Pinback are an American indie rock band formed in San Diego, California in 1998 by singers, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Armistead Burwell Smith IV (also known as Zach Smith, a former member of Three Mile Pilot and the primary member of Systems Officer) and Rob Crow formerly of Thingy, Heavy Vegetable, and Goblin Cock. First acquainted as roommates, they began making recordings in their home, playing along to pre-recorded beats. Today, the band has 2 drummers that switch off and on, Chris Prescott, and Tom Zinser. Other members of Pinback past and present are: Terrin Durfey, Eric Hoversten, Ryan Bromley, Cameron Jones, Kenseth Thideau, Gabriel Voiles, Dmitri Dziensuwski, Donny Van Zandt, and Thatcher Orbitachi. Zach Smith is noted for his unique style of bass-playing, as he combines strumming (the most prevalent of his techniques), popping, and slapping. He uses an Alembic Stanley Clarke bass and is currently working on a solo project entitled Systems Officer. Smith tends to write most of the instrumental parts of Pinback's songs while Rob Crow's forte is lyric-writing. At their concerts, they are known for giving away limited edition tour EPs. Both feel strongly about keeping their music in the independent scene, free from excessive media attention and corporate pressures that could affect the band's original sound.