by Melanie Wong
After many months, The Pinstripes' tour in support of their 2012 album, I, reached its
culmination at SubCulture on Saturday night. With a rootsy mix of ska, reggae, and soul, the three-time recipients
of the Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Best World Band embodied fun in every sense of the word.
The Pinstripes were all smiles from the minute they hit the
stage. Their sincere energy, general goodwill, and confidence—along
with the ease with which they transferred these feelings to the audience—was a rare and
wonderful experience.
Lead singer Mike Sarason explained, “This is all dancing
music…if you guys shake your butts, we’ll probably sound better.” And dance
everyone did—including The Pinstripes, who took every
free moment as an opportunity to show off their funky moves.
Each song had a distinct, refreshing flavor,
and the band members successfully kept the audience continuously
pumped-up. You could never predict what was going to come next:
there were call-and-response sing-alongs, a showdown between the drummer and
the trombonist, a sweet melodica/flute duet, and a synchronized two-step
between the frontmen.
It was a shame that there wasn’t more of a crowd, as every moment of the show grabbed your attention. By the end of the evening, the audience was chanting for
more—a demand that The Pinstripes gratefully fulfilled, confessing it to be the
first (and only) encore request of the tour.
The Pinstripes are celebrating their 10-year anniversary
later this year, yet they exude the energy of a fresh, young group. If you missed them this time around, be sure to put them on
your “must-see” list when they return next year.