With surprise tour, Slint alive and well

Spencer Patterson

Friday, March 11, 2005 | 8:37 a.m.

I never really considered the possibility I might get to see a Slint show.

There are lots of bands I listen to that aren't around anymore, which I hold out some hope might reunite. And of course there are others, with deceased members, I know won't re-form.

But for some reason, I never even entertained thoughts of what it might be like to see Louisville, Kent., band Slint actually playing on a stage.

To me, Slint existed only on album, specifically 1989's debut, "Tweez," and 1991's swan song, "Spiderland."

Slint apparently did perform live, though I've never met anyone who actually saw a show. Though the band's music is widely considered a touchstone for the 1990s indie-rock movement, most of us know them only as a recording outfit.

Until now.

In a most unexpected turn of events, Slint's core trio -- guitarist/vocalist Brian McMahan, guitarist David Pajo and drummer Britt Walford -- have hooked up for a handful of live dates, after which they insist Slint will disappear forever.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, this brief tour will not reach Las Vegas. So off I head to Southern California, for a Sunday night show at Hollywood's Avalon nightclub.

Since securing tickets, I've listened to "Tweez" and "Spiderland" about 20 times each, imagining what it might be like to hear those 15 tunes re-created in a live setting.

I'm particularly eager to experience the six tracks on "Spiderland." Each is full of tension and release, with most building from moments of graceful instrumentation -- topped by McMahan's semi-spoken lyrics -- to heavy Black Sabbath-esque payoffs.

I expect the crowd will be a reverent bunch, understanding that live renditions of "Washer" and "Good Morning, Captain," songs that spawned thousands of hopeful bands and musicians, are rare occurrences indeed.

Part of me wonders how Slint can possibly navigate its way through material so intricate as to have been dubbed "math rock" (a reference to its unusual time signatures) by some critics.

If reports from early shows are to be believed, though, Slint fans have nothing to worry about. McMahan, Pajo and Walford apparently prepared for the shows with the seriousness worthy of such an occasion.

And if they do have any trouble rediscovering their old tunes, there should be plenty of us in the audience eager to step in and help recreate the albums we've been mesmerized by for years.

Artist: Slint.

Title: "Spiderland."

Year of release: 1991 (Touch and Go Records).

Tracklisting: "Breadcrumb Trail," "Nosferatu Man," "Don, Aman," "Washer," "For Dinner ...," "Good Morning, Captain."