Bazan: Alone At The Microphone DVD

David Bazan is the enigmatic frontman of Northwest slow-rockers Pedro The Lion. He's also a man of faith, but not in a creepy Cornerstone sort of way. He's been known to play that bastion of God rock, but is considerably more moderate than you'd expect. 

I first heard Bazan through a CMJ sampler that had Big Trucks on it. It's still one of my favorites. At the time I wasn't aware of the scene he came from. Soon after, Pedro came through Brownies (R.I.P) and I caught them one Sunday evening. They were pretty good, but also did that weird Christian thing where they stopped and asked if there were any questions in between songs. I, and most of the assembled scant crowd, were a little confused but it was a decent set refreshingly free of rhetoric. I've been a fan ever since and even a horribly anachronistic run-in with religion hasn't put me off him. 

That said, Bazan's faith is a personal thing that he keeps mostly to himself and out of his songs. Alone At The Microphone has some interview footage, but is mostly Bazan playing selections from his catalog solo in the studio. And sometimes in his car. The songs are wonderful regardless of the venue. Bazan seems to be an earnest man who cares deeply about his faith, his family and his music. He comes off very warm, even if some of the material treads a darker path. If more religious people were like him, there might be a lot more tolerance on both sides.

Check it out for yourself. You can buy Bazan: Alone At The Microphone  here. If you were of a mind, you can find him on the web here and socially interface with him here. It's worth a trip.