Three Stars: Pree

Find them online: http://www.myspace.com/musicforpree

See them next: At the Black Cat on March 19th for their CD release show

Buy their album: On March 24th (or at their CD release show)

Questions for Pree

We first heard about Pree last summer. How far back had you started writing the material?

MT: I think I started writing while we were on the road a bit with Le Loup and there was nothing really to do in the van and just took a break from work in December and started writing at home and then went out to San Francisco and wrote a couple songs there. And I guess in between the March and April tour that we had with Le Loup I started working with John Thayer from Exit Clov and then we met back up again in the summer and started recording.

I know that he used a lot of cool effects like shaking a jack-o-lantern for percussion. Chris, had you tried to use the jack-o-lantern or was that a one time only thing?

CD: Well I think I tried to use it once and I didn’t know how to do it. It’s still over there. Still full of plasticware. So one day it might be resurrected.


MT: Probably closer to Halloween.

CD: Closer to Halloween, yeah.

Did you guys all know each other before playing together?

CD: Not really.

VD: Well, we (signals to May) knew from having gone to college together.

MT: And having lived together for a couple of years. And met Chris when he was playing with Fever. And we got together to just play for fun and ended up working out and decided to play together for Pree. (Looks at David)... and you sold me that guitar amp, right?

DB: I sold you an amp, yes. A long time ago.

So how’d you get involved, David?

DB: My only success story ever of finding people to play with on Craigslist. It’s always been an absolute nightmare. But they had an ad up and I responded.

MT: And the rest is history.

How long ago did you get signed to The Kora Records?

MT: I guess we started talking in, like, August and I emailed Mike at Kora a couple of the songs that John and I were working on and he seemed to like them and said, “Get back to me when the EP is wrapped up.” And so I guess in September I sent him the tracks and he said that they’d be interested and ended up signing us in October. It’s coming out a month from now, the 24th of March.

Was it the four of you recording on that, or was it mostly you and John?

MT: I guess it was mostly the two of us and then we had Tom Hnatow from These United States come in and play bass and dobro and Susan Hsu from Exit Clov played violin. So yeah, it was four or five people working on that but John did most of the engineering and drums of course. But then he moved up to New York so I had to start from scratch as far as forming a band goes. And it ended up working out really well, so, I’m pretty happy with the lineup.

Where’d you record?



MT: Exit Clov had a studio set up in their basement in their house in Arlington.

From what I’ve heard of your music it seems to be a departure from any of the bands I’ve heard you guys in. What would you say influenced the songwriting for Pree?



MT: I would guess more folk elements were involved. Well, working with Le Loup I guess was more electronic and I guess it’s just different because there are fewer people involved so it wasn’t quite as loud and energetic as the experience goes. The bigger influences would probably be Joanna Newsom and Modest Mouse. Regina Spektor, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison. And I guess we’re still evolving as far as the sound that we’re looking for goes. So I think the full length will probably be a little bit different.

How would you say that things have evolved since the newer members have come on board?

CD: Well I think if you listen to the EP a lot of the songs have evolved a lot just from us playing together. We took a lot of the same parts and sort of the same style but it’s a lot louder because there are a lot more drums in the live setting than there are on the record. A lot of the parts are played more energetically, I guess. The record’s real laid back.

MT: I think we sort of make it a different experience than just listening to the album just cause I know I don’t like it when bands play exactly everything that’s on the album live. I think it’s cool to have something new that they weren’t necessarily expecting just to have it be a different experience.

VD: A lot of the songs have evolved. We’ve played different versions, sort of honing in on the version that we like. Which is cool. Even changing instruments on some songs, just moving things around.

Have you gotten feedback from people that have been watching you as well playing different versions of the songs?

VD: I’m not sure if they really notice it. Maybe a little bit.

CD: We played the song “Old Form” in about three or four different versions and I don’t think anyone’s ever commented.

VD: But they haven’t heard the newest version and when they do they’ll be like “Oh! Where did this song come from?” Actually, we’ve been playing it. And then Mike commented on the one song that we switched to melodica.

DB: It just has a lot more of a lusher sound. It’s more dense, a lot more texture.

VD: I feel like we’ve slowly built the songs up instead of just meshing everything together and sorting through it. We’ve started really simple and just sort of added parts.

Are there any venues that have been particularly fun to play in? Through other bands you all have probably exhausted most of the venues in DC.

CD: I really liked playing at Galaxy Hut. That was a fun show for me. That place is rad. It’s just really tiny and I felt like I had my own little corner bordered by a window and a table...at which people were sitting. Where I rested my sleigh bells.

VD: Everyone there really gives you the full attention.

CD: They have no choice.

VD: I know! But in a lot of bars that are small people can talk and be loud and not really pay attention. I feel like they were listening mostly.

CD: It’s such a no pressure venue. I mean, there’s no stage and everyone that works there is super nice. So that’s really fun.

MT: I like Iota a lot. I think the sound there is fantastic and they’re really friendly. And also you get really attentive crowds. Everyone just gets quiet and actually listens as opposed to at a lot of bars. Where else... well, Black Cat Backstage is a lot of fun, too.

CD: They give you a lot of beer there.

Is there a tour in the works?



MT: Yeah I think we’re going just down the East Coast, starting in New York or Philly and going as far south as Athens or Atlanta. As much as we can pack into a week because I think that’s about as much as we can get off from our respective jobs.

Out of curiosity, what are your respective jobs?

MT: I work for a research firm that does work for the American Cancer Society. So I’ve been there a few months now, it’s worked out well.

CD: I teach first grade. So, spring break, summer, free time off!

VD: I do DNA typing at a bone marrow center for transplants.

DB: I just recently left music retail. I sold guitars for years and just now am getting a desk job. Just admin. For Clemens* International. It’s a Good insurance firm downtown.

CD: Working stiff.

DB: Gotta do it.

One thing I’ve noticed about D.C. music is that there seems to be a whole lot of collaboration between bands. I feel like this is a good example of people coming from different places working together. Do you feel like that’s been the case across the board? Are there certain bands that you feel an affinity with?

MT: I’d say so, yeah. It’s definitely one of the perks about it being such a small close-knit city in terms of how the music scene goes is that you are able to become close friends with other bands in the area and have other musicians be involved in your project. So we’ve had people from Exit Clov and These United States come and help out. David Klinger played flugelhorn at our last show at the Black Cat so I don’t know, we just try to get as many people involved as we can. Because, I mean, the resources are there.

VD: I think it’s pretty easy to cross-pollinate. You’ve (motioning at May) done work with a few other bands recently, too.

MT: Right, I recorded with Bellflur over at Inner Ear a couple weeks ago and I played with Olivia Mancini on Friday over at the Black Cat so it’s been a lot of fun to get to know some other musicians in the area.

Is there anything that you’d like to see happen in D.C. music?

CD: I’d like to see more alternative venues. Like, I know the folks at Civilian Art Project put shows on. More places like that that are multi-use spaces that aren’t bars. I’d like to see more of that. Like, La Casa used to do shows but now they’re sort of not as receptive. I think they’re doing some remodeling or something. Like that guy who does The Lighthouse. That place is really cool. I’d like to see more of that.

MT: I hope that more bands will come to surface in the area because I definitely think there is a lot of interest in having a music scene develop here. So, the audience is definitely there. And there are people involved that are putting shows together and working behind the scenes and recording videos or that sort of thing for ed concerts so there’s definitely a lot of potential for it to kind of expand. So I’m looking forward to that in the next few years.