Pinnacle and the Antidote: the sickness and the cure

Don’t come to a Pinnacle and the Antidote show if you’re not ready to get your mind blown. Seriously – if all you’re looking for is some band to play in the background while you sweet talk that cute girl at the bar, you’ll be catching that taxi home by yourself. It’s usually an exaggeration to say the entire place is watching the band – this time around, all eyes face front and most heads bob in time. With lyrics such “I’m a negro wit’ an ego the size of Danny Devito” and “I make a great Kool Aid / but you gon’ hate my punch”, Pinnacle is proof that clever lyrics trump expletives every time.

The Pinnacle and the Antidote recipe sounds messy: a cup of hip-hop, a cup of rock, a couple spoonfuls of jazz, a tablespoon of funk, and a dash of blues. Add instruments and mix. It isn’t until you hear the tunes for yourself that a small smile begins to form and you begin nodding your head. You might recognize a couple covers – “Show me what you got” by Jay-Z and “Let me clear my throat” by DJ Kool sometimes make their way onto the set list. Whatever they play, the quintet brings this “easily recognizable but not easily categorized” mix together in a way rock fans, rap fans, and hip-hop fans can all get into.

Since winning the Stompers Battle of the Bands, the band has been on a hiatus – “during the winter, a couple of our members left the country to visit home,” Pinnacle explained. You’ll be seeing them get back up to speed this month – between performing and working on their first EP, March may be one of their busiest months yet. Regarding that first EP, Pinnacle said “the songs will span the gamut of hard rocking to dance-able to just plain fun; and all of them are intertwined in hip hop. This project is quite simply, strictly for the fans.” A few songs will already be familiar to fans, of course – “Love you back”, “The Antidote”, and “Lights, Camera, Action” are three of their most polished numbers, though I really hope “No Underwear” makes it on there as well.

Pinnacle may jump around while wearing a patterned vest, dress shirt, and Cincinnati Reds cap – but he’s not alone on the stage. Ph.D. J.Rog handles the bass better than most, although his first instrument is still the guitar; Alex from the Kiwi land started drumming 9 years ago and hasn’t stopped; Kurtis Van brings 25 years of whammy-bars and guitar experience to wow the audience. The combined experience makes for some exceptional instrumentalists. Kurtis’s solos alone might make Slash bow down and hang up his guitar. These aren’t just a random group of folks who like to play; they take their music seriously, and it shows. Depending on the night, Kurtis Van Guitar might steal the show, or perhaps Bekah turns on the charm from behind the keyboard to get the crowd going.

Having won the Battle of the Bands, I asked Pinnacle how other bands could improve their show. Here it is, straight from the horse’s mouth: “[Number one] Get tight on your music – if you or your band cannot move a crowd, then you should not be playing.  [Number two] Make connections – it IS about what you know AND who you know out here. If you’ve completed point #1, then point #2 will help you to spread your voice and move your music. [Number three] You don’t become a superstar by acting like one – love, cherish and appreciate every fan you get. People will not support you if they don’t respect you as a person first.”

If you’re not hearing him in-person, Pinnacle co-hosts “The Weekend Chart” a radio show on TBS eFM that airs every Saturday and Sunday from 6-8pm. Pinnacle was careful to say that “I don’t want to use TBS as a spring board to push my musical agenda, especially since I haven’t completely established myself as a successful radio host yet (as least in my mind).” Either way, watch out for this rising band heading to a bar or club near you.

No March shows were announced by deadline, but the band is easy to find on the internet. Find them on Facebook (search: Pinnacle and the Antidote), their new site (pinnaclethehustler.com/pna/), or a number of videos from past performances on Youtube. A number of songs are also on soundcloud.com/pna.

A version of this article is published in the March 2011 issue of the Groove Magazine. Photos in this post were borrowed from Pinnacle and the Antidote’s Facebook page, and are different from the printed article.

Creative Commons License © Chris Backe – 2011

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