Pensive
San Diego, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
“WOW! I’m stunned, in a decidedly positive manner! These guys are ready for primetime.”
Jason Evangelho, InsomniaRadio.net
“This is a fantastic mix of melodic rock and profound pop! Artifacts sets the standard for how quality rock should sound. The entire album is packed with great songs that show the talent and potential that is Pensive. I really can’t get enough of Artifacts or the Live Fast video!”
Andres Martinez, GreenDayAuthority.com
“There's nothing pensive about these four young pop punk rockers. From the day their garage rehearsals began luring neighborhood kids to gather and gawk in their driveway, they've pumped a high-octane blend of sharp hooks, smart lyrics, and edgy melodies through a rhythm engine that's become one of the hottest on the US touring circuit.” No Cover Magazine
“All it would take for Pensive to get huge is for one of these songs to get some radio play, and who knows what might happen next.” Splendid Magazine
“Expect MTV to come knocking sometime soon.” Kerrang Magazine
“Pensive is making Urban Network history as the first rock band ever to be featured in the 21 years of the magazine. It makes sense to step outside of the ‘urban’ box … Pensive has all the makings of a band on the verge of superstardom.” Urban Network Magazine
"I still say Pop Punk is dead! And this ain't Pop Punk! It's more like Power Pop which is totally different! These guys rock and will leave you wanting more after every show! Do yourself a favor and take the time to watch, listen, and learn!" Tim Pyles, The Local 94/9, San Diego CA
“Very cool band. Pensive takes you on an exhilarating ride full of lots of lock and load changes that never let up and stay with you long after the last note has been played. In today's crowded market of cookie-cutter, modern rock bands, Pensive is a breath of fresh air.”
Paul Sacksman, VP of Programming, Listenerstation.com
“This album has good hooks and pretty strong production values. These are the types of songs radio generally looks for.” Don Parker, National Radio Programming Consultant
“This band ROCKS. Pensive is great for Alternative radio and you can eventually cross them to Top 40 too. Like the energy and momentum . . . . Joel Denver, President, All Access Music Group
- About PENSIVE
Discography
Released October 6, 2009: Artifacts Special Edition Exclusive Digital Release, Distributed by Fontana/Unviersal
with songs LIVE FAST, RED LETTER DAY, FORSAKEN remixed by David Bendeth (Paramore, All Time Low, Mayday Parade)
and two bonus tracks including the Spanish language song “Soledad.”
Released September 4, 2007: Artifacts
Produced by Will Salazar
(frontman, songwriter Fenix TX)
Engineered and Mixed by Joe Marlett
Mastered by Tom Baker
“Live Fast” Music Video Directed by award winning film student Drew Renaud now at The Vault LA in VIDEO or at youtube.com/pensive
Spring 2008 “Live Fast” and “Red Letter Day” featured on the Platform One/SonicBids “Spring Surge” College Invasion Compilation CD
Spring 2008 “Live Fast” target single to Commercial Modern Rock Specialty Radio
Reached National SubModern Chart Position #14
Fall 2007 “Live Fast” added on more than 200 college radio stations
Released in 2006
"Yesterday Fades Away" (Single)
Produced by Gavin MacKillop (MXPX Panic; Sugarcult Palm Trees and Power Lines)
Featured "in the limelight" on ListenerStation.com
July 2007 San Diego Soundscapes compilation from Insomnia Radio & San Diego Visitors Bureau showcasing the best music of San Diego
January 2007 Featured on No Cover Magazine compilation Groupies Suck Vol. 9
2006 Nominated for Best Song by Out of County Band at the Orange County Music Awards
January 2006 Selected for Shut Eye Records Buzzlighter 11 college radio compilation
Released in October 2003
Something About the Stars EP
Summer 2003 Featured song "The 3rd of July" was #1 on the Classic MP3.com world wide Pop Punk Chart for 76 consecutive days during the summer of 2003
Spring 2004 Something About the Stars released in Japan by Big Mouth Records, with 4000+ sales in 60 days, the only unsigned band ever licensed by Big Mouth Records
Spring 2005 "The 3rd of July" added on more than 200 college radio stations
Spring 2005 "The 3rd of July" featured on CMJ New Music & On Air samplers
Spring 2005 "The 3rd of July" featured on Drive Thru Records Compilation Bands You Love, Have Heard of, and Should Know
March 2007 "The 3rd of July" featured on No Cover Magazine compilation Groupies Suck Vol. 10
Released in July 2003
A Different Shade of Green: A Tribute to Green Day featuring Pensive's cover of "Christie Road" and Weezer's cover of "Worry Rock" (Skunk Ape Records compilation)
Released in February 2003
"When The Fire Burns Brightest" (Single)
Released in 2002
Kids These Days EP
Photos
Bio
Pensive is a band that’s melancholy in name only, because there’s nothing pensive about these four young powerpop rockers. Road warriors with more than 30 states under their belts, these self-proclaimed gypsies pump a high octane blend of sharp hooks, smart lyrics, and edgy melodies through a rhythm engine that’s become one of the hottest on the national DIY touring circuit. Embracing the road to spread the word with a van and trailer is considered obsolete by many upcoming bands enamored by the ease and power of the internet to carry songs around the world instantly. But Pensive reels in the physical experience of live performances. With more than a hundred thousand touring miles spun onto the odometer, and many hundreds of venues notched on the proverbial bed post, lead guitarist Patrick Smith explains the allure. “The fans we find in all the small venues across the country, who stand at the foot of the stage, singing our songs with us, hanging out after the show in the parking lot sharing the secrets of their towns, those fans are ours for life. The night we meet for the first time is unforgettable. Yes, we Tweet the latest Pensive news, and we dig MySpace and Facebook, but a song heard there just doesn’t seep into the soul in the same way.”
And those songs the band peddles from the merch tables across America are found on the band’s full length album Artifacts. Produced by 90’s pop punk hero Will Salazar of Fenix TX, Artifacts is fantastic mix of melodic rock and profound pop, which embraces the genuinely infectious energy that makes for the lively stage performance that is the hallmark of these California boys. With a remix by super producer David Bendeth, most noted for his recent work with kingpin alt rockers Mayday Parade, All Time Low, and Paramore, the San Diego band’s single “Live Fast” reached #14 on the National Sub Modern Rock Chart, and had a successful run on hundreds of college radio stations, and is a fan favorite everywhere.
And indeed “everywhere” is exactly where you will find Pensive, even if they aren’t in a town near you. On TV? Well essentially yes, if we should start calling the internet “TV 2.0.” Pensive has self-produced an eight episode YouTube Reality Series “Pensive The Band Next Door,” giving fans an intimate, unguarded, but quite comical look at the band off stage. The Pensive YouTube Channel also collects hundreds of fan videos of Pensive performances from around the country, as well as fan produced music videos of the band’s songs, everything from a Dancing With The Stars type waltz accompanied by Pensive’s “Lost Inside Your Heart” in 6/8 time, to a sign language rendition of “Come With Me,” to an homage to the many ways they killed Kenny on South Park set to “Live Fast.”
So yes, do look for Pensive in the venue down the street, but if they aren’t there this weekend, join them online on your favorite social network now while you wait for a white van and trailer to roll your way!
Links
