LBC CenterStage Quiet is the New Loud A Conversation With Terry Prine by Sander Roscoe Wolff Photos by Ira Lippke Terry Prine is front man, guitarist, and main lyricist for Greater California, a Long Beach based band that just released their first self-produced album, The Little Pacific. With Kari Prine on Hammond organ and electric piano, Paul Sakry on drums and percussion, and Nick Benich on bass and guitar, the group weaves haunting melodies, introspective lyrics, and swaying rhythms into a gentle psychedelic tapestry that respectfully references the past, but has a distinctly modern sensability. LBC: Lets talk about the new album a bit... How did the songs come together? Terry Prine: We had formed as a band in July of 2000 and had actually planned to record our 3 song demo before ever playing out live, so we had written half the material before anyone even knew who we were, and the rest came to us while being in the studio. LBC: So these were new songs, not tunes you'd been working on at home, or at solo gigs? Terry Prine: The only song that was written previous to the forming of Greater California was 'she glows,' which appeared on the compilation 'LB Subterrenean '. All the other material was written together as a band. This was intentional and kept everything pure and true to what we sound like. LBC: How did your songs evolve into the arrangements on the album? Terry Prine: Anyone of us might have an idea or a mood we are trying to express with a song. We respect the music enough to know that individual parts aren't the focus, but rather how everything works together. And also how everything is to be perceived. That is, are we creating the right mood? LBC: Who wrote the majority of the lyrics? Terry Prine: I wrote all the lyrics for this album, with a little help from Kari, although that could change if anyone else is willing. LBC: Did you start with lyrics first, then go from there, or were there tunes in the air that you wrote words for? Terry Prine: I try to write on a regular basis without songs in mind and then later find things that work well together. It seems less restrictive this way. People have a tendency to fall in to expected rhyming patterns if they have both in mind at the same time. LBC: So, did your band mates peruse your notebooks, selecting bits they liked? Terry Prine: Not at all. Lyrics are such a personal thing to us, I guess everyone just trusts me. Our web site will be up in a few weeks and I had thrown out the idea of posting the lyrics. Nick thought it would be a good idea in that he would finally be able to figure out what the songs were about. LBC: What happens next? Terry Prine: We boil the wurlitzer, season the drums and figure out an arrangement of some of our favorite ideas that we have been working on. LBC: On a song like Camera Smiles, the arrangement seems really well crafted. Can you use that song as an example? Terry Prine: The guitar line came first, then we added lyrics based on a road trip journal entry. Next came the bass and drum parts. Then the piano line. Backing vocals were not really figured out until the studio and now they are what I think makes the song as good as it is. We try to sound as close to the CD as possible, there is nothing worse than a band that records a great CD and sounds like they just learned the songs when you see them live. LBC: Where are the CD's available, for those interested in hearing or, perhaps, buying them? Terry Prine: CDs are available at Fingerprint's in LB, Aron's in Hollywood, Rhino in Claremont and Mad Platter in Riverside, and also can be heard and purchased on the web at www.peterecords.com. For more information on the band visit: www.greaterca.com. LBC: Tell me about your involvement in the Melancholy Conspiracy? Terry Prine: The Melancholy Conspiracy was a science experiment that Rob Deeble and I had conceived a little over a year ago. We were disappointed with the environment that some of the clubs in Long Beach were producing for bands like ours and wanted to create an environment that allowed people to be recognized without having to be bombastic to get peoples attention. We also wanted to put together cohesive nights that were not necessarily restricted to just musical performances, but also poetry, performance art, film shorts, etc. LBC: I'm not sure I understand what you mean by 'bombastic'? Terry Prine: Gimmick Rock. There is a difference between someone feeling their music and someone forcing it down your throat. Volume for the sake of attention. Quiet is the new loud. People are just starting to figure that out. LBC: Is there really a significant difference in the meaning of a good lyric when its screamed as opposed to being whispered? Terry Prine: I don't think so. It really falls back on the integrity of what you are singing, and if you really mean what you are saying. Do you live your songs or [are they] what you think people want to hear? LBC: Really, though, it is a stylistic or esthetic difference, not a qualitative one, right? Terry Prine: Exactly. Although whispering does require a certain amount of attention from an audience and screaming works well for sporting events. Don't get me wrong, strong emotion in songs can be a very powerful thing. LBC: Of course... I just think that Johnny Rotten singing an acoustic version of Anarchy in the UK might lose something... But seriously, it has been a year and what has the experiment yielded? Terry Prine: We had our one year anniversary in December and it was one of the best shows that we have had to date. I think people walk in and immediately appreciate the environment that we offer to them, because it is unusual to most clubs. And the focus is on the performer, as which it should be. Everyone who performs at The Melancholy Conspiracy has been asked to play and understands that it is about the audience and the night as a collective, not necessarily about any one performer. We keep performances to 30 minutes, which is pretty short compared to other places. LBC: Have you discovered a different audience, one that might be less inclined to go to a club show? Terry Prine: We have definitely discovered a different audience. We want everyone to feel like they are our guests for the evening and not just a $5 bill. We want people to be able to discover not only new live performers but also possibly new music that they have not heard before, thanks to Resident DJ Pete Styles and occasional DJ Nobody, who both cover a wide variety of Indie, 60's folk and psychedelia. We want people to leave the show feeling like they've left with something. [Editor's Note: Several days pass...] Terry Prine: We just had a great practice. Working on new material. Very Doors sounding. LBC: Which Door were you? Terry Prine: Definitly Ray Manzarek. That's my new obsession. LBC: Excellent! I always get them mixed up... He was the guitar player, right? Or was he keys? Terry Prine: Keys. I always thought of him as a musical genius. And how cool he played. We bought our organ kind of on an act of faith, not knowing who or how they would be played. I really would rather play them now, instead of guitar, but out of necessity, I remain a guitar player. LBC: Well, Kari, could learn guitar... Terry Prine: I don't think she would play guitar. She doesn't show much interest. LBC: Well, your bass player could play guitar, and you could do the left handed bass Farfisa thing, and jam with the right hand, and sing... Terry Prine: I could try, I guess. LBC: That's the spirit! So, what is it like being in a band with Kari? Terry Prine: Greater California was formed as a three piece, with Nick, Paul and I. Kari had expressed [interest in] trying to play the organ / piano as she had played when she was younger. Everyone was into adding that sound to the band, but reluctant to deal with marital mud slinging during rehersals. We took it slow and everything has worked out fine. She keeps her space as the freshman and we always try to pull her up when she comes down on herself. LBC: So it wasn't like Yoko, when she tried to muscle her way into the Beatles? Terry Prine: Thats my version and I'm sticking to it. Maybe the other guys will have a different story. Terry Prine: Actually it is one of the most incredible experiences to share. She has started to delve into writing her own ideas, both musically and lyrically. It has been really cool for me to watch her and witness as she realizes this vent that I have been trying to explain to her. She is finally beginning to see it. LBC: Has her exploration of that creative outlet helped to bring you closer? Terry Prine: Sure. LBC: So, will she be fronting the band with some of her new tunes? The audience would love it! Terry Prine: We always joke about her being the only photogenic person in the band. Kari is actually too shy to do something like that. It's not her style. LBC: So, tell me about your bass player. Terry Prine: Nick is an original American mod, grew up in Garden Grove and has played in bands since he was 14. Probably best remembered in the band Too Many Joes during the famed Bogart's days. He is an avid Brian Wilson & Beatles fan. Actually the name Greater California came from a cover of a Brian Wilson memorabilia book. Nick named the band. He is the most tasteful guitar player I have ever known. I could even say that I like his guitar playing better than mine. LBC: He, like you, seems to favor hollow body instruments. Why is that? Terry Prine: They have that old warm brown sound. LBC: Expound, elucidate, and explain! Terry Prine: Brown. Just the feel and the sound of a hollow body. Nostalgic I guess. It's what our heroes played. I've had my Gibson 335 guitar since I was sixteen. Bought it off a guy who felt sorry for me. Bought it for $350. I'll never play anything else. LBC: (Dabbing a tear from my eye) That is, perhaps, the most beautiful story I've ever heard! *sniff* [Editor's Note: Another span of time passes before we resume.] LBC: Tell me what you think of the Long Beach music scene, and how it compares to OC, LA, or elsewhere. Terry Prine: I think the local music scene has changed lately. It feels like there is a lot more diversity in music and that people are starting to take some risks in how they approach writing music. I think people are starting to appreciate the idea of introspective songwriting and the fact that it takes some nerve to reveal personal moments on stage through your songs. LBC: Do you really think this is something new? Terry Prine: I think that it has become a little more widely accepted. Long Beach has always been known for rap and the drunken reggae style bands. LBC: I guess I never really made that scene too much. The circles I traveled in were a bit more... um... eclectic... Terry Prine: You sound sarcastic, but ask anyone outside of the general Southern California vicinity and that is what the Long Beach music scene is known for. I'm glad to say that the side that I think we both appreciate is starting to reveal itself. LBC: I try not to be sarcastic... In actuality, in my somewhat spotty musical career performing in Long Beach, I've always found that there are scenes to be made. Often, venues who value live music don't want 300 moshing yobs steaming up the place. They value musicians who draw a more contemplative audience. Terry Prine: I think this new sound is a direct result of people having an outlet to perform without prejudice and not having to worry about a heavy draw. People you can thank for that are Joe and Emily at the Que, and next Cayt and Wade at the Prospector. Every person that has played the Prospector will tell you that you are treated like family there. LBC: Sure... I guess that all I'm saying is that this is just the latest in a long series of places that did just the same thing, in one way or another. Gaga, Living Planet, and even the alternative room at Bogarts, way back when... They all catered to the same scene. The biggest stumbling block currently is the strict restrictions and guidelines on what kinds of venues can have entertainment permits. Terry Prine: Sure, but there are a lot of young bands that don't remember those places, that was probably over 5-6 years ago and this scene is becoming theirs. LBC: Sure. I guess that, if you have no sense of history, everything is new... Terry Prine: Believe me, Sander, I remember all those places, the Long Beach music scene still suffers [from] the hole that was left from Bogart's. Where now can local acts open for national touring acts in town? For a city that was founded on entertainment, it constantly blows me away how the city council can chose to ignore their potential in the LB artistic community. They seem to be more content on [confining] what they view as art into the East Village district and only the artists that can afford the rising rent costs in that area are afforded a voice. It is complete bullshit. LBC: So what do you think the answer is? Terry Prine: I like the idea that people are starting to find ways to put on shows regardless of venue. In the end, it's just going to cause more problems for the city and they have only themselves to blame. People are taking things underground., What else can they do? And without the city implementing rules on how a place should operate, it makes for a more relaxed environment anyway. LBC: But what about getting your fans, and your compatriots, to get active in local politics? How can we present a strong case to local politicians if only a small fraction of our constituency votes? For example, Frank Colona, the 3rd District council person, is coming up for re-election. He has had some outspoken views about live music in Long Beach. How can we convey to him that we have interests that need to be considered? Terry Prine: What area is 3rd district? LBC: Belmont Shore, Los Altos, Park Estates, most of the east side... It also includes diPiazza's. Terry Prine: When the city made restrictions on the Lava Lounge, it seemed like artists came together for a brief period of time to offer their resources. Unfortunately, it was too late. That would be a great starting point. It is an issue that needs to be addressed constantly through conversations, flyers, maybe even a music festival to help inform Long Beach residents and make them aware of the kind of people that they are voting into office. LBC: Well, like the "new" trend toward quiter, introspective artistic expression that you mentioned earlier, there seems to be a "new" kind of political apathy afoot. Why is it, do you think, that young people would rather work outside the system than try to change it? Terry Prine: There is an old 'beat' phrase that says: "it is not the intention of the hipster to shatter his square society, rather he elude it." It's definitely an easier route, but I think that kids, now, are starting to be accountable for their parents' mistakes and are really trying to change things. Maybe that's a little idealistic, but I believe it's true. Long Beach is a beautiful city, and I intend to stay! Let that be your threat to our City Council. LBC: Buy a house! That'll put the fear in 'em! Terry Prine: When those old Colona's and Lowenthal's and Carrol's are too old to raise their necks to the podium's microphone, John Rittermal will be their to run this city. And then you'll be glad you stayed. LBC: Who's JR? Terry Prine: He is the most passionate guy I know. In every respect. He is someone else you can thank for diversity in this scene. He's responsible for one of Long Beach's first music compilation's "long beach subterranean". LBC: I'd vote for him in a heart beat. Terry Prine: Me too. LBC: Ok, so on to the brown sound thing.... Why use old gear? It certainly isn't cheap anymore... Terry Prine: I have a Gibson guitar that I have had since I was 16. I hope to never part with it. Not everything we use is vintage. But if it's not vintage, than it's probably a reissue of some kind. And it's not just the look, but trying to get closer to the sound of past musicians that we look up to as heroes, such as The Beatles, Zombies, the Rolling Stones, early Pink Floyd, Velvet Underground, the Doors, pet sounds-era Beach Boys. You hear a lot of people use Pet Sounds as a reference, but I really think that we are justified in using it, although we are long way from vocal harmonies as sweet as theirs. LBC: You mentioned the Doors, also. Is that a new area of exploration for you? Terry Prine: Not at all! I have loved the Doors since I was a teenager, but it has recently become attainable for us as musicians to explore some of those same sounds, for instance the organ and Wurlitzer electric piano. And Paul has an incredible knack for coming up with such beautiful percussive drums parts. It feels like a new level to us. LBC: I can hear a clear psychedelic bent to your music... was that a plan, or something that arose organically from within the group dynamic? Terry Prine: It's an unintentional happy accident that we all enjoy very similar music, all being fans of psychedelia. Paul probably most. He used to play in the Untold Fables, famed garage band of LA's paisley underground scene. He has seen a lot of crazy stuff, bands and clubs that I wish I would have been able to experience. LBC: We all know someone like that... Well that brings us to the issue of... Da da da DUM... Ice cream. Terry Prine: The band is unanimously a fan of green tea ice cream. View Greater California's LBC page and events Learn more about Sander Roscoe Wolff Do you know an artist that we should feature in LBC CenterStage? We'd like to hear from you. Send us your LBC CenterStage suggestion View Previous CenterStage Features