Pezband

Originating from Illinois like Cheap Trick, the Pezband operated as a power pop band whose hook-driven hard rock was elevated by sweet multi-part harmonies, resulting in work that was consistently solid and at moments exceptional. Fronted by Mimi Betinis, a male singer whose robust voice carried a distinct blues inflection, and guitarist Tommy Gawenda, whose rampaging style echoed Jeff Beck, the group issued its debut album in 1977. That record proved neither as intense nor as heavy as Cheap Trick’s output and lacked the wild energy displayed by other Illinois acts. The situation improved markedly on the follow-up, Laughing in the Dark, which featured numerous strong-to-outstanding songs, benefited from first-rate production by Jesse Hood Jackson, and steered clear of the smug calculation then overtaking many American power pop bands. Substantial commercial response never arrived, even though the band enjoyed support from outlets such as most of the Trouser Press editorial staff. Power pop and hard rock originating in Illinois stayed firmly under Cheap Trick’s dominance, consigning acts like the Pezband to reduced coverage. Further limiting their profile, no later album matched the caliber of Laughing in the Dark, and studio efforts never restored the excitement or chaotic energy of the band’s live performances, which were captured on the EPs Too Old, Too Soon and Thirty Seconds Over Schaumburg. The balance of their recorded work therefore remains competent while only suggesting the group’s fuller abilities. This outcome was regrettable, given how unpretentious and likable the members were. By the early 1980s the Pezband had largely receded from the music scene, yet a Chicago-based independent label brought out outtakes and other unreleased material in 1994.