The Prids are an American

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band based in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, led by former couple David Frederickson and Mistina La Fave.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described them as specializing in "a moody form of indie rock influenced by '80s

college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

stalwarts",. and their influences include

the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...

Unrest Unrest, also called disaffection, is a sociological phenomenon, including: * Civil unrest * Civil disorder * Domestic terrorism * Industrial unrest * Labor unrest * Rebellion * Riot * Strike action * State of emergency Notable historical instance ...

the Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they rele ...

, Built to Spill,

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is c ...

and

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

. The Prids are known for following a strong

DIY ethic "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

, including the home recording of several of their records, booking their own tours and running their own Portland label collective, This-a-Way Records.

History

The Prids were founded in the small town of

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

, in 1995 by Frederickson (guitar, vocals) and La Fave (bass, vocals). The band name was a reference to a pet name that Frederickson had for La Fave. The group continued to develop in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

and

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

, and in Lincoln, they befriended Harry Dingman III, guitarist of 1980s post-punk band

For Against For Against is an American post-punk/dream pop band from Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Despite numerous lineup shuffles and some periods of dormancy, the band has produced material steadily since 1984. History Something of an anomaly in Midw ...

. After adding Jairus Smith (drums) and Trenor Rapkins (keyboards), the band relocated to Portland in November 1999, and released their debut EP, ''Duracraft'', in 2000 on the Death Tech Music label, featuring cover artwork by Dingman. In a contemporaneous live review, ''

the Portland Mercury ''Portland Mercury'' is an alternative bi-weekly newspaper and media company founded in 2000 in Portland, Oregon. It has a sibling publication in Seattle, Washington, called '' The Stranger''. Contributors and staff Editor-in-chief: Wm. Steven ...

'' described the Prids as: "Imagine if My Bloody Valentine and New Order decided to collaborate when they were both at their peaks". Their second EP, ''Glide, Screamer'', was self-released in 2002. Drummer Lee Zeman replaced Smith for their debut full-length album, ''Love Zero'', released on May 6, 2003, by Luminal Records. In 2004 Eric Hold replaced Smith, and the band released two 7-inch singles on Luminal: "Let It Go" and "Shadow and Shadow". In 2005, the band added drummer Joey Maas, replacing Zeman. The Prids signed with

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

-based label Five03 Records, who released a second album, ''...Until the World Is Beautiful'' (August 29, 2006) and a third EP, ''Something Difficult'' (October 9, 2007). Hold then left the band, replaced by Maile Arruda. On July 20, 2008, the Prids were involved in a serious highway accident while driving south from

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. All four members and two of their significant others were injured to varying degrees, and their van and gear were destroyed. In the aftermath of the accident, fans and friends worldwide donated over $16,000 to help the band with medical bills and equipment costs, and Five03 released a digital-only benefit/tribute album, ''Dots to Connect: The Music of the Prids'', featuring Prids covers by A Place to Bury Strangers, the Suffocation Keep (with Brett Nelson of Built to Spill),

The Upsidedown The Upsidedown is an American alternative rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. The band released their debut album, '' Trust Electricity'', in 2004, and reissued it on vinyl in 2020. The album has received national attention, and ...

Entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...

Helvetia (band) Helvetia is an American independent and experimental alternative music group from Seattle, Washington. The name Helvetia is the female personification of Switzerland, the childhood home of Jason Albertini. Musical career Jason Albertini star ...

and others. In 2009, the Prids issued the song "Break" on a split single with Lookbook. The band's third album, ''Chronosynclastic'', featuring guest guitar from

Doug Martsch Doug Martsch (born September 16, 1969) is an American singer and musician. He is best known for his distinctive vocals and guitar playing style in the band Built to Spill. Career Martsch's first band was Farm Days, with Andy Capps and Brett Nels ...

of Built to Spill, was released on the

Velvet Blue Music Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

label on June 11, 2010. In 2015, the Prids (with drummer Gordon Nickel and keyboardist Cass Yates replacing Zeman and Arruda) celebrated their 20th anniversary as a band, and announced plans to release a fourth album.

Members

* David Frederickson -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

(1995–present) * Mistina La Fave -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, vocals (1995–present) * Geordie Thompson -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(2019–present) * Cass Yates -

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, bass (2014–present)

Former members

* Trenor Rapki - keyboards (1998-2001) * Jairus Smith - drums, keyboards (1998-2004) * Lee Zeman - drums (2002-2005, 2009-2015) * Eric Hold - keyboards (2004-2007) * Joey Maas - drums (2005- 2009) * Maile Arruda - keyboards (2007-2015) * Gordon Nickel - drums (2015-2019)

Discography

Studio albums

*''Love Zero'' (2003, Luminal Records; 2006, This-A-Way Records) *''...Until the World Is Beautiful'' (2006, Five03 Records) *''Chronosynclastic'' (2010,

; 2011, This-A-Way Records) *''Do I Look Like I'm In Love?'' (2018, This-A-Way Records)

EPs

*''Duracraft'' (2000, Death Tech Music) *''Glide, Screamer'' (2002, self-released) *''Something Difficult'' (2007, Five03 Records)

Singles

*"Let It Go" 7-inch (2004, Luminal Records) *"Shadow and Shadow" 7-inch (2004, Luminal Records) *"Something Difficult" 7-inch (2008, Catastrophe Ballet) *"Break" split 7-inch with Lookbook (2009, Poison Apple Records)

Compilation appearances

*"Persona Solara" on ''Portland Mercury Presents Compact Disc of Sound'' (2001, Portland Mercury) *"Contact" on ''New Dark Age Vol. 2'' (2004, Strobelight Records) *"The Problem" on ''Dark Awakening Vol. 5'' (2006, COP International) *"One Thousand Five" on ''A Compilation of Portland Music Volume 5'' (2008, Failing Records) *"Fragile" on ''Songs From a Sonic Land'' (2010, Reverb Records) *"I'm Sorry" on ''Friends and Acquaintances'' (2013, Cassingle and Loving It) *"Lie Here" on "Portland Cream Vol.1" (2016, Voodoo Doughnut Recordings) *"Adore" on ''Got That Feeling, a Tribute to Skywave'' (2015, The Blog That Celebrates Itself Records)

Tribute albums

*''Dots to Connect: The Music of the Prids'' (2009, Five03 Records)

References

External links

The Prids official site

The Prids label This-A-Way Records

Velvet Blue Music Prids page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prids, The American post-rock groups Indie rock musical groups from Oregon Musical groups from Portland, Oregon Musical groups established in 1995 1995 establishments in Oregon