Motive brings Brooklyn sound to Pittsburgh venue

A small group of Pittsburgh residents bore witness to the collaborative efforts of four up-and-coming musicians when Motive made a stop at Garfield Artworks last Friday. The Brooklyn-based rockers took the stage in front of no more than 20 people, but the size of the crowd at the show was no testament to the band’s talent.

Lead vocalist Nick Wold, bassist Andrew McGovern, guitarist David Leondi and drummer Chris Bagamery have been playing together as the band Motive for about two years in Brooklyn. Though their individual tastes in music differ rather distinctly from one another, the music they produce together reflects their shared appreciation of Radiohead, Nirvana, The Strokes and ’90s grunge, in general.

“We feel like those bands carried the torch for rock ‘n’ roll after the Beatles era,” Wold said. “We want to be a part of that music-making process.”

Indeed, Motive’s dirty rock has a definitive post-’90s grunge flavor. Onstage at Garfield Artworks, Wold, McGovern, Leondi and Bagamery donned their signature skinny ties and suits.

They brought their catchy hooks and chord progressions to life with infectious energy. Motive kept the audience members tapping their feet — even dancing for a while — and made the trek through the snow to the concert worthwhile. Both the band and the audience left the venue mutually appreciative of the shared experience.

Though Friday’s snowstorm may have limited Motive’s live audience in Pittsburgh, the band is getting plenty of recognition elsewhere. Motive is undeniably becoming a prominent part of the indie music scene in Brooklyn and across the country.

Last March, the professionally produced music video for Motive’s song “What’s So Bad” premiered on MTV2’s “120 Minutes” show. The band was interviewed on the show, as well. Seven months later, the boys added another song to the MTV rotation and returned for a second appearance on “120 Minutes” when their music video for “It’s Illicit” premiered on both MTVU and MTV2.

“It was very surreal watching our video come on TV right between The Black Keys and Skrillex,” Bagamery said. “We never thought we were going to be here.”

His bandmates agreed. Wold, McGovern and Bagamery are originally from Seattle, and have been playing music together for 10 years since their youth jazz band days. They met Leondi, who also grew up playing in jazz bands, when they all moved to the East Coast for college, and Leondi and Wold were randomly paired roommates at New York University. The band now resides in Bushwick, one of Brooklyn’s well-known art hubs, where they currently are working on their first album.

Motive has also received accolades from several different publications and news sources. Metro New York mentioned Motive as one of College Music Journal’s bands to watch, dubbing Motive “The Strokes 2.0.” Additionally, the band has recently been featured in TWELV magazine, Performer magazine and on CBS News. They recently received confirmation that they will be playing at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, this March.

When asked the meaning behind their band name, the band members agreed that after playing under countless titles, Motive was the name that they all hated the least.

“Motive is a reason to move, a reason to do something,” Wold said. “Music is our motive — it gives us our energy.”

Reflecting on video making and other experiences, Bagamery continued in that vein.

“The more energy and commitment that we put into projects, the better they come out. That’s kind of the same reason we wear suits — we want to really make an effort. We want people to feel like they’re getting something out of seeing us,” he said.

Motive’s “It’s Illicit” EP premiered on The Wild Honey Pie on Jan. 16 and is available for free download.