PB Army, The Bio

With the release of Spine For the Snapback, their second album, Ohio rock devotees The PB Army are dispensing with the rules and regulations of the underground scene. The 12 new songs on the record are as kinetic and diverse as the three players' CD collections, unpredictably veering from stoner rock to huge power pop hooks to grinding, sardonic doom to nasty, thrashed-out black metal chaos (no, really - just for part of one song, but still). With a new lease on life and a re-energized sense of fun, the 'Army has created their watershed album.

The PB Army formed in early 2001, when Micah Shimborske and Keith Bergman (ex-Chicken Dog) re-entered the rock game after a few years' hiatus from making music. The two snagged Mahlon Orrin (ex-Koufax, Next2Nothing, Black Dahlia Murder) that fall, and recorded their debut CD, the charmingly-titled Inebriates, Equivocators, and Mockers of the Devil Himself, in 2002.

Inebriates garnered worldwide praise upon its January, 2003 release. Metal Edge called it "one of the discoveries of the year," while Rock and a Hard Place enthused "there's so many influences here that you simply cannot put a label on the band.... I really hope this is the future of rock." Live4Metal.com perhaps summed it up best: "it's nothing fancy, it just rocks like a sonofabitch!"

The PB Army racked up over 100 shows in support of Inebriates, playing alongside the likes of Clutch, Leadfoot, Spirit Caravan, Jucifer, The Liars, Alabama Thunderpussy, Heroine Sheiks, Halfway To Gone, Five Horse Johnson, and Lamont. The band also booked two short DIY tours of the midwest and south.

Recording had already commenced for Spine For the Snapback in January 2004 when the band was dealt a sudden shock. Bergman suffered an aortic aneurysm, and underwent emergency open-heart surgery, with a sketchy chance of survival. Thankfully, the surgery was a success, and after several months' convalescence, The PB Army triumphantly returned to the stage in June, a little shellshocked, but wiser and more appreciative of the chance to rock.

With their energetic stage show (made all the more unexpected by the "singing drummer" and lack of frontman) and memorable songs, anticipation has been mounting for Spine For the Snapback. The album is definitely worth the wait. From straight-ahead, caffeinated ravers like "Trouble In the Woodshed" and "Ashtabula" to the pure pop sweetness of "Moderation"... from the wild-eyed chaos of "Viva Los Alamos" and "Bringing a Knife to the Gunfight" to classic rock anthems-to-be like "Dying On the Starting Line" and "Saint Atomic Pentagram"... all twelve songs are unique, tied together by Shimborske's quirky, authoritative riffing, Bergman's idiosyncratic singing, and Orrin and Bergman's hammering rhythms. The band never indulge in noodling for its own sake, or let the energy level subside for a second, making Spine For the Snapback an exhilarating listen amid a sea of one-trick ponies and scene-conscious, blueprint-following pretenders.

Not many bands skid to the edge of the abyss and get a chance to "snap back." The PB Army have rebounded in fine style, and in the process, have cemented their status as cult favorites, and a band to watch now and in the coming years.

And yes, they will still play your backyard for sandwiches and beer. Just call 'em, will ya?