Parenthetical Girls finds patience is a ‘privilege’

“I’m in the midst of getting things together and trying to organize the minivan for tour,” he says during a recent phone interview. “We don’t travel with a bunch of equipment because it’s a fairly minimal set up. We do travel with a lot of merch and that’s what I want to be put away nicely.”

Pennington is the mastermind behind the experimental pop group Parenthetical Girls. The touring band consists of Jherek Bischoff, Amber W. Smith and Paul Alcott.

It is gearing up for a trek which will take them to the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

“This is going to be our first tour of the year,” he explains. “We really haven’t been on tour since this time last year. We took a break to put all of the material for the new album.”

Parenthetical Girls is also touring in support of its latest release “Privilege (Abridged),” which was released in February.

Pennington says all of the songs on the new album were started in 2010 and took nearly two years to complete.

The album is a representation of five EPs that were released over the course of three years.

“I write really slow and the process has a lot of details to it,” he explains. “It’s just really a slow process to come up with new music.”

While Pennington doesn’t actually play instruments, he admits to having figured out a backwards way in putting together songs and melody.

“I’ve always romanticized music and the more I learn about it, the less I want to do that,” he explains. “I’ll continue to just plug away at my computer and make the best of it.”

Pennington says the current album may be the last album for the outfit.

He says the project is mostly about the narrative and the content of the words.

“I feel like this album could be a great conclusion to the band,” he explains. “I don’t know what the future holds, but if Parenthetical Girls ended after this tour, the album can stand on its own.”

Pennington says he got involved with music late in life.

A fan of pop music, he spent his adolescence and early adulthood working in the business.

“I spent a good deal of time working on booking shows for others,” he says. “I was also a music journalist for some time. I did a lot of things that were ultimately a way to involve myself in music without actually being in music. It was a weird time that I had to get over. I finally got the courage around 22 or 23 to actually get myself on stage. It’s been a freeing journey for me.”

Red Light Cameras
With Decker, Parenthetical Girls, Field Tripp, PALMS, Jared & The Mill
WHEN: 6 p.m. Sunday, March 10
WHERE: Low Spirits Bar & Stage, 2823 Second NW
HOW MUCH: $7 at www.holdmyticket.com or 886-1251