Las Vegas Weekly

Chatting with One Pin Short

One Pin Short: planning to squeeze into one van for its tour with Reel Big Fish. Maybe it’s like one of those clown cars from the circus.

It’s not every day a Vegas band tours with a national act of Reel Big Fish’s stature. The popular ska band handpicked local reggae/ska group One Pin Short to accompany it on an eight-date West Coast leg of its January tour—which kicks off January 1 in San Diego—after the two acts performed together in June at Jillian’s. Three of One Pin Short’s seven members sat down with the Weekly to discuss the big opportunity.

How did you score this spot on Reel Big Fish’s tour?

Charley Fine (saxophone): “How did we get on there?”

Jordan Rosenthal (drums): “Supposedly, [RBF singer] Aaron Barrett requested our band by name. They played our CD release show, and I guess they liked what they heard. I figure we can just impress them and impress the fans and get our name out there.”

Are you guys Reel Big Fish fans?

Fine: “That’s my favorite band. I shit my pants and then I started to cry once I heard about the tour.”

Jesse Magaña (guitar): “I personally was not the biggest Reel Big Fish fan back in the day, but they put on a really good show at the House of Blues last year.”

What are you most excited about?

Rosenthal: “Getting fed every night!”

Magaña: “It’s not going to be Cup of Noodles …”

Rosenthal: “… and we don’t have to use our own money. We get to play in front of huge crowds and cool venues like the Fillmore in San Francisco.”

Bus or van? And where will you be staying?

Rosenthal: “We have a van. We have some bad snorers so sometimes it’s just better to stick them in the van. I’ve even slept curled up on the merch box in the front of the van when there was no place to stay.”

Fine: “Everywhere around the country, there’s nice people that are willing to give us a place to stay. We just talk to people after the shows and hope they liked our music and are willing to help us out. A lot of times it’s members of other bands, because they know how it is.”

How do you balance touring and holding down jobs?

Fine: “Our parents are very supportive.”

How about an update on your upcoming album?

Magaña: “We just got back from [recording] in Ohio. We have to mix and master it, and it should be out by the end of February.”