Stephen Pederson should call it quits.
The 30-year-old frontman of Criteria has lived three very different lives that many middle-aged men can only dream of.
Hailing from Omaha, Neb., Pederson was an original member of Cursive, a band that has been there every step of the way on indie label Saddle Creek Record's rise to prominence.
"It was not very tough being in a band with Tim (Kasher) … maybe I kind of romanticized it, but he's awesome, it was great," said Pederson of Cursive's renowned songwriter.
After recording two critically acclaimed full-lengths with Cursive, Pederson reacted to the band's temporary disbanding with a plan of his own. He moved to Chapel Hill, N.C. and enrolled in law school.
When he graduated from law school, Pederson got a job working at a firm called Kutak Rock doing intellectual property litigation dealing with copyrights and trademarks. But the new guy in the cubicle with his long hair never quite fit in at a 9-to-5 job.
Pederson worked on the rock 'n' roll life that he still knew and loved. His college band, The White Octave, recorded two albums and Pederson continued to play on his own time.
He knew that moving back home to Omaha would provide him with the opportunity to buy a house, find a good job and still have enough free time to play music and have a life outside of his career.
"Well, I was thinking I'd do both," said Pederson about his original plans for his move home. He admits that he simply practices law as a casual affair now, a secondary job to fronting Criteria.
While he was gone, Saddle Creek Records took off with the help of Pederson's former band, Cursive, and some outstanding acts such as Rilo Kiley, Bright Eyes and The Faint.
"Yeah, there's an office, they make money, the employees are employees and they have healthcare … it's a very successful small business. It's pretty amazing," said Pederson of the label's rise in popularity.
Pederson moved into a friend's basement and recorded a new album by himself shortly after returning to Omaha.
"I didn't want to make any compromises or sacrifices, so I started to do everything myself," said Pederson.
The release of Criteria's first record, En Garde, came with a new plan.
"The idea was to find people to play with. At first, I wasn't comfortable with how that was working out," said Pederson, but now he says the band has really come together in support of the new album, When We Break.
"The tour is going incredibly well," said Pederson. "Minus The Bear, (the tour headliner), is blowing up right now and they're treating us well."
Now, knowing that back-story, you need to know that Criteria rocked the house Thursday night at the Troubadour. When Pederson said the tour was going well, he wasn't kidding.
Criteria's live set is full of gratuitous drum breaks and soaring guitar solos. They are the perfect compliment to Minus The Bear who listeners should check out if they enjoy the animal-themed, vaunted five-piece from Seattle.
Pederson's live lyrics seem more genuine than those contained on When We Break, a nice change from the polished, almost too-perfect sound of the record. That being said, these guys know what they're doing, and that comes through both on the record and in person.
All the raw energy of a good live band and the technical expertise of a good studio band are displayed by Criteria, making them a band to watch out for in the coming year. But what else would you expect from Saddle Creek?
