Austinist Show Preview: The Pretenders at Stubb's

The Pretenders at Stubb’s
Sunday, March 1st
Stubbs (801 Red River)
$32-35, Doors at 7pm
[info] | [tickets]

The Pretenders are a bridge of a band, not only spanning turbulent decades for music and combining British and American members, but they helped to provide a cultural continuity between the malaise-ridden 70s and the teeth-gnashing drive of the 80s. While synthesizers started to take precedence in many genres, founder Chrissie Hynde and her crew proudly carried the torch for rock, the iconic image of Hynde with her Telecaster slung low almost serving as an advertisement for the instrument after Punk had given it a cardiac, almost killing it in the late 70s. Struggling forward over the next three decades, The Pretenders lineup would change due to deaths, drugs, and disagreements, their sound would evolve from the jangly post-punk-pop of the early days, but rock goddess Hynde still remains. A Rosetta Stone for that era, her distinct voice-both in timbre and topic-continuing to translate over 30 years of musical legacy into something we can revisit and appreciate, making those times new again and carrying their essence forward in the songs of musicians to come. Also, she had that really funny cameo on Friends that one time. Remember? When Phoebe got jealous? Oh, Phoebe.

American Bang Opens.

[The Pretenders Official][Myspace]
[American Bang Official][Myspace]

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By joshuahuck in Arts & Entertainment on February 27, 2009 3:10 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

joshronsen

Wait: exactly what are you trying to say: Punk "almost killed" the guitar in general in the late '70s? How so? Do you perhaps mean Disco almost killed the guitar? That's been said before. But Punk? There aren't too many punk bands not firmly based on the guitar. I can't think of any off the top of my head that weren't. And despite my liking of those first Pretenders albums, you will have to provide some proof that they somehow revived the guitar or made it cool to play the guitar again.

joshuahuck

From one Josh to another:

Perhaps if you re-read that passage you'll glean that I was referring to the guitar in general, not specifically Telecasters. Not to mention the angst many people felt at that time regarding the approaching 80s...I don't think it's any secret that the Tele is one of the coolest and most enduring instruments of all-time.

Regardless, thanks for reading!

joshronsen

...the iconic image of Hynde with her Telecaster slung low almost serving as an advertisement for the instrument after Punk had given it a cardiac, almost killing it in the late 70s.

How can you write this? Just picking the year 1980, Pete Townsend, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Page, Mick Jones (the Clash), Keith Richards and Brian May were some of the few rock people using Telecasters in that year (to say nothing of the country world). If Telecaster/Fender sales dropped in the late '70s, I would sooner blame CBS ownership than "Punk."