PanAm expand their crew before taking off

By MIKE HOULAHAN

It's not uncommon for bands to go through line-up changes, but there's something jarring about coming face to face with the new PanAm.

The melodic pop-rock trio - memorably represented in papier mache in the video for their debut single Long Grass - have shed bass player Jarrod Ross and replaced him with not only a new bassist, but an extra guitarist to boot.

"We'd had four players before - we had another guitar player a long time ago - but it had been a while, so we decided to give it a a shot," drummer Cole Goodley says.

"The idea didn't really come from within the band, to be honest," adds lead singer Paul Barrett.

"[Record label] Flying Nun were saying, 'Maybe you need a keyboard player', and originally we didn't really take them that seriously, thinking they didn't know what they were talking about. Then our manager echoed their feelings.

"Originally we were just looking for a second guitar player, but then we thought if we're going to go the extent of changing the lineup, let's fix it properly and sort out the rhythm section issues."

Rob Collins was recruited to play bass, and Jared Kahi deputised to add extra texture to the PanAm sound on second guitar. The impact is immediate - the new-look PanAm have a deeper sound than before, and Kahi's extra guitar adds an enticing extra accent to familiar songs.

Some things are taking time to bed in ... at a recent Wellington show the band decided to play Long Grass, which the new lineup hadn't even rehearsed. It was to their credit the pauses in the song were all in the right place, but no one seemed quite sure how the song actually ended.

"The tour is partly about developing the new chemistry," Barrett says.

"We rehearsed a lot as a three-piece before adding the extra guitar, because we wanted to make the transition gradual. We wanted to keep the energy and sparseness of a three-piece at the core so it didn't end up being a guitar attack."

In some ways, the lineup could not have come at a worse time for PanAm. The band have always had ambitions beyond their New Zealand successes, and after their present national tour plan to relocate to Melbourne and take on Australia.

In other ways, the speed-bump has worked in the band's favour. Always intense, Barrett seems even more driven and focused - something apparent when you're watching a typically energetic live show.

He clearly gives the sense that changing lineups and sorting out details of the move are just irritating paperwork issues before he can get PanAm back to business - playing as many gigs as possible.

"It was really hard to lose Jarrod, because you get used to having someone in your band, and certain parts of it still work - you're still mates and still like hanging out," Barrett says.

"Yeah, we could keep gigging around New Zealand and stay at the sort of level we've been at for the next five years - which would be fine if we wanted to make coffee for the rest of our lives - but we wanted to take it further."

"I don't want to be one of those people kicking myself when I'm 50 sitting in my Lazyboy, wishing I had done it," Goodley adds.

"I want to be able to say to myself we gave it our best shot - we'll never know otherwise."

PanAm will have a few advantages when they make it to Australia. There is already a small colony of relocated New Zealand bands based in Melbourne ready to lend a hand, and Festival Records has agreed to distribute PanAm's album across the Tasman.

Barrett also has a sneaking and somewhat guilty suspicion PanAm will find a more welcoming audience in Australia than at home.

"I hate to say it, but I really think Australians will get us a little bit more than Kiwis," he says.

"I think New Zealanders really like genre bands, they really like everything neat around the edges, whereas Aussies just see a guitar really going for it and that will be enough for them. Who cares if it doesn't perfectly reference the right influences at the right time?

"I don't think we really fit into a particular box where we're going to be splashed all over the NME for being the latest craze. If we get there, it's going to be through hard work and originality. I think in the long run that will probably be in our favour."

Performance

* Who: PanAm

* Where: Dog's Bollix, Auckland, tonight; Salt Rock Cafe, Raglan, tomorrow; Kings Arms, Thurs, July 1

- NZPA