Hyperbolic excess notwithstanding, New York based singer/songwriter Brook Pridemore is, pure and simple, a rock and roll poet. His hard-driving brand of folk-infused punk (or is it punk-infused folk?) is overwhelmingly energetic, right down to the last string-breaking strum. He has one of those smart-ass voices that demands you listen to every last invective syllable, knocking out sharp pop-culture references left and right and calling out the glorified hypocrites driving this misguided bus. Think This Year’s Model meets Richard Hell, Ed Hamell, and Bill Monroe.
I caught his live show at Brooklyn’s Bar 4 back in the fall and since then have been keeping my eye out for something noteworthy to pass on, and wouldn’t you know it, he’s got 2 New York shows coming up in the next few weeks. He’ll be playing the Sidewalk Café on June 17, and then again on July 5. The shows are coming at the end of a long national tour supporting his 2006 album The Reflecting Skin, of which Pridemore proudly boasts, “I'm not fucking kidding when I refer to this disc as my Double Nickels on the Dime”. Prior to that Pridemore had released 2 albums, Metal And Wood and First Name Last Name, both released on Crafty Records. No word yet on whether either is his What Makes A Man Start Fires?
Bio, shall we?:
Brook Pridemore was born on the lowest rung of the middle class in Detroit, MI. Obsessed with melody from the get-go, he banged on pianos, drums and whatever else he could find, until he was got his first guitar at the age of fourteen. Arguments erupted over influences, genres and who would play what, and bands dissolved quicker than you could say "artistic differences." As the Nineties ground to a schreeching halt, Brook found himself clean-scrubbed, wide-eyed and brandishing a shiny new acoustic guitar. Actually, it wasn't very shiny at all, it was black, but it served its purpose. He wrote a whole batch of songs about his favorite bands, girls he wanted to meet, and people who had done him wrong.
On The Reflecting Skin, Brook Pridemore strives to put the PUNK in punk-folk, tries to play his guitar like a drum set, and, hopefully, earns redemption. Eleven danceable folk songs that'll make you dance. Serious metaphor buried in nonsensical jargon and cheeky pop-culture referencing. Brave new world.
Here’s a track from a new compilation being put out by Crafty Records called Three Dollar Gallon, which will also feature songs from Guitar Bomb, The Max Levine Ensemble, Captain Chaos, Ivan Sandomire, Yeterdays Pants, and The Stick Martin Show.
Brook Pridemore’s Myspace for lots of great music. First and foremost, listen to “Absolutely Zero Potential”.
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And check out Brook at Crafty Records Punk Rock BBQ:
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