Prick was an American

industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten ...

band, founded in 1992 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

by guitarist and songwriter Kevin McMahon, after his first project Lucky Pierre disbanded. The first line-up of the band featured McMahon on vocals and guitar, Chris Schleyer on guitar and Andy Kubiszewski on drums. The band was known for its

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

and new wave influences.

History

From 1989 to 1992, Kevin McMahon lived in Los Angeles and continued to write songs after the dissolution of his previous project, Lucky Pierre. In 1992, started a new unnamed project and recorded four demo songs with

Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer. He serves as the lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and principal songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, wh ...

, a longtime friend and a former Lucky Pierre member who found success with his new project, Nine Inch Nails. These songs were recorded in Reznor's Le Pig studio and featured a re-recording of a track from Lucky Pierre's 1988 ''Communiqué EP''. After Reznor was fully immersed in the recording of Nine Inch Nails' second album, ''

The Downward Spiral ''The Downward Spiral'' is the second studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on March 8, 1994 by Nothing Records in the United States and Island Records in Europe. It is a concept album detailing the self-destru ...

'', McMahon went to England to collaborate with British producer Warne Livesey. Meanwhile, he was joined up with guitarist Chris Schleyer and drummer Andy Kubiszewski, who was known for his involvement in the bands

Exotic Birds The Exotic Birds was an American Synthpop music group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, in 1982 by three Cleveland Institute of Music percussion students (Andy Kubiszewski, Tom Freer and Timothy Adams Jr.) They wrote their own music, an ...

and Stabbing Westward and recorded eight songs with them. The band signed to

Nothing Records Nothing Records was an American record label specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992. It is considered an example of a vanity label, where an artist is able to run a label with some ...

of Interscope, a vanity label founded by Reznor and former Lucky Pierre manager

John Malm Jr. John A. Malm Jr. is the former manager of Trent Reznor and his band Nine Inch Nails. He was also a co-founder, along with Reznor, of Nothing Records. Early career and collaboration with Trent Reznor Malm grew up in Cleveland and completed a deg ...

The band completed their first record. In 1994, McMahon assembled a live band for this project. The new line-up featured Kevin McMahon on vocals and guitar, Chris Schleyer on lead guitar, Sebastien Monney on bass,

Brian Kehew Brian Kehew (born September 22, 1964) is an American, Los Angeles-based, musician and record producer. He is a member of The Moog Cookbook and co-author of the ''Recording The Beatles'' book, an in-depth look at the Beatles' studio approach. L ...

on keyboards and Sean Furlong on drums. The band performed under the name Riverhead in clubs in Los Angeles, unbeknownst to Nothing/Interscope Records. Kehew eventually left the band after 3 shows and was replaced by

Paul Roessler Paul Roessler (born August 27, 1958) is an American musician and record producer. Roessler was a prominent member of the L.A. punk scene during the late 1970s and 1980s. He played keyboards in bands such as The Screamers, Twisted Roots, 45 Gra ...

in late 1994. The band subsequently changed its name to Prick and released its debut 7-inch single, "Communiqué", which was followed by the band's self-titled debut album in 1995. The album sold 66,000 copies. The track "Animal" became a minor alternative radio hit and its music video was released at the same year. Furlong and Roessler were fired from the band in 1995.

Garrett Hammond Garret Hammond was the drummer of the Chicago-based alternative rock bands Kill Hannah and Prick. Career Hammond drummed for the band Prick, which was signed to Nothing Records owned by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. Hammond drummed on sele ...

replaced Furlong on drums and

Dave Ogilvie Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer, mixer, songwriter and musician. The former member of bands Skinny Puppy and Jakalope started his recording career in Vancouver working as an engineer at Mushroom Studios. He has been described by ...

was hired for live programming. The band performed as a supporting act to

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

, alongside Nine Inch Nails on

Outside Tour The Outside Tour was a tour by English rock musician David Bowie, opening in September 1995 and lasting over a year. The opening shows preceded the release of the '' 1. Outside'' album which it supported. The tour visited stops in North Americ ...

in 1995. In 1996, McMahon played guitar for three Nine Inch Nails shows on Nights of Nothing tour and was backed by them on two Prick tracks. In 1996, McMahon moved to London to record a follow-up Prick's debut album. Nevertheless, the label did not support his efforts for the second album, due to creative differences and McMahon's reluctance in producing a more radio-friendly effort. Prick was subsequently unsigned from Nothing Records. In 1999, McMahon was able acquire the publishing rights for his songs from Interscope. In 2002, he released Prick's second studio album, '' The Wreckard'', independently through Lucky Pierre Music's official website. At the same year, he assembled a new line-up for the Prick, consisting of Greg Zydyk on guitar, former Lucky Pierre member Tom Lash on bass and Andy Kubiszewski on drums. The band briefly performed in 2002 and 2003.

Band members

;Current members * Kevin McMahon - vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums (1992-2003) ;Past members *Chris Schleyer - guitar (1993-1997) * Andy Kubiszewski - drums (1993, 2002-2003); live programming (2002-2003) *Sebastien Monney - bass (1993-1997) *Sean Furlong - drums (1994-1995) *

- keyboards (1994) *

- keyboards (1994-1995) *

- drums (1995-2002) *Tom Lash - bass (2002-2003) *Greg Zydyk - guitar (2002-2003) ;Past live members *

- programming (1995)

Discography

;Studio albums *''

Prick Prick may refer to: * Prick (manufacturing), a style of marking tool * Goad or prick, a traditional farming implement * Fingerprick, a wound for blood sample * ''Prick'' (slang), vulgar slang for human penis or a derogatory term for a male * ' ...

'' (1995,

) *'' The Wreckard'' (2002, Lucky Pierre Music) ;Live albums *''Boston Live'' (2009, Lucky Pierre Music) ;Singles *"Communiqué"/"Crack" (1994, Nothing Records) *"Animal" (1995, Nothing/ Interscope Records)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups from Los Angeles Alternative rock groups from California American industrial rock musical groups Nothing Records artists Interscope Records artists