|
Pulse of the Twin Cities Login |
|
If you do not have an account yet
Create One.
|
|
|
Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
|
|
|
|
First Prize Killers: exceeding expectations
Wednesday 09 July @ 12:30:18 |
 by Rob van Alstyne
For a band birthed with exceedingly modest goals in mind (to play one show for a friend’s birthday party) Minneapolis’ First Prize Killers have already accomplished a lot, recently releasing one of 2003’s finest no-frills rock albums, The Powdery Parade, on local folk-rocker Martin Devaney’s Eclectone Records.
Featuring the talents of several local notables (Mike Brady, Mike Andrew, Peter Robelia and Tony Mogelson) who among them have a mighty impressive Twin Cities rock resume (in addition to Brady’s well-established solo work other members have served time in groups ranging from Florida and Walker Kong to Work of Saws), the would-be super group focuses on tight, jangly pop and cock-eyed country rock with a heavy emphasis on memorable melodies and a loose, fun vibe. At the front is Paul Descombaz, 30, whose slacker drawl can’t help but invoke thoughts of One Foot in the Grave-era Beck, and who treads a similarly light and zany lyrical path on cuts like “Vampire Lake,” in which teenage vampires looking to make out terrorize friendly robots.
The collection, a brisk nine-song ride that bolts by in thirty minutes with nary a dud in sight, took a long time coming despite its off-the-cuff feel—Descombaz had been tinkering with the idea of making music since 1996. Speaking by phone after a recent band practice in his Minneapolis home, Descombaz explains the long road to releasing his first proper album. “I think partly it was just a matter of finding the right people,” he claims. “I was playing around a little bit in the previous six year period, but nothing was ever that serious, people came and went. Mike Brady and I have been friends for a long time and always wanted to play together, but he never really had the time for it. As soon as he did, we sort of started messing around and working up songs together. I’ve been friends with all of the guys in the band for ten years, except for Mike Andrew who I met through Mike Brady. We were just going to play Mike’s Birthday party show at first, we really weren’t planning on doing anything more than that. But from the moment we started playing together I knew it was something special and really wanted to maybe make a record. So far it’s just been friends making music to have a good time, and it’s been really amazing that people have responded at all to it.”
Descombaz shouldn’t act so surprised; The Powdery Parade is the kind of buoyant feel-good record that rock traditionalists crave and so rarely get the chance to revel in. The First Prize Killers’ blend of sturdy acoustic guitar strums, incendiary Replacements-styled lead breaks and the occasional cheeky vocal harmony or sloppy brass accompaniment provide the ideal case study in shambling folk-rock done right. The carefree tunes of The Powdery Parade seem particularly suited for the summer time, when one would be hard pressed to find a better soundtrack for back porch Midwestern lounging.
The First Prize Killers craft refreshingly unpretentious music that’s focused squarely on memorable hooks as opposed to the fashionable posturing that seems to dominate so many other bands’ agendas. “I think that we all started out as just fans of music in general,” explains Descombaz. “That’s the catalyst for even playing music. We’re just a bunch of music geeks that want to make music ourselves. It seems to me like if you’re in a band that’s saying ‘we’re always gonna wear identical suits,’ or ‘we’re gonna do this specific form of garage rock’ then you’re just really putting unnecessary limits on yourself. We don’t ever think like that, we’re just trying to make music for ourselves that we enjoy. If other people like it that’s great, but we would probably be doing the same thing anyway if no one was there to hear it.”
As the band continues to pick up steam locally, Descombaz is audibly excited about the prospect of further happenings in the First Prize Killers’ increasingly busy musical world; a second album is already nearly completed and slated for release this winter. “There are no concrete plans for the band at this point,” says Descombaz. “Everybody hasn’t discussed it that much yet. The band’s been this really sort of precious thing so far and we kind of don’t want to ruin it by taking things too seriously. Still, I really would like to try and do some things like tour a bit at some point, the reaction has been so nice that I think it kind of inspires everybody to think, ‘hey, maybe we should keep going with this.’ Considering we went into this thing with no expectations at all, everything’s just been icing on the cake.”
The First Prize Killers play Fri., July 18, at Lee’s Liquor Lounge opening up for Ol Yeller. 9 p.m. 21+. 101 Glenwood, Mpls. 612-338-9491.
They also play the next night Sat., July 19, at Eclipse Records with Millimeters Mercury and Autumn Leaves. 7 p.m. All-Ages. Free. 1692 Grand Ave, St. Paul. 651-698-0908.
|
|
 |
|
|
Comments -
Post Comment |
|
The comments are owned by the poster. We are not responsible for its content.
NO comments yet! Be the first!
|
|
|
