American Princes
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Little Rock’s American Princes have taken a big step forward with their upcoming release titled, Less And Less. Unlike the title would imply, the band really delivers on this new disc after a solid effort on their self-produced debut, Little Spaces. Initially self-released, the record was reissued on Yep Roc late last year to help the band get a bit more attention for all their road work leading up to this new title. Along the way they’ve had multiple tours (most recently with Lucero) and performed during CMJ.
Less and Less is full of exuberant crescendos, with driving progressions, unassuming yet expertly wielded with a fiery passion and genuine love of rock and roll. Combine this honest approach to songwriting with a no-holds barred all out live show, and you get some seriously memorable and shatteringly explosive rock music.
With the help of producer Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse, Comas) at Sound Of Music Studios in Richmond, VA, The Princes (David Slade, rhythm guitar and vox, Collins Kilgore, lead guitar, keys and vox, Matt Quin, drums and Luke Hunsicker, bass guitar) really honed in on some key musical nuances, and expanded upon their musical vocabulary.
David Slade explains, “The key concept behind Less and Less is the deconstruction of the idea of the indie rock subculture that we take refuge in present yourself as something you're not in order to have people like you. I think, consciously or not, this record was our attempt to distant ourselves from that mentality. It was our means of 'keeping it real,' as the teenagers say.
2005 was an extremely busy year for the Princes; a year of pushing all the limits, of learning the ropes of what it takes to be a full time touring band, and most importantly, the year the band had an epiphany about the nature of rock n' roll, and the associated dogmas that go along with it. 2006 brings “Less and Lessâ€, and finds the band letting go of the constraining
The Little Rock, by way of Brooklyn rockers have indeed been living the rock ‘n’ roll dream, and taking notes along the way. Please take the time to give Less and Less a spin.
For more info or press inquiries, contact Yep Roc Records: Lily Olive (Publicity) 336.395.1141; lily@yeproc.comBand/artist history
AMERICAN PRINCES formed when Little Rock, Arkansas welcomed three New York City transplants with open arms in early 2003. “It was the worst trip of my life,†says David Slade, rhythm guitarist and co-vocalist. “We decided to try and live cheap (‘cheaply’) so we could focus on writing music so we packed up my truck and headed south. The only problem was that the engine blew up 45 minutes into our move, leaving us stranded at a TGI Friday’s in New Jersey. We were stuck there for three weeks.â€
Slade, then-bassist John Beachboard and drummer Matt Quin finally made their way to “the Rock,†where they holed up in an unheated country shack, spending their days writing songs. Enter guitarist Collins Kilgore, a local whose tasteful guitar leads, songwriting savvy and tolerance for liquor quickly made him an indispensable part of the equation. Now a foursome, the band released We Are the People in August of 2003 on Max Recordings and hit the road for a nationwide tour that carried on through a bleak January swing through the Midwest.
Undaunted by the ice and snow, they headed back into the studio. By summer 2004, the Princes released a second full-length, Little Spaces (also on Max Recordings) and once again hit the road. By early 2005, the band had completed 3 tours in support of the album and found itself with a new bassist, the dashing and chain-smoking Luke Hunsicker.
It also found itself pursued by Yep Roc Records. At the end of January, ’05, American Princes had played in Memphis and ran into their friends in Lucero.
“We handed Ben [Nichols, Lucero’s frontman] a copy of our CD at our show and a week or two later, Glenn [Dicker, head Yep Roc honcho] was hanging out with those guys. The way we heard it, Lucero put on Little Spaces in the car one day and he heard it and was interested enough to track us down,†says Collins Kilgore, lead guitarist and co-vocalist.
Signed to Yep Roc Records in 2005, the band went into Richmond’s Sound of Music studio with producer Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse, Denali, The Comas) to record their Yep Roc sophomore release. The resulting album, Less and Less, shows a band hitting its stride, taking advantage of higher production values and showing off layered, more mature songwriting.
After recording, the Princes hit the road in support of Yep Roc’s re-release of Little Spaces and undertook a grueling tour schedule. They performed multiple festival gigs, a stellar 2005 CMJ set, and ended the year on three week tour with Lucero.
After a year of pushing the limits and beating the odds, 2006 brings the release of Less and Less and finds American Princes confident and road ready, with their live show perfected and their best material before them.Contact
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