If you’re a Pinc Louds fan, then there’s been a void in your life since last October. That’s when Claudi, the singer/songwriter who basically is Pinc Louds, took a break from performing and effectively disappeared from the East Village scene.
While that hiatus was planned, what happened during the break was not. “I had planned to stop,” he explained. “I had been performing for seven years without stopping. I wanted to recharge and write new songs.”
The flamboyant performer — frequently seen performing for fans of all ages in Tompkins Square Park — had created a character that included a very distinctive wig and makeup combined with a fabulous dress. But he admits that he “didn’t want to keep doing the same persona.”
The creation of Claudi was a manifestation of “who I wanted to be,” he muses.
“The real me, Federico, got shut in and more introverted.” Then, he explains, “once I stopped the machine and stopped being Claudi, it was hard to get it back up and running. I didn’t want to keep doing the persona.”
In addition, he needed the break “to catch up with being a parent — I wasn’t really completely there for my newborn son.”
Then came the unexpected part — a bit of a breakdown that began to spin out of control.
“Everything seemed to be going in the right direction,” he recalls. “I was supposed to curate a series of nights at the Sultan Room but coming back seemed so daunting; there was too much pressure and I cancelled it. I realized that I was not having fun — I was putting too much pressure on myself. I thought that maybe it wasn’t healthy for me to be an artist and I just spiraled from there”.
Continuing, he says that “I realized that I had nothing to fall back on. I went to a very dark place, not knowing what I’m worth if I’m not an artist.”
As things got darker, he ended up in a psych ward, suffering from depression but feeling like he didn’t belong there while knowing that he needed the help.
“I was surrounded by people in different mental states,” he recounts. “In the beginning I avoided the other patients, but then I became open to meeting other people. One thing I got out of it was a renewed love of humanity. When I left I felt like I just needed a normal job.”
Claudi/Federico credits his recovery and musical resurgence to therapy, medication, the music of Daniel Johnston, and the fact that Trader Joe’s rejected his application.
“As I was waiting for a response from them I started writing new songs,” he recounts. Most of the new work was composed late at night in his kitchen, where he can “go a little crazy” without waking up his wife and son.
By the time he realized that Trader Joe’s wasn’t going to hire him, he had a solid bunch of new tunes and the desire to play them for an audience.
Subway platforms — where he got his start busking years ago — became the go-to spots to rehearse.
“I can play the same songs over and over there,” he explains. “The audience keeps changing — I can’t do that when I’m playing in the park.”
The culmination of his efforts were two wonderful performances last weekend, Aug. 12-13, marking the triumphant return of Pinc Louds to an audience that truly appreciates their music and artistry. Performing solo with keyboard backup from Marc Mosteirin, Claudi — as animated as ever — delighted the full house at La Plaza Cultural Garden with a set of all new songs, except for one.
“I said that I wouldn’t be playing any older songs – but I lied! ” he admitted. In the first set he accompanied himself as usual on his battered acoustic guitar, while the second was completely keyboard backed.
As before, dancers filled the space, having even more inspiration for their gyrations.
“I’m working on more dance=oriented numbers,” Claudi notes. “What I’m trying to do is turn raw emotion into a good time. I feel like it can be cathartic.”
The fans were out high-stepping again the following night, when he played in the shed for the Sunday night music series at Lucky on Avenue B.
“It felt really good to be playing out again,” he muses. “I am playing as myself, even if I am still pretty theatrical. I feel like people really like the songs and the response has been really touching. It feels like a new chapter.”
Pinc Louds has gigs coming up at Rockaway Beach on Aug. 27, Wet Spot on Sept. 7 and the Sultan Room on Sept. 22. Details will be available on their Instagram at @pinclouds.
