Prom Nite is equal parts jagged and jangled, but all out rock. There is a brash, youthful energy to the quartet’s explosive post-punk sound, driven by tight buckshot beats, sharply hammered guitar riffs, and unbridled shouts that burst through the blasé with an impish assault. Last year’s full-length debut, Where Is It? There Is It! honed their propulsive sound into catchy but uncompromising tunes that rise from the belly of Nineties alternative with a renewed force, and has us eagerly anticipating their next album set for release later this year. You can catch Prom Nite this Friday, May 9, at the Scoot Inn with Crash Gallery, L.A.X., and Taunto.
Profile: Prom Nite
Year Formed:
Fall of 2005
Members/Instruments played:
Dusty- Synths (Roland MC-303 & Microkorg); Aaron- Bass/Vocals;
Alex- Drums;
Neil- Guitar/Vocals
Former Bands/Side Projects:
Other than our high school bands which usually didn’t last past 9 months, but somehow we believed would rule the world someday - none.
Albums:
“…Thanks for the Words” - (2006) - Rants and Blips
“Where is It? There is It!” - (2007) - Rants and Blips
“Dressed for Success” - (Projected release date: Early Fall 2008) - Label: TBD
Just a brief note on Rants and Blips - It’s basically our own label that we put together to release Prom Nite albums.
Influences:
We were all children of the 90’s, so EARLY 90’s grunge (ie: Nirvana, The Melvins) was naturally what motivated us to all buy guitars at age 11 or 12.
To be honest, the entire band is very diverse in tastes, you probably wouldn’t ever see us at the same show. Sorry to summon the cliche, but we didn’t really put the band together with a certain pre-existing band/sound in mind.
To forbid dodging the question though, you can hear everything from Youth Brigade, Le Shok, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Dismemberment Plan. The aesthetic kind of evolved into a more roots punk Clash-esque sound that collides with a very sporadic indie twang.
Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:
Someone wrote a blurb on us as being “KGB Spies,” sort of bridging the gap between dance punk and thrash punk thing. That was pretty charming, being that we aren’t really that shady of dudes or anything. We’re still waiting for someone to flat out say, “Man, you guys suck.” Then we can infiltrate their CD collection to find out how to really be cool.
Favorite local bands:
To just name a couple, Prayer for Animals, Watching the Moon, Crash Gallery, The Boxing Lesson, The Homicides and of course we have to give a little love to the Team Fabrication DJs. There’s all sorts of good bands in Austin.
Favorite local venue:
Emo’s and Mohawk. Good people book/work there.
Upcoming shows scheduled:
May 9th @ the Scoot with Crash Gallery and L.A.X., In July we have a supertight bill at Hole in the Wall with our friends Peel, and iKillcars - we also have a couple regional shows booked throughout the Summer.
Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see:
Blood on the Wall, No Age, Liars, all kinds of shows.
Some of your favorite albums from the past year:
Whatever they may be, we’re sure that they’re probably in your collection too. Come to a show and ask us!
Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:
We all believe that we wouldn’t have to work anymore if we could just hop on that upcoming New Kids on the Block tour.
Austin Sound questions:
Y’all have a new album coming out soon. What can you tell us about it?
So the record is called “Dressed for Success”, it was originally titled, “We Are Ready To Believe You.” It’s a very prized possession for everyone in the band, because the songs are straightforward, energetic, and to the point. There’s going to be 10 tracks and it’s clocked just under 25 minutes. The previous LP, “Where is it?, There is it!” was mainly a “reinvention” gem that we put together when we finally began to have a clear vision on our sound, so there were tracks on it that were also on the first EP. We threw that one to the people for free. This time, with “Dressed for Success,” you’re getting us in the fullest confidence and hearing us truly grasp our artistic direction and capabilities. We all probably tossed out 5 or 7 songs that were reaching completion, but didn’t make the cut. Our idea was to make this our “shorty” LP that never had a dull moment. Tons of bands do this. Most of those albums are amazing and become personal favs to the listeners. It’s kind of cool because if you popped it in the car when you left the house, by the time you got to the party, you’ve listened to the whole thing. There’s kind of a “punk” swagger that goes with putting those type of albums together, no matter what genre you’re in. Then again, maybe we’re all just too busy…and broke.
So does anyone in the band have any really good prom night stories?
Fun fact: 3/4 of us all went to the same school, which in turn means the same prom. The idea of a “prom night” is frighteningly ambiguous to us. It’s youth-oriented. Everybody does it. Even in all the movies with the high-school setting, the goth kids got out there and danced to Boys II Men. The stage is set, but aside from that, anything goes. Our sound and concept is the same way. We don’t plan it, we have other things on our minds. Dusty is probably thinking about cooking, Aaron is discovering some new juice-remedy, Alex is excited about the latest game he got for is Wii, and Neil is dramatically worried about something very minuscule.
Song Introduction:
“Where is It! There is It?” - Another fun fact: So the promo CDs of this album title track didn’t have it on the disc formally, it was a hidden track basically because we finished it at the last minute. No time to throw it on the promo sleeve. When the record was actually released, it was the first song and included in the track listing. So if you were looking for it (hence the name) - surprise! It was there if you went to a show and got a record. When we finished this song, we knew what direction we were heading in - it was the perfect jump-off point to the new LP.
Sound Off:
We’re all pretty much humorous and weird, but also very nice guys. When it is time to play, it’s kind of like Sylvester Stallone in Over the Top, you know, the arm wrestling movie? It’s like a switch. Stallone turns his hat around before a good ‘ol arm wrestle and it’s serious business. Kinda the same for us, just minus all the hardcore masculinity. The energy is where it counts, but we keep a mutual understanding that it’s a different kind of energy. It carries a lot of respect and trust. We work off of each other as opposed to just working. Prom Nite is what it is because we put our efforts just as hard into the relationship as we do into the music. Just like really good players, people recognize that, and we hope that’s something the audience can look forward to at shows along with our sweating, singing, jumping, etc…Ciao!
Mp3 from Where is It? There Is It!
Where Is It? There Is It!
Websites:
www.promnitemusic.com
Myspace
