Hesta Prynn: Why Everyone's Talking About Her

Hesta Prynn (or as I like to refer to her: Coolest Person Alive), is almost set to release her debut full-length record. I had a chance to get some details from her about the upcoming release. She also talks about working with Chuck Brody, Playboy, and Sara Quin.



I have to ask you about your name. I LOVE it and I've always wondered where it came from. I was discussing it with a friend who told me about The Scarlet Letter, a famous novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The main character is named Hester Prynne, is there any relation?

Yes when we decided to form Northern State I was really drunk and the first thing I said is "let's not name it something over the top feminist like Hesta Prynn" (which was me making a hip hop joke about Hester Prynne) and it stuck.


You are not signed to a label correct? Not unlike a lot of artists/bands I listen to. As long as artists are able to get fans out to shows and sell merch, such as you've been able to do, is there a need for label support?

I'm not signed to a label yet but I will be pretty soon. Even then though I really like having fans involved in my music. As an artist you really work for your fans, not your label and I like making them feel involved and part of my project because ultimately it's all for them.


On the material you released with Northern State there were political and feminist themes. What are some themes covered in your upcoming record?

My new album has political and feminist themes still but they're not as overt. I'm really experimenting musically and I think the main theme of this record is about blending genres - live drums vs programmed drums, vocals vs bass, modern vs vintage. The theme of this record is less lyrical and more musical.

The first single off your record, "Can We Go Wrong", is being called "electro pop". I'd say it's a fitting description. It's very high energy, an awesome dance track. Is this the overall feel of the record?

The record is very energetic and all of the songs have pop structure but even on that song there are live drums and lots of live instruments - even the vocal effects were done with a space echo which is a vintage analogue delay machine so even tho it sounds "electro" it's actually quite live.


Is the team that you worked with on the 'Civil Sheppard' EP the same one you worked with on the full-length?

It's basically the same group but it's expanding to include more and more people. More talented and exciting artists get in touch weekly so there's a lot of people I hope to collaborate with.


I know you and Chuck Brody have a long history. He's produced so many great records. He's worked with Ra Ra Riot, Lykke Li, You Say Party We Say Die - the list just goes on. What is it like working with him?

We basically fight and make everyone else feel awkward! Just kidding (kinda). We have similar taste but come at everything from completely opposite sides. We meet in the middle on everything and that middle ground is where all the dopest stuff comes from. Lots of bickering but we both know we've kind of found our life writing partner. I'm REALLY lucky about that even tho he drives me bananas!


Sara Quin also did production on your new record. She's mentioned that she's very meticulous and a bit of a perfectionist when approaching her own music. Was this similar to the experience you had working with her in the studio?

Sara is amazing and really fast. She doesn't have tons of comments but her comments are ALWAYS right on. She's an incredible songwriter and really a fabulous producer because of it. She can hear a song and know exactly what's missing, what needs different arrangement, what needs to go and what needs to come back in. It's pretty amazing watching her work, her talent is ridiculous.


I saw you tweet that you were working on Playboy's 'Rock the Rabbit' this year. Can you tell us anything about the project?

Yes we are designing an exclusive Hesta Prynn tshirt for Playboy. I just saw the finished version and it's amazing, my favorite piece of merch I've ever seen basically! I love the Playboy brand and have a lot of respect for them and it's really exciting that they've kind of taken me under their wing.


Now I loved the 'Civil Sheppard' EP and I love your new single and am very excited about the new record. But I also loved you as a MC- because I think what Northern State did was make hip-hop relatable to women, it was refreshing. I'm scared to ask but, are you done with hip-hop?

I think hip-hop has evolved and I've evolved with it. The best new hip-hop is really genre-blending. The days of an MC and a dj have passed in my opinion - it's been done and been done great. I prefer to bring hip-hop into what I'm doing now. I still rap a bit on this record tho.


I follow Hesta Prynn's Hot List! It's hilarious. I was wondering if you could do a little hot list right now. What are some things in entertainment you're into right now? What are some you hate?

I luv the new Tool Academy, I watched the season premiere last night at like 2am and it was dope. I was way into Jersey Shore but that's kind of passed already. I'm not really into this whole Tiger Woods thing, nor am I into the Olympics. I basically spend all of my time working and the rest of my time watching horror movies. I love Eli Roth, Joel McHale, Maz Jobrani and Ruby Rose.



No title or release date yet for Hesta's record but she says she will keep me, and therefore you, posted;)


photo by: Sara Quin
(photo on widget by: Shervin Lainez)

LINKS! Where Hesta Prynn is, you want to be:
http://myspace.com/hestaprynn
http://twitter.com/hestaprynnmusic
http://hestaprynn.tumblr.com/
http://hestaprynn.bigcartel.com (MERCH!)

Indie Rock My Valentine

Well I don't have a "valentine" but I love you all. And I'm not sure if I had a girlfriend I would even celebrate this "holiday". The things people do to celebrate Valentine's day are literally things they should be doing like every other weekend or so. It's a shame if you can only get it up once a year buddy.

Now, I shall woo you with my "would be" Valentine playlist!

(not ALL these are "indie" and/or "rock" but most are)

"Burn, Don't Freeze" - Sleater-Kinney
"Arrow" - Tegan & Sara
"Electric Feel" - MGMT
"Lost Without You" - Robin Thicke
"Valentine" - Kina Grannis
"Love Gun" - The Cliks
"Lay Lady Lay" - Bob Dylan
"I Want You" - The Beatles
"Autograph" - Sick of Sarah
"Sex Type Thing" - Stone Temple Pilots
"And I" - Ciara
"Your Little Secret" - Melissa Etheridge
"I Can Be" - Aaliyah
"Dance With Me" - Hot Hot Heat
"What It Is To Burn" - Finch
"Catch & Release" - Silversun Pickups
"Skin On Skin" - Queens of the Stone Age
"Hold The Door" - Armor For Sleep
"Ocean Avenue" - Yellowcard
"Still In Love" - The Stills

ok....so all these aren't exactly "love" songs. But they express what we are feeling at any given moment around this time: love, lust, anger, regret and frustration. This post is for everyone, not just those in love.

So check out these songs. Maybe you'll just fall in love with your ipod all over again. When's the last time you showed your itunes some appreciation? Told it to play something new? Well me and my Walkman have a hot date! Later days dudes!

Happy New Year!!! My Personal '09 Recap

Hi, how are you? Hungover? Yeah...me too, crazy party last night dude! Ok, I was at work BUT I have had some crazy NYE throw downs (also, not true), so I know that at this moment the last thing you want to do is read some long drawn out blog post. I dig it! I dig the energy, how about a quick recap!?

Jan/Feb: Tegan & Sara's Macbeth shoes come out a week early and everyone's all freaking out like "omg omg they sold out!" "oh no Sara's are sold out in my size"! And I freak out and tell my friend Jaime to get me a pair of "Tegans" ASAFP!


March: Thanks to a post by Trish Bendix on Afterellen.com I discover Sleater-Kinney who are now my favorite band!
I also attend my first Sick of Sarah show! Love at first face rock!


April: Silversun Pickups release Swoon, which I will still not listen to for another four months so...moving right along!
And I now attend my first 'Cliks show!!! Which is a show I suggest you all go see at least once cause it's amazing. Lucas' powerful voice filling up an entire venue with his own shredding guitar as his only competition...brilliant!

May: I see Sick of Sarah again! Also, excitement builds in the Tegan & Sara fan community as pre-production of what would soon become Sainthood begins!

June: IT'S MAH BIRTHDAY!!! I get a tattoo, see An Horse AGAIN, TnS & Co. begin recording Sainthood and The Cliks release Dirty King!
Gossip also releases Music For Men with a delicious looking album cover might I add;-)

July: Death Cab For Cutie puts on an amazing show at The Hollywood Bowl!
And you know who we haven't heard from in all of 5 minutes? That's right! Tegan & Sara were there too!

August: Mutemath releases Armistice, one of the best records of the year! And I finally listen to Swoon which was released 4 months ago and was also one of the best records of the year. The TnS/Tiesto collabo, "Feel It In My Bones", makes it's debut on the interweb. I also posted my first interview ever to/for this blog with Lindsey Byrnes. O I saw Sick of Sarah AGAIN. This was a good month!


September: Everyone had a birthday and Tegan & Sara (o look who's back) premiered 6 tracks off Sainthood to a VERY approving audience.

Footage from http://youtube.com/wojo4hitz

OCTOBER: BEST.MONTH.EVER. Went to see Sick of Sarah, yes, AGAIN! At that show I discovered The Action Design, and am still obsessed with them. I saw An Horse AGAIN, and Silversun Pickups for the first time ever and it was the best show I've been to so far!

After MUCH anticipation Sainthood is released!

November: ....I got nothing...


December: Ugh! Christmas music! JUST saying, not my thing. Not even Fucked Up can get me to voluntarily listen to a Christmas song. Not even when they have it action packed with awesome bands/singers! O yeah I need to throw some movies in here: Bitch Slap, Avatar, and It's Complicated are all "must sees" apparently.

A book I have to now recommend to everyone after reading it this month, 'The Lovely Bones'. Absolutely brilliant. It's very very very sad but an excellent read! I also recommend going to see the movie in theaters Jan. 15.
Well that sums up my year. Obviously Tegan & Sara win for the "In Your Face" award. People always attack TnS fans by calling them obsessed. It's clear to me after experiencing my first full year as a fan that they are obsessed with their fans too. It's a mutual vibe. I can't think of another band quite as present as they constantly feel the need to be.

I need to read more this year. Any suggestions? I can count on one hand how many books I read this year.

New Music: Expecting new music from Sick of Sarah, Kaki King and Nine Inch Nails this year! Pretty excited about that!

Chatting With Em (The Action Design)

If you missed Sick of Sarah's 'Sleep When You're Dead Tour' this past summer I feel so bad for you! SoS' two supporting acts Donora and The Action Design were just fantastic live. I had never heard of The Action Design prior to this tour. I was hooked right away! The songs are fun, energetic and sometimes really sad. While the lyrics can sometimes be part of a sad story, they are always fun to sing along to, and the choruses, always catchy. Em is just a ball of energy, and you can't help but want to be apart of the vibe she's pulling you into. She moves around the stage and keyboards just a little bit less than Emily Haines! It really was a great show, one that I left with 2 tAD records and no SoS merch, which is saying a lot about tAD's performance that night!



Hello Em! Thanks for doing this. This really means…more than you know! Thank you so much!

Hey, no problem at all! Thanks so much for interviewing me!



I’m a new tAD fan. I just discovered you guys when you played with Sick of Sarah at a Michigan show in October. You guys blew me away! Absolutely amazing! How was it touring with Sick of Sarah?

Wow, thank you! It was super fun touring with Sick of Sarah – they’re all so friendly and fun to hang out with. We were like family, taking care of each other through all the van breakdowns!



I also love the Tsunami Bomb material a lot as well. Although Tsunami Bomb was a punk band, I found the tAD tracks and the TB tracks to be quite complementary to each other. When bands break up it’s usually hardest on the fans, but since I personally felt I could easily transition from one band to another sonically; I was wondering if the Tsunami Bomb fans did the same. Do you believe that a lot of the tAD fan base is made up of TB fans?

I feel like a lot of our most loyal fans came with us from Tsunami Bomb, but overall I’d say it’s a pretty good mix of TB fans and new tAD fans.



Another amazing thing about you guys is that you seem to be all about the personal touch. The online store is full of hand-printed artwork! That’s pretty great. How do you come up with all the designs/ideas? What inspires you? How do you even have time to sew, print and design all these orders individually!?

Ha ha, I just don’t have much time for anything else! For imagery, a lot of times I draw inspiration from the lyrics or from a concept that the band is into at the time. I want to do more with the sewing… I’ve got a few more ideas I haven’t completed yet!



This is a silly question, but as I mentioned I am a new fan. You seem to be extremely artistic and all of the items you design are awesome! You obviously have a gift for design as well as music. I have to ask, does your love of design/art have anything to do with your band’s name?

No, I didn’t even think of that! I do enjoy doing design work, but that came from necessity. The band name is more an expression of productivity and positivity.



When did you realize you wanted to be a singer/musician?

I wanted to be a singer when I first heard punk rock years ago, which came to me in the form of Green Day. I loved it SO much that I just wanted to be part of it – at the time, I never thought it would be such a big part of my future!



What are some of your early musical influences?

Aside from Green Day, I’d say Rancid, No Doubt, Tilt, MxPx… my parents always listened to The Beatles, James Taylor, and Huey Lewis & the News when I was really little, so they always have a place in my heart as well.



Are you into any current bands?

Morrissey, Metric, Phoenix… mostly I’ve been listening to vinyl lately, and my collection is a lot of old yard sale/thrift store stuff. My current favorites are Dolly Parton, Cat Stevens, The Faint (NOT a yard sale purchase!), Michael Jackson’s Thriller… and random bullfighting music and burlesque music from the 50s.



I’ve been keeping up with tAD’s Youtube channel as well. I have to say the new material you guys are working on sounds SO GOOD. Can you tell us when we could possibly hear a new tAD record?

Soon, very soon! Well, not a whole record I suppose, but we do have 2 songs that we’re going to unveil when they’re ready.



And for the last, most hard-hitting question of all! Is Jaycen’s last name really “Mckissick”? Also have you ever known anyone to spell it “Jaycen”??? If this is too personal feel free not to answer :p

Ha ha, I like how this is the most hard-hitting! Yes, his last name is definitely Mckissick. And I’ve never seen any other Jasons spell their name like him! There’s only one Jaycen in my life!



If you love yourself be sure to check out the live performances below, especially the unplugged performance of "Tokyo Train", and if you don't love yourself do it for me, cause I love you;-)

http://myspace.com/theactiondesign
http://theactiondesign.com
http://twitter.com/theactiondesign

photo credit: Trish Leeper

Landmines (Live, posted by 'mrbayag')


Tokyo Train at Fearless Music


Pale Horizon at KDHX

Lucas Silveira: Better Than Ever

Lucas Silveira is pretty much the man. And it doesn't matter how many line-up changes The Cliks experience the core won't change. Lucas is the heart and soul of The Cliks. The guy's also a sweetheart! Not only did he get the answers back to me in an hour (record!), he also told me I could send in more questions! Well I hope you enjoy the read. It's a very revealing, sad and yet...optimistic look into the mind of Lucas Silveira.


I saw you guys play in Detroit about a month and a half before Dirty King came out. The show was amazing! How was that mini-tour? Were you at all nervous about playing new material live for fans before they had heard it?

The mini tour was unbelievably exhausting to my recollection. Short time and all you can do on the road crammed in 7 days. After that show in Detroit we drove straight to Columbus and got lost because your main highway was closed. It was a nightmare! And then arrived at 6 am, had to wake up at 10 AM and do a live radio show and play 3 songs, then go to a sound check at 1 PM. Can you say tired?

As for fans hearing the material, I think live is always the best way to introduce people to your music, so no, not nervous.More excited than anything.


I read that The Cliks actually released a debut, self-titled record in 2004. I have to admit I was not aware of this. Is this record available? If not, any possibility of a re-release?

Yes, this is true. It was an entirely different band. Actually, every Cliks album has a different band so that's a little telling. Ha ha.

There's only 1000 copies printed and I think I have about 50 left for keep sakes. You can get it online digitally though http://www.thecliks.com on the Maple Music website.

As for re-release, anything is possible, but not planning on that right now. I don't like working backwards.


I know that 2005 was a really tough year for you with that 'Cliks' line-up parting and also a lot of sad things happening in your personal life. That experience would have broken most people. How did you get through that?

It was indeed a hellish year. I've learned from that experience that it sometimes takes those bad experiences to break you down so you can build yourself back up again and I think that's what I did and am still doing. I got through that with music and some really good friends & a loving family. I'm lucky that way. I think I'm still recovering from all that because I think when trauma hits your life like that, your body holds it and releases the sadness slowly when you're in a better place so that you can handle it. So I still have bad days from remembering all of it but nothing you can do but move forward.


When you decided to transition did you have any fears or concerns about what effect that might have had on your music career?

Of course. It was my main concern. Before I came out, I completely resigned myself to the fact that I would never be successful because of coming out as a trans man. I would always do music for the love but I told myself mainstream success was going to be out of the question. Then I come out and 6 months later we got signed. I sometimes think when you stop trying so hard to be something you're not, that's when things fall into place.


I'm so sad about there not being a True Colors tour this year! And wow what an AMAZING line up last year! Did you get close to any of the other bands on the tour?

True Colors was indeed an amazing experience. The best I've had so far. I kept in touch with Brian Viglione of the Dresden Dolls and thank god I did because now he's the new drummer for The Cliks! Whoopee! I'm also pals with Margaret Cho and actually just wrote a song with her for her new album and of course have kept in touch and email often with the Queen herself, Cyndi Lauper. She's been an immense support for me.


You guys hooked up with Sylvia Massy for the production of Dirty King. She's responsible for half my ipod; from Tool to Johnny Cash to System of a Down! The woman is brilliant! How did you guys end up working with her? What was that experience like?

It was through an engineer named Mike Philips who worked at Radio Star studios that we ended up in Weed, California to record the album. He had let her hear Snakehouse and she loved it and emailed us and said she'd like to throw her hat in the ring to produce the next album and how could we say no to that? It was an amazing experience. I learned a lot about myself as a songwriter there primarily and realized that no matter how many machines and tools you have to record an album, a good record comes from good songs and that's what Sylvia taught me.


Since the most recent 'Cliks' line-up broke up you've actually been more visible/active on the web. You also seem to be interacting with fans more. And judging for your tweets it seems you've been having more time for family and friends. I know you're a bit of a workaholic, did this break-up turn out to be a much needed vacation for you?

I think my visibility on the web was always something I'd wanted to do and yes, I do it a lot more now. With the old band I really felt that I had to censor a lot of what I did. It was harder to be myself because I felt so much jealousy coming from them unfortunately. So I would sort of hand it over to them and they would do nothing. In the years that they were in the band I think they wrote maybe 1 or 2 blogs and they were very forced. They didn't feel the same way about fans that I did. It was actually part of the tension between us. I love the fans. Without fans, artists have no one to connect what they create to. Morgan and Jen resented a lot of their fans and typically only took notice of the ones that were musicians.

I have had a long forced break and yes, it's what I needed. It's like the saying goes, when one door closes another one opens and I'm doing a lot of self work right now and realizing what I actually need as opposed to what I want out of life.

The relationship I had with them was toxic to the point that Jen felt justified in sometimes uttering transphobic comments. I haven't talked about it before but feel it's due time I come out about it because it was so hurtful. There's no good that comes from a band mate calling you "it".

Sad.


So earlier this month you revealed the new 'Cliks' line-up, which includes Tobi Parks (Bambi) on bass, and Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls!!!) on drums. That's exciting! Any plans to start touring Dirty King again?

Yes, we're doing 2 shows this year as sadly that's all that was available at this point in the game. Brooklyn NY December 11th and Cambridge MA December 12th. Tours take months to plan so now we'll be hitting the road again in March of 2010 and finally touring the album.


I have a question from one of your fans (and twitter followers), Fireboltx:

Having had so many line-up changes in your band how easy or difficult is it to adjust to newly recruited band members, past and present?

This new line up was actually the easiest most natural change I ever went through. It's easy to feel good with the people you play with when you see they want it as bad as you do, and Brian and Tobi really do. We had 1 rehearsal for the show we did in DC and it was the best show I have ever done in my entire Cliks career. They're pros and their energy is on the money. It's not about ego, it's about music.

The band before was a lot more difficult. When I went from Heidi Chan and Ezri Kaysen, who were the original Cliks, into Morgan and Jordan, the second line up, I had a tough time. Morgan took a hired hand attitude to being in the band, like a job, even though she wasn't a hired hand and Jordan, well, that's a long story.

The addition of musicians as we went along was also difficult because everyone was always 20 steps ahead in expectations and that is what made them fail as band members. The work comes first, the reward, later. They didn't want to put their all into it and eventually got tired of waiting.

I think this new line up is completely different in that capacity because they've actually done more work already than any other band members I've been involved with and I need that kind of support because a band isn't just what happens on stage, mainly, these days, it's what happens off stage. That has to be solid because if it isn't, what happens on stage ends up falling apart.


One more question. Other than Lady GaGa, who are some of your favorite current bands/artists?

I'm actually so into the rnb and hip hop side of music right now because I feel like a lot of rock music is going to the birds.

I love the crap out of Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna, TI, Kid Cudi and outside of that I love the Arcade Fire, Bloc Party but mainly I am obsessed with an artist by the name of Geo Wyeth with a project called Novice Theory. He's a trans guy and on Testosterone and has been able to retain his singing voice so that has given me a new perspective on that whole situation.

Sainthood: Mass Review

Exclusive: A Moment With Trish Bendix!

Afterellen.com's music blogger Trish Bendix has kept me up to date for some time now with her column "Soundcheck" on the site. She's interviewed Missy Higgins and Tegan Quin, two of my favorite people (and yours)! So I was honored when she agreed to answer a few questions for me. I really didn't need an introduction, after you read this interview you will see why I wanted to interview her and why she's one of the coolest people....ever. YEP.


How did you begin working for Afterellen.com? Was this before or after you started "The L Blog"?

I started writing for AfterEllen as a freelancer, covering music. Eventually, I started the music column, SoundCheck, and when ScribeGrrrl left the position of Blog Editor, the powers that be asked if I'd be interested in working for the site full time. The L Blog started after, for Chicago lesbians, separate from AE.


As a music blogger you have to cover a number of genres to please your readers. What kind of music are you actually into though?

I really do like most kinds of music, or at least some artists in each genre. I find, though, that my favorites are those that are more eclectic and mix genres, usually bands that have a pop edge to whatever kind of music they are actually making: folk-pop, dance-pop, indie-pop and hip-hop and R&B, which are just innately filled with some pop. I go through phases, sometimes, and right now I've been really into the country-tinged alt-rock like Brandi Carlile and Neko Case. My girlfriend (an addmittedly huge metal head) and I are really into Jace Everett's album, too - he sings the twangy theme song for "True Blood," which I think sparked the latest obsession.


You've done SO MANY interviews and articles over the years, is there one in particular that sticks out in your mind?

I once interviewed Missy Higgins backstage before a concert after watching her do a soundcheck. She had just recently come out as bisexual, and I was glad to get her to open up about my favorite song, "Secret," of hers, which was about dating a closeted girl. Tegan, of course, is a great interview, and that's because she's not afraid to answer anything. Molly Siegel of the Baltimore indie band Ponytail was really refreshingly honest and laidback, and both gay women of The Gossip (Hannah and Beth) were awesome. It was right before they blew up huge and were playing a tiny venue in Chicago. Beth was eating chocolate cake and bought me a coffee. Oh, and Sia right after she inadvertently came out in a UK gay men's mag.


Can you name three people that you want to interview that you haven't yet?

I'm hoping to get an interview with Brandi Carlile ASAP and would also love to talk with Carrie Brownstein and Joan Jett. Probably Sam Ronson, too, because she's been thrown into this crazy position of high-profile lez and I bet she'd be an interesting interview.


How do you feel about "Women In Rock" features/articles (and things of that nature)?

Ah, such a loaded topic. In general, I do not think they turn out to be much more than "These women are great - for women!" It would be a wonderful world if we didn't have to have specific issues dedicated to women because they had equal coverage everywhere else. The same could be said for lesbians: We have AfterEllen.com because we need it.


In my opinion this has been a great record release year (at least for indie rock). I haven't found myself listening to so much current music in years. Could you tell us a few of your favorites so far?

Some of my recent gay faves: Telepathe - "Dance Mother," Brandi Carlile - "Give Up the Ghost," The Gossip - "Music for Men," Tegan and Sara - "Sainthood" and Dance Yourself to Death's debut. Despite being semi-closeted, I'll also say Lissy Trullie's been a mainstay. I also love Ladyhawke and Little Boots, both rumored gays but otherwise, just really awesome musicians.


My blog is all about indie music/bands (for the most part). Are there any indie bands you think people should be aware of? Perhaps some local Chicago acts?

Chicago is lucky enough to have two great indie bands with lesbians in them: Bound Stems, The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir. We also have an awesome lesbian rapper named Psalm One who is on the Rhymesayers label with Atmosphere and some other hot MCs.


Favorite Sleater-Kinney song/record? (Oh you so knew that was coming)

Album: One Beat, Song: Jumpers - it used to be my ringtone