you will about post-rock-punk-pop baloney, but to know Piebald was to love them. Back before I had a learner's permit I would blade down to the post office with my Discman and play Grace Kelly With Wings until the sun went down. They shaped not only my musical sense but my sense of humor. I told Piebald jokes. I used Piebald slang. After a 15-odd-year career culminating in a final, epic two-night performance at The Middle East this weekend, the band still has a huge smile on their faces—and so did every screaming, singing fan going absolutely fucking nuts for 29 songs that lasted over two hours.

You know that feeling of a crowd all pushing in one direction, like a tidal wave of human bodies pulsating with supernatural energy? From the first guitar notes of "King of the Road," the entire night was like that. It really wasn't ever just Travis Shettel singing the songs, it was everybody in the club singing. The first half of the set was all about power, with songs like "Long Nights" and "Mess with the Bulls" creating a veritable earthquake through the audience. The band took a sonic break for a solo version of "Rock Revolution" (following a super feel-good marriage proposal) but then turned it back up for "Dirty Harry and the Thunderbolts" and, of course, "Grace Kelly." The encore was really more like a second concert, adding seven fan favorites to the set and rounding out the evening with the unforgettable "American Hearts." The crowd was totally out-of-control by that point, a blur of crowd surfers and fist pumpers, not missing a syllable. "That was the loudest I will ever sing," explained veteran fan and Piebald aficionado Joey Sulkowski. "At least I hope it is. For my sake."

The void left by Piebald is huge. Sure, we'll try to fill it with dance-pop, crappy punk bands, and one-hit wonders. We'll try and recreate that indescribable togetherness that Piebald made for us, but I don't know how it's going to happen. Piebald was a movement all its own, and I hope that they're remembered that way.

We weren't all just fans. We were friends.

[Footage of Piebald's final performance can be found all over YouTube.com. Their latest release, Accidental Gentlemen, was released January 2007 on Side One Dummy records. sideonesummy.com/piebald. More info at myspace.com/piebald]