A Dirty Dozen with PRISM B!TCH – February 2021

According to a recent press release: “Emerging rock quartet Prism B!tch has released their new single “Starlight” from their debut full-length studio album, Perla, out March 5th. Ruminating on the fragility and beauty of existence and death, ethereal vocals blast off over lush instrumentation, a bold drumbeat, and a soaring guest solo from Built To Spill frontman Doug Martsch on “Starlight.” The band also released a space-themed DIY music video to accompany the rock anthem, directed and edited by guitarist Chris Walsh. Prism B!tch – Lauren Poole [bass, vocals], Lilah Rose [keys, guitar, vocals], Chris Walsh [guitar], and Teresa Cruces [drums, vocals] – hop from robust riff-ery to sticky sweet hooks before dipping back into moments of distorted bliss and warm melodies. With no shortage of unexpected thrills, the four-piece constructs something of a sonic rollercoaster on Perla. Each band member’s personality shines on the 11-track independent collection – produced by Toshi Kasai [Foo Fighters, The Melvins] and recorded at Sound of Sirens Studio in Los Angeles.” We get the band to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Our newest release “Starlight” is a rock ballad off our first full-length album, Perla (out March 5th), giving us the opportunity to take the listener on a journey spanning different vibes, tempos, and feelings throughout the songs. This newest single is about life and death, and being human. In the video, we feature each member’s baby pictures and family members, which is a little hidden nugget showing our youthful selves.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

We’ve all been into music since we were young. We had family, friends, and siblings that kept music alive in our homes. As we grew up, it looked like the most fun you could have, so we gravitated towards making music through lessons, theatre, band, and choir.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Teresa was guided by progressive rock and folk by Queensryche and Indigo Girls. Lauren was inspired by zany weirdos like The B52’s, The White Stripes, and Bjork. Chris was guided by alternative rock from The Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana, and Lilah was influenced by pop-punk anthemic rock from Blink-182 and Taking Back Sunday.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Take any of the band’s above and put them in a blender.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

We’d call in Freddie Mercury because he’s a genuinely inspiring talent with a performance flare and an electric voice.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

When people say “I love chick bands” it’s very cringey… we’re just a band, period. Our music is energetic, fun, upbeat, athletic and sometimes silly. It’s catchy with harmonic melodies layered with unexpected pockets of sludgey heaviness.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Lauren cooks, Chris cracks out the guitar, Teresa makes sure there’s liquid fun, and Lilah keeps the place clean.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Bob Odenkirk, he made us hot dogs and let us swim in his pool.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician is traveling and touring. Dream jobs if we could no longer be musicians: Teresa would own a drum/coffee shop, Lauren would produce movies and own a café, Chris would direct movies, and Lilah would act in movies.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

We want the interviewer to ask about our animals, and to answer they’re all doing fine and are well loved. Then we’d show you pictures of them, and you like it. We’re tired of answering how we got our name.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

We had an opportunity to tour Europe, but we weren’t sure we could swing it financially. In retrospect after 2020, we don’t want to pass up any opportunities to travel outside the US.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Lilah would choose Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles, Chris and Lauren would choose Surfer Rosa by The Pixies, Teresa would choose Moving Pictures by Rush. All of these albums influenced us to want to be musicians.

BONUS QUESTION – Due to the current world situation with COVID-19 / quarantine / shelter in place, what have you discovered you miss the most from your life before the pandemic struck?

We miss traveling, touring, performing, making friends with people in line for the bathroom, seeing our moms and family, and saying “what’s up” at a bar casually, to list a few.

PRISM B!TCH LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

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Category: Interviews