Pavement is an American indie rock band that formed in Stockton, California, in 1989. For most of their career, the group consisted of Stephen Malkmus, Scott Kannberg, Mark Ibold (bass), Steve West (drums), and Bob Nastanovich. Initially conceived as a recording project, the band at first avoided press or live performances, while attracting considerable underground attention with their early releases. Gradually evolving into a more polished band, Pavement recorded five full-length albums and ten EPs over the course of their decade-long career, though they disbanded with some acrimony in 1999 as the members moved on to other projects. In 2010, they undertook a well-received reunion tour, followed by another international tour in 2022–24.
Pavement in 1993. From left to right: Bob Nastanovich, Gary Young, Stephen Malkmus, Mark Ibold, and Scott Kannberg.
Stephen Malkmus in concert with Pavement in 2010
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent record labels, by the 1990s it became more widely associated with the music such bands produced.
The Chills performing at Indietracks in rural Derbyshire in 2014
British band The Jesus and Mary Chain performing in California in 2007
My Bloody Valentine pioneered the indie rock subgenre shoegaze
The Stone Roses' 1990 Spike Island concert was the highest attendance performance by an independent artist of its time