Pavement

Pavement embodied the quintessential American indie rock act of the 1990s, distilling the era’s slacker spirit within the alt-rock landscape. Removed from grunge’s turbulence, the ensemble projected a laconic, at times lackadaisical demeanor while weaving affection for subterranean U.S. rock and British post-punk, cloaking serpentine melodies in bursts of feedback and uneven grooves. Conceived initially as a studio venture between guitarists and vocalists Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg in 1989, the duo issued EPs that became cornerstones of the decade’s lo-fi aesthetic before achieving college-radio prominence with their 1992 debut full-length, Slanted & Enchanted. Once that effort attained indie acclaim, the definitive configuration—Malkmus, Kannberg, bassist Mark Ibold, percussionist Bob Nastanovich, and drummer Steve West—coalesced and surfaced on the 1994 album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Capitalizing on the ’90s alt-rock surge, the record yielded Pavement’s solitary modern-rock success via “Cut Your Hair,” yet the collective consistently gravitated toward the periphery, exploring idiosyncratic fascinations on Wowee Zowee (1995) before consolidating strands on Brighten the Corners (1997). The group disbanded following 1999’s Terror Twilight, though their profound imprint surfaced across subsequent generations of indie acts; the members later honored that heritage through archival projects and sporadic reunion performances.

Stephen Malkmus, handling vocals and guitar, had completed a history degree at the University of Virginia and returned to Stockton, California, when he and childhood companion Scott Kannberg (guitar, vocals) launched Pavement in 1989. By summer of that year the pair had already delivered their inaugural 7-inch EP, Slay Tracks: (1933-1969). Cut for eight hundred dollars at the modest Louder Than You Think facility—run by fortysomething drummer Gary Young, who performed on the disc—and issued via the duo’s own Treble Kicker imprint, the EP revealed clear affinities with the Fall, R.E.M., the Pixies, and Sonic Youth. Pressed in only a few hundred copies, it nevertheless reached pivotal underground figures, among them British DJ John Peel; credited solely to “S.M.” and “Spiral Stairs,” the release cultivated mystery through the absence of any accompanying press materials. With the 1990 arrival of Demolition Plot J-7 the musicians began shaping those influences into a distinctive voice; they signed with Drag City and incorporated Young during those sessions, though live appearances remained absent until after the 1991 EP Perfect Sound Forever.

While rehearsing for their debut concerts in 1991, Pavement recruited bassist Mark Ibold and, to stabilize Young’s fluctuating pulse, added a second drummer—Bob Nastanovich, Malkmus’s college acquaintance. This expanded roster featured on the first album, Slanted & Enchanted, yet the material was assembled solely by Malkmus and Kannberg rather than tracked collectively. Prior to its Matador release in spring 1992, the record generated intense advance acclaim; reviewers extolled it before promotional copies circulated. Initial support stemmed from critics and fellow musicians, soon extending to a broader audience. The ensuing national tour, though limited in scope, gained notoriety for its ragged execution and Young’s theatrical antics—greeting attendees at the entrance, executing handstands, distributing salads, and occasionally collapsing inebriated. Young departed in 1993; Watery, Domestic, issued that autumn, marked his final contribution. Steve West, a Nastanovich associate, assumed the drum chair, after which Drag City collected the early EPs on the 1993 compilation Westing (By Musket and Sextant).

Following Young’s exit, the ensemble’s sound gained clarity through consistent drumming and proper studio environments. Observers anticipated that Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain—the 1994 successor—would propel Pavement into wider recognition; to a degree it did, entering the U.S. charts at number 121 while “Cut Your Hair” reached the modern-rock Top Ten and secured MTV exposure. Despite glowing notices, the album chiefly enlarged their devoted following, reinforcing their underground stature. Post-release, the band recorded intermittently in 1994; Malkmus and Nastanovich also appeared on Starlite Walker, the debut album by the Silver Jews, fronted by college peer David Berman.

Pavement resurfaced with the expansive, stylistically diverse Wowee Zowee in spring 1995. Its sprawling character reaffirmed the group’s underground leadership rather than positioning them as alternative rock’s next commercial phenomenon. Mixed critical reception triggered a press backlash that persisted roughly two years, yet core supporters embraced the set. The band also joined the fifth Lollapalooza outing alongside Beck and Sonic Youth; although remunerative, the placement between main-stage headliners left them performing before smaller crowds than a second-stage headline slot might have drawn.

The Pacific Trim EP opened 1996, after which the quartet spent the remainder of the year tracking their fourth album under producer Mitch Easter. Issued early in 1997, Brighten the Corners was interpreted as a return to the more approachable Crooked Rain template; reviewers responded favorably and the album debuted at number 70 on the U.S. charts. Extensive touring followed, after which the members took a hiatus through the first half of 1998. During that summer Malkmus and Kannberg each pursued solo endeavors: Malkmus premiered new Silver Jews and Pavement compositions across two Los Angeles dates with Scarnella (Nels Cline and Carla Bozulich of the Geraldine Fibbers), while Kannberg drummed with the impromptu ’80s-cover outfit Half Five Quarter to Six at the charity event One Night Stand. Kannberg additionally founded Pray for Mojo (subsequently renamed Amazing Grease), home to the psych-pop group Oranger.

That autumn Pavement reconvened to record Terror Twilight with producer Nigel Godrich, whose meticulous approach had shaped work by Natalie Imbruglia, Beck, and Radiohead; the latter’s Jonny Greenwood contributed harmonica. Released in summer 1999, the album garnered uniformly strong notices, yet its polished sheen and exclusion of Kannberg compositions prompted perceptions of a covert Stephen Malkmus solo project. The Major Leagues EP did include Kannberg tracks cut with Gary Young at Louder Than You Think, yet failed to quiet breakup speculation that had circulated since Malkmus’s earlier solo appearances, during which he acknowledged that members’ wishes to reside outside the band might conclude its run. He formally announced the dissolution at the November 20, 1999, concert at London’s Brixton Academy, displaying handcuffs on the microphone stand to represent band membership and thanking supporters “for coming all these years.”

Matador and the group initially framed the split as a hiatus, yet by spring 2000 reports indicated both Kannberg and Malkmus were preparing solo ventures: Kannberg’s Preston School of Industry reunited him with Young, while Malkmus’s project, initially the Jicks and later Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, featured drummer John Moen (ex-Dharma Bums and Fastbacks) and bassist Joanna Bolme (formerly of the Minders). A Spin interview with Malkmus in November 2000 conclusively confirmed the breakup. Ibold, West, and Nastanovich remained active—Ibold launched a label, West recorded and toured with Marble Valley, and Nastanovich maintained the horse-racing publication Lucky Lavender. Late that year Malkmus’s debut solo album, formerly titled Swedish Reggae, was retitled Stephen Malkmus; he and the Jicks toured in spring 2001 with Elastica’s Justine Frischmann on second guitar and Nastanovich as road manager. Kannberg’s Preston School of Industry likewise began performing dates in early 2001.

Notwithstanding its ambiguous conclusion, Pavement shaped 1990s indie rock along an intelligent, unpredictable, and engaging path. In late October 2002 Matador issued an expansive reissue of Slanted & Enchanted containing thirty-six bonus tracks that encompassed a complete live set and previously obscure B-sides; the concurrent double-DVD Slow Century offered further retrospective material. Comparable expanded editions of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (2004) and Wowee Zowee (2006) followed, underscoring the band’s pioneering role. In 2009 they scheduled benefit concerts for 2010 in New York’s Central Park and the U.K., which expanded into a full reunion tour; Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement appeared the same year. Activity then subsided once more.

Pavement resumed archival efforts in 2015 with Secret History, Vol. 1, which transferred rarities from the 2002 Slanted & Enchanted [Luxe & Reduxe] edition to vinyl. A planned 2020 reunion tour was canceled owing to the COVID-19 pandemic; the members finally returned to the road in 2022, coinciding with an expanded Terror Twilight subtitled Farewell Horizontal. Following Gary Young’s death in August 2023, the surviving members issued tributes to their founding drummer.