Pink Mountaintops
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ARTIST PROFILE | Pink Mountaintops
Since their 2004 self-titled debut, Pink Mountaintops have supplied an outlet for the more arcane fascinations of Black Mountain frontman Stephen McBean. On Peacock Pools—Pink Mountaintops’ first new music in eight years—the British Columbia-born singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist shares 12 songs sparked from his magpie-like curiosity for a wild expanse of cultural artifacts: the sci-fi body horror of David Cronenberg, Disney Read-Along Records from the 1970s, early Pink Floyd and mid-career Gary Numan, John Carpenter movies, Ornette Coleman live videos, a 1991 essay on the cult of bodybuilding by postmodern feminist Camille Paglia. Featuring counterculture icons like Steven McDonald of Redd Kross and Dale Crover of Melvins, Peacock Pools alchemizes those obsessions into a body of work with its own enchanting power, the sonic equivalent of falling down a thousand rabbit holes at once and landing somewhere gloriously strange.
Pink Mountaintops’ fifth full-length and debut release for ATO Records, Peacock Pools took shape from a batch of songs McBean first pieced together in the early days of the pandemic. “I’d moved into this cool little ’50s rancher house outside L.A. and was just mucking about in my bedroom studio, and pretty soon I started reaching out to some friends who were also shacked up and craving broadband sonic collaboration,” he recalls. Over the coming months, McBean began working remotely with a stacked lineup of musicians from the indie-rock and psych-pop and garage-punk worlds, including drummer/pianist Joshua Wells (Destroyer, Black Mountain), violinist/vocalist Laena Myers-Ionita (Feels, Death Valley Girls), drummer Ryan Jewell (Riley Walker, Steve Gunn), vocalist Emily Rose Epstein (Ty Segall, Emily Rose & The Rounders), and keyboardist Jeremy Schmidt (Black Mountain, Sinoia Caves). Produced by McBean and mixed in Vancouver by former Skinny Puppy member Dave “Rave” Ogilvie (David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails), Peacock Pools also features several songs recorded live in L.A. with McDonald and Crover, ultimately forming Pink Mountaintops most eclectic and magnificently unpredictable album to date.
In keeping with the freewheeling abandon of Peacock Pools, McBean chose to open the album on a cover: Pink Mountaintops’ fantastically punchy and piano-laced twist on Black Flag’s pent-up classic “Nervous Breakdown.” “Steven McDonald used to always play a disco version of that bassline to annoy [Black Flag co-founder] Keith Morris when they were sound-checking for OFF!, and it ended up fitting perfectly with the demo I’d made,” McBean reveals, referring to McDonald and Morris’s hardcore supergroup. From there, Pink Mountaintops pay homage to another musical idol on the harmony-heavy and sweetly hedonistic “Nikki Go Sudden,” serenading the late Swell Maps and Jacobites singer/guitarist with a gorgeous convergence of twisted nursery rhyme and elegantly debauched mythmaking (e.g., “Hush baby-baby, now don’t you cry/Mama’s gonna buy you some collision time”). “I wrote that song just after Nikki Sudden died, a tribute to a fallen-rogue unsung hero who existed in his own weird outsider world,” says McBean.
Later on Peacock Pools, Pink Mountaintops drift further into rock-and-roll fantasia with the epically anthemic “Lights of The City.” “I wrote that one from the imagined perspective of a female ’70s band—like a female Foreigner, or a female April Wine,” says McBean. “It’s meant to be a fists-in-the-air celebratory rocker.” One of the tracks cut live with McDonald and Crover, “Lights of The City” delivers the kind of arena-rock bombast that feels near-biblical in magnitude, with McBean offering up some poetic instruction for earthly transcendence: “Awaken the wild from your dreams/Yes, you’ve got the power deep in your soul.”
Although an unhinged exuberance makes for the dominant mood on Peacock Pools, a number of tracks explore the psychic pain of grief and loss. An ethereal piece of psychedelia, “You Still Around?” gently conjures what McBean sums up as “a yearning for some friends who aren’t here anymore,” achieving an otherworldly quality thanks to its Alice Coltrane-inspired arrangement of chimes and bells. One of the album’s most unexpectedly poignant moments, “All This Death Is Killing Me” takes on a breakneck momentum in its thrash-punk-fueled reminiscence of a long-departed friend. “It’s coming up on 10 years since one of my best friends passed away; we were in a punk band together as kids and I wrote this song a while back when I was missing him,” says McBean. “I had it lying around forever and thought it made perfect sense to record with Steven and Dale, since the two of us used to listen Redd Kross and Melvins all the time. I really wanted it to be a celebration, instead of just a sad remembrance of friends gone.” And on “The Walk - Song For Amy,” Peacock Pools closes out with a majestically sprawling piece McBean describes as “subliminally influenced by another fallen rock-and-roll comrade,” its heavenly melancholy sharply intensified by Myers-Ionita’s swooning violin. “A roving spirit that seemed so magical and alive and, at the same time, so tortured—that radiant charisma that sadly often comes with a lot of self-doubt and depression,” says McBean of the song’s subject. “We recorded a few takes of that and ended up using the first one,” he continues. “It’s so funny how you can spend so much time alone in your room, fiddling with the songs and trying to get everything perfect, and then you play with other people and it all just kicks in right away.”
The follow-up to Pink Mountaintops’ 2014 album Get Back, Peacock Pools likely owes some of its mesmerizing effect to the oddly charmed surroundings that spawned its songs. To that end, the album’s title references the vast population of wild peacocks that inhabit Arcadia, the Northeast L.A. County city McBean now calls home. “Sometimes there’ll be a whole bunch of peacocks out in my backyard, which is just one of the weird little things about living in Arcadia,” he says. “The opening scene to Fantasy Island was filmed at the arboretum near my house, Hunter S. Thompson rented a little roadside motel room and wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas right around here, one of the Richard Ramirez murders happened in town. And of course, Michael Anthony from Van Halen went to high school here—it’s just an endlessly mysterious place to be.” Noting that his frequent walks through the woods near his home have proved vital to his creativity over the past few years, McBean adds that a certain intimacy and sense of place tend to distinguish his work with Pink Mountaintops from that of Black Mountain. “There’s usually a lyrical angle that sends the songs over to the Pink Mountaintops cabin as opposed to the Black Mountain mansion,” he says. “These songs tend to be more twisted but also more personal—if Black Mountain is about epic things like outer space, then Pink Mountaintops is more about the leaves crunching under my feet.”
Looking back on the album-making process, McBean points out that Peacock Pools offered a much-needed escape from the claustrophobia of pandemic life. “This record really was a surprise, and so much fun to put together,” he says. “The fact that I could work from a distance with all these creative people who were also feeling obscured by clouds in this new world—I didn’t realize how much that connection keeps me balanced.” And with the release of Peacock Pools, McBean hopes to provide the audience with a similar sensation of expansiveness. “The thing I always have in my mind is that romantic idea of putting on a Walkman on a long bus ride and listening to something like Meat Is Murder in its entirety, then flipping it back and playing it all over again,” he says. “If I can take people on some sort of journey with a record, that’s always the main goal.”
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Supporting Acts
SHOW BY SIMILAR ARTISTS
About HI-FI | Indianapolis, IN
HI-FI is located inside the historic Murphy Arts Center in the heart of Fountain Square. HI-FI shows virtually every night of the week and is known for finding new artists on the rise. The venue is acoustically one of the best sounding venues in the Midwest. The entrance is located at the front of the building on Virginia Ave and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.
Getting Around the Venue
Frequently Asked Questions About HI-FI | Indianapolis, IN
What are the age restrictions at this venue?
Most of our gigs are open to those 18 years and older, though there are a few exceptions. We’re also rolling out more all-ages shows to accommodate younger fans, but double-check our website for specific age requirements before getting your tickets. We’ve made it super easy to spot the age restrictions on each event listing.
If you are going to indulge in a seating upgrade in our VIP area, all guests must be 21 years of age or older.
HI-FI requires a valid ID for admission. For guests who will be consuming alcoholic beverages, a valid state or government issues ID is required. Everyone will be carded during check-in. Expired and temporary ID’s are not accepted.
Can I upgrade my to VIP seating?
HI-FI proudly offers our VIP Deck, situated at the rear of the venue. This elevated section features table seating and provides convenient access to the bar. Please be advised that all guests in this area must be 21 years of age or older. For seating upgrade inquiries, please contact the box office at boxoffice@hifiindy.com
What items are permitted or prohibited at this venue?
At our venues, we strive to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all guests. While specific rules may vary slightly depending on the event location, the following list generally applies across all venues.
Any illegal items found will be confiscated immediately. Guests discovered with prohibited items inside the venue may face ejection, and those attempting to enter with such items may be denied entry.
We appreciate your cooperation in adhering to these guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment during our events.
Permitted Items Include:
- All bags and possessions are subject to search and may be subject to metal detection. No backpacks are permitted at any of our venues.
- Clear tote or bag made from plastic, vinyl or PVC that does not exceed 14” x 14” in size.
- Personal purse, fanny pack or handbag so long as it does not exceed 14” x 14” in size
- A warm heart and smiles
Prohibited items include:
- Weapons of any kind: Firearms (with or without permit), knives (any size), multi-tools
- Pepper Spray or Mace
- Flares or Fireworks
- Oversized bags (Bag larger than 12” x 12”, including all backpacks, briefcases, luggage, or duffle bags)
- Illegal Substances
- Outside Beverages
- Laser Pointers
- Removable lens cameras or flash photography, tripods, monopods, selfie-sticks (unless pre-approved by Event Manager)
- Audio or Video recording devices (unless pre-approved by Event Manager)
- Signs larger than 11” x 17” or any sign attached to a stick or pole
- Skateboards, hoverboards, rollerblades, scooters, or bicycles
- Hula hoops, spray paint, silly string
- Noise Making devices (i.e. Air Horns, drums, whistles)
- Coolers or Ice Chests
- Animals/Pets (Except Service Animals)
HI-FI reserves the right to prohibit any item, including items not listed above, from entering the premises if deemed hazardous or disruptive to the event.
Can I bring a bag into the show?
Yes! You’re welcome to bring personal purse, fanny pack or handbag so long as it does not exceed 14” x 14” in size. No backpacks are permitted at any time.
What’s the parking situation like?
Depending on the day and time, finding a spot can be tricky. On busy show days we advise arriving early to ensure you get a good spot.
Parking is free on all of the surrounding streets in Fountain Square and most parking lots.
The LAZ pay lot directly across from the Murphy Arts Building (on Prospect St) offers paid parking by the hour and is the closest public parking to the venue.
We advise against traveling down St. Patrick St on show days, as it can become congested one-way with traffic coming from both directions.
Bike parking is available at any of the bike racks on Virginia Ave in front of HI-FI.
What is the camera/photo policy for this venue?
Our photo policy varies for each event and is at the discretion of the artist performing that night. This policy can change from night to night.
As a general guideline, we typically do not permit professional photography unless it has been pre-approved by either HI-FI or the Artist Management.
For approved photographers, you’re welcome to snap photos during the first three songs of the performance. However, please refrain from using flash.
Media personnel and professional photographers interested in covering our events can reach out to us at marketing@hifiindy.com to request media credentials.
Is there food and drink at this venue?
Absolutely! We’ve got you covered for some tasty bites to fuel your night.
Our very own Easy Rider Diner is your go-to spot on most show nights, serving up mouthwatering dishes right next door to HI-FI. With a convenient connection door open for most shows, you can easily hop back and forth without missing a beat. We highly recommend making a reservation in advance, as show nights tend to get busy. Please note that Easy Rider is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but fear not – you can still grab some chips, candy, or snacks at HI-FI’s bar.
View seating maps for this venue
Check your show listing for information on the show’s seating configuration. The majority of HI-FI shows are general admission, standing-room-only. Depending on the show, there are a handful of tables available to those who arrive early. There is a limited amount of seating upgrades available on the VIP deck. Contact the box office to secure a seating upgrade for your show at boxoffice@hifiindy.com. Shows that are reserved or partially reserved seating configurations will have information or purchase options directly on the event listing.
Can I leave and re-enter the venue?
Re-entry is allowed for HI-FI shows once you’ve been stamped or wristbanded by a member of our staff.
Do you offer ADA, handicap or special needs options?
There are 2 handicapped parking spots in the lot located across Prospect St. closest to El Arado Mexican Grill. The box office handles any special needs or ADA seating requests at boxoffice@hifiindy.com.
Where is the box office located?
Getting tickets to our shows is super easy! You have a few options, depending on how you like to roll:
Online: Grab your tickets in advance from our official websites, hifiindy.com and mokbpresents.com, or through our trusted ticketing partners tixr.com and seetickets.us.
In Person: Swing by one of our convenient box office locations around the Murphy Arts Center building and grab tickets with no service fees:
Main Box Office at Virginia Ave Mercantile: Located at 1043 Virginia Ave Suite 2 (between Easy Rider and La Margarita). Open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
HI-FI Box Office: Found at 1043 Virginia Ave Suite 4 (at the main entrance to HI-FI). Open only on show nights, starting 1 hour before published show times until 10 pm.
I lost something at the show. Who do I contact?
Have you misplaced something during one of our events? Don’t worry, we’re here to help reunite you with your belongings! While we can’t take responsibility for lost or stolen items, we’re committed to assisting you in any way we can.
Found items are securely stored at our Virginia Ave Mercantile & Box Office until they’re claimed. Please note that items lost during late-night events might take until the next morning to reach our lost and found. We know you might be eager to retrieve your belongings (like that phone you’re pinging outside our door at 6 am), but our team typically wraps up late-night events and may not be available until later in the morning.
For lost items, please follow the outlined process rather than popping into Easy Rider in the early hours. They’re open early, but our restaurant team is busy during weekends and can’t assist with lost items during busy service hours.
To inquire about lost items, shoot us an email at boxoffice@hifiindy.com. Mercantile hours are Monday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
Let’s work together to get your goods back to you as quickly as possible!
What is your refund policy?
What’s Your Refund Policy for Postponed Shows?
If a show gets postponed, don’t sweat it! We’ll shoot you an email to let you know about the change, and if you’re cool with the new date, no further action is needed on your part.We’ll be working diligently to find a new date for the show, and we’ll keep you updated every step of the way. But if you can’t make it to the rescheduled gig, we’ve got your back. You’ll have a generous 30-day window following the announcement of the new date to request a refund.
For those who paid with cash at our box office, just drop us a line at boxoffice@hifiindy.com for further instructions on processing your refund.
Please bear with us as we explore rescheduling options with the tour. Your patience is much appreciated as we work to present the best possible show experience for you.
What’s the Refund Policy for Canceled Shows?
In the unfortunate event of a canceled show, don’t fret! If you purchased your tickets online, your refund will be processed automatically. Just sit tight and allow 3-5 business days for the refund to appear in your bank account.
No need to lift a finger! However, there are a few scenarios where you might need to reach out to our box office:
- If you paid cash at our box office.
- If you’ve received a new or different card since your original purchase.
- If you haven’t seen the refund in your account after 5 business days.
What Happens if a Show Gets Rescheduled?
No worries! If a show you’ve already grabbed tickets for gets rescheduled, your tickets will still be valid for the new date. We’ll shoot you an email to let you know about the change, and if you’re good to go for the new date, no further action is needed on your part.
However, if you can’t make it to the rescheduled gig, we’ve got you covered. You’ll have a generous 30 days from the announcement of the new date to request a refund. Just reach out directly to our box office to kickstart the process.
Beware of counterfeit tickets. How do I tell if my ticket is valid?
It’s crucial for all buyers to exercise caution when purchasing tickets from unauthorized sites and ticket resellers. Tixr and SeeTickets are the only two ticket vendors supported at our venues. Unfortunately, this is a widespread issue affecting venues nationwide, and true fans often find themselves at a loss. Regrettably, there’s little we can do in such situations. Since the original transaction didn’t occur through our authorized ticketing partners, we lack the necessary information to assist. It’s disheartening to witness fans being taken advantage of, especially on platforms like Craigslist, Facebook, StubHub, VividSeats, SeatGeek, and others. We are only obligated to honor valid tickets purchased through our approved channels.
Can I purchase tickets in person without fees?
Yes. HI-FI box office is located at the main entrance off of Virginia Avenue. The box office is open 1 hour prior to the published door time. Additionally, our new and primary box office is located two doors down from HI-FI in Suite 2. This box office is open Monday through Friday 10 am to 6 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm for fee-free ticket purchases. HI-FI accepts cash as well as all major credit cards for ticket purchases.
Do you have free WI-FI?
Yes. HI-FI offers free WI-FI during all shows. Simply select the HI-FI Free WI-FI network and you are all set!
Pink Mountaintops
Start Time: 8:00 pm
Buy Tickets
ARTIST PROFILE | Pink Mountaintops
Since their 2004 self-titled debut, Pink Mountaintops have supplied an outlet for the more arcane fascinations of Black Mountain frontman Stephen McBean. On Peacock Pools—Pink Mountaintops’ first new music in eight years—the British Columbia-born singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist shares 12 songs sparked from his magpie-like curiosity for a wild expanse of cultural artifacts: the sci-fi body horror of David Cronenberg, Disney Read-Along Records from the 1970s, early Pink Floyd and mid-career Gary Numan, John Carpenter movies, Ornette Coleman live videos, a 1991 essay on the cult of bodybuilding by postmodern feminist Camille Paglia. Featuring counterculture icons like Steven McDonald of Redd Kross and Dale Crover of Melvins, Peacock Pools alchemizes those obsessions into a body of work with its own enchanting power, the sonic equivalent of falling down a thousand rabbit holes at once and landing somewhere gloriously strange.
Pink Mountaintops’ fifth full-length and debut release for ATO Records, Peacock Pools took shape from a batch of songs McBean first pieced together in the early days of the pandemic. “I’d moved into this cool little ’50s rancher house outside L.A. and was just mucking about in my bedroom studio, and pretty soon I started reaching out to some friends who were also shacked up and craving broadband sonic collaboration,” he recalls. Over the coming months, McBean began working remotely with a stacked lineup of musicians from the indie-rock and psych-pop and garage-punk worlds, including drummer/pianist Joshua Wells (Destroyer, Black Mountain), violinist/vocalist Laena Myers-Ionita (Feels, Death Valley Girls), drummer Ryan Jewell (Riley Walker, Steve Gunn), vocalist Emily Rose Epstein (Ty Segall, Emily Rose & The Rounders), and keyboardist Jeremy Schmidt (Black Mountain, Sinoia Caves). Produced by McBean and mixed in Vancouver by former Skinny Puppy member Dave “Rave” Ogilvie (David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails), Peacock Pools also features several songs recorded live in L.A. with McDonald and Crover, ultimately forming Pink Mountaintops most eclectic and magnificently unpredictable album to date.
In keeping with the freewheeling abandon of Peacock Pools, McBean chose to open the album on a cover: Pink Mountaintops’ fantastically punchy and piano-laced twist on Black Flag’s pent-up classic “Nervous Breakdown.” “Steven McDonald used to always play a disco version of that bassline to annoy [Black Flag co-founder] Keith Morris when they were sound-checking for OFF!, and it ended up fitting perfectly with the demo I’d made,” McBean reveals, referring to McDonald and Morris’s hardcore supergroup. From there, Pink Mountaintops pay homage to another musical idol on the harmony-heavy and sweetly hedonistic “Nikki Go Sudden,” serenading the late Swell Maps and Jacobites singer/guitarist with a gorgeous convergence of twisted nursery rhyme and elegantly debauched mythmaking (e.g., “Hush baby-baby, now don’t you cry/Mama’s gonna buy you some collision time”). “I wrote that song just after Nikki Sudden died, a tribute to a fallen-rogue unsung hero who existed in his own weird outsider world,” says McBean.
Later on Peacock Pools, Pink Mountaintops drift further into rock-and-roll fantasia with the epically anthemic “Lights of The City.” “I wrote that one from the imagined perspective of a female ’70s band—like a female Foreigner, or a female April Wine,” says McBean. “It’s meant to be a fists-in-the-air celebratory rocker.” One of the tracks cut live with McDonald and Crover, “Lights of The City” delivers the kind of arena-rock bombast that feels near-biblical in magnitude, with McBean offering up some poetic instruction for earthly transcendence: “Awaken the wild from your dreams/Yes, you’ve got the power deep in your soul.”
Although an unhinged exuberance makes for the dominant mood on Peacock Pools, a number of tracks explore the psychic pain of grief and loss. An ethereal piece of psychedelia, “You Still Around?” gently conjures what McBean sums up as “a yearning for some friends who aren’t here anymore,” achieving an otherworldly quality thanks to its Alice Coltrane-inspired arrangement of chimes and bells. One of the album’s most unexpectedly poignant moments, “All This Death Is Killing Me” takes on a breakneck momentum in its thrash-punk-fueled reminiscence of a long-departed friend. “It’s coming up on 10 years since one of my best friends passed away; we were in a punk band together as kids and I wrote this song a while back when I was missing him,” says McBean. “I had it lying around forever and thought it made perfect sense to record with Steven and Dale, since the two of us used to listen Redd Kross and Melvins all the time. I really wanted it to be a celebration, instead of just a sad remembrance of friends gone.” And on “The Walk - Song For Amy,” Peacock Pools closes out with a majestically sprawling piece McBean describes as “subliminally influenced by another fallen rock-and-roll comrade,” its heavenly melancholy sharply intensified by Myers-Ionita’s swooning violin. “A roving spirit that seemed so magical and alive and, at the same time, so tortured—that radiant charisma that sadly often comes with a lot of self-doubt and depression,” says McBean of the song’s subject. “We recorded a few takes of that and ended up using the first one,” he continues. “It’s so funny how you can spend so much time alone in your room, fiddling with the songs and trying to get everything perfect, and then you play with other people and it all just kicks in right away.”
The follow-up to Pink Mountaintops’ 2014 album Get Back, Peacock Pools likely owes some of its mesmerizing effect to the oddly charmed surroundings that spawned its songs. To that end, the album’s title references the vast population of wild peacocks that inhabit Arcadia, the Northeast L.A. County city McBean now calls home. “Sometimes there’ll be a whole bunch of peacocks out in my backyard, which is just one of the weird little things about living in Arcadia,” he says. “The opening scene to Fantasy Island was filmed at the arboretum near my house, Hunter S. Thompson rented a little roadside motel room and wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas right around here, one of the Richard Ramirez murders happened in town. And of course, Michael Anthony from Van Halen went to high school here—it’s just an endlessly mysterious place to be.” Noting that his frequent walks through the woods near his home have proved vital to his creativity over the past few years, McBean adds that a certain intimacy and sense of place tend to distinguish his work with Pink Mountaintops from that of Black Mountain. “There’s usually a lyrical angle that sends the songs over to the Pink Mountaintops cabin as opposed to the Black Mountain mansion,” he says. “These songs tend to be more twisted but also more personal—if Black Mountain is about epic things like outer space, then Pink Mountaintops is more about the leaves crunching under my feet.”
Looking back on the album-making process, McBean points out that Peacock Pools offered a much-needed escape from the claustrophobia of pandemic life. “This record really was a surprise, and so much fun to put together,” he says. “The fact that I could work from a distance with all these creative people who were also feeling obscured by clouds in this new world—I didn’t realize how much that connection keeps me balanced.” And with the release of Peacock Pools, McBean hopes to provide the audience with a similar sensation of expansiveness. “The thing I always have in my mind is that romantic idea of putting on a Walkman on a long bus ride and listening to something like Meat Is Murder in its entirety, then flipping it back and playing it all over again,” he says. “If I can take people on some sort of journey with a record, that’s always the main goal.”
READ MORE >>
Supporting Acts
About the Venue
Upgrades: A limited amount of VIP seating upgrades (21+) are available for select shows. Contact the box office to purchase or check availability: boxoffice@hifiindy.com.
Ticket Support: Box Office opens 1 hour before published door time. For ticket related questions please email boxoffice@hifiindy.com.
Parking: Street Parking, Bike Parking
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