Al pastor is a taco consisting of pork, cilantro, and pineapple. Al’s Pastor, on the other hand, is a rock band—one that took its name from the group’s dietary mainstay at Allende in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Not easily stuffed into a single genre, the quartet blends vintage-y pop with adventurous, often dark forays into instrumental post-rock. Wailing guitar solos, nimble drum work, pretty piano melodies and propulsive bass are go-to ingredients in a quirky and diverse catalog.
Founded at DePaul University in 2006, Al’s Pastor started as Alex Lemon on guitar, Chris “Blue” Tomke on drums, and Chris Noth on bass. The group recorded its debut EP, The Conundrum, two years later as a mostly-instrumental trio. Singer Zeb Allen came onboard in the winter of 2009, bringing piano and songwriting chops with him. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on its sophomore release, Another Dusty Day, which was recorded and mixed at Buena Park’s I.V. Labs. “After more than a year of hard work, we are extremely excited to get these songs out there. It’s been a long time coming and this album really feels like a big step forward for the band,” says Noth. With the new album due out in April–the first full-length studio offering from the band–Al’s Pastor is excited for a big year of shows and is ready to please hungry fans in Chicago and beyond.
