BLACK HORROR, the first single from the long-awaited album PRAIRIE PRINCE COLOURS and PASSIONS, available NOW on all digital platforms.
BLACK HORROR credits
Prairie Prince – Vocal, Traps 1
Chris von Sneidern – Guitar, Samples
Roger Steen – Guitars (Lead Solos)
Rick Anderson – Bass Guitar 1
Atom Ellis – Bass Guitar 2
Trey Sabatelli – Traps 2
Cyril Jordan – Guitar
Joe Mirante – Vocals, Guitar Feedback
Neil Hamburger – Joke (Black)
Full Record Release (Vinyl, CD & Digital) from Label 51 Recordings … coming in early 2026. more
Black Horror
It all started at 4 years old, watching King Kong at the drive in movies; the fear, the horror. My Pop reciting and reading from Edgar Allen Poe, “the mask of the red death,” “the raven,” “the black cat,” all-consuming intrigue and terror. What at first, I closed my eyes and plugged my ears, became an obsession. Monsters ruled my world with masks, models, movies, ghost stories, and fake blood. My clubhouse and underground fort became a haunted house and a tomb for anything monstrous, creating a frightful era in early warped entertainment. To encapsulate the dark side of my love for the colour BLACK and the PASSION for horror in a recording, along with a visual companion, via video, the expression has no limits. Seeking out members of the Tubes band and some musician friends to record my vision. we all shared adoration for evil ways and set out to capture a true bloody red, in Black and white epic journey through the heart of darkness … mine. Stop, Look, and Listen … If you dare!! Ha, Ha, Ha!SIDE NOTES:
TWO DRUMMERS: Myself and Trey Sabatelli
TWO BASS PLAYERS: the late Rick Anderson and Atom Ellis
THREE GUITARISTS: Roger Steen, Chris von Sneidern, Cyril Jordan
FEEDBACK GUITAR/ VOCALS: Joe Mirante
Haunted mind games abound
witches spells cast
Monster lore chillingly told
Endless Madcap Laughing
Church Bells ringing
Coffins creaking
Sod stones knocking
Banshees wailing
Madmen screaming
Wolves howling
Mummies rotting
Phantoms lurking
Neil Hamburger joking … the Colour Black … Paint it Black!— Prairie Prince
SAN FRANCISCO – September 1, 2024 – After a lifetime in the music business, drummer extraordinaire Prairie Prince will release his debut solo album in 2025, “Colours and Passions,” a tribute to the landmark 1966 album “Colors” by Chicago voiceover artist Ken Nordine.
Prairie was introduced to Ken Nordine at an early age by older sisters who knew Nordine from his beatnik-era spoken word albums “Word Jazz” and “Son of Word Jazz.” As a youth, Prairie was captivated by the wry, whimsical world of Nordine’s vivid imagination and his slow, deep delivery. Nordine’s original “Colors” album featured thirty-four individual tracks, each devoted to a specific color. Prairie’s Colours and Passions concentrates on fourteen shades that spoke directly to the drummer.
An imaginative pastiche of percussion by Prairie Prince and musical contributions from his collaborators, much of the record was improvised on the spot. Each track focuses on a specific color and the emotions that the color evokes, an almost Jungian approach to lyrics drawn from the collective subconscious.
Recorded scrupulously over more than ten years – interrupted by the pandemic – at the historic site of Wally Heider’s Studios in San Francisco where Creedence, Santana, CSNY, and others cut classic records, the album features contributions from members of the Tubes and the Rundgren band – including bandleader Todd Rundgren himself – along with other musical associates such as Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys, Ross Valory from Journey, and Chris von Sneidern of The Flamin’ Groovies. Gonzo guitarist Buckethead plays bass on one track. The music will be accompanied by drawings of the drums he used, done by Prairie, who is as accomplished a visual artist as he is a musician.
“I started off with drum tracks and then added different percussion,” Prairie said. “I would have other people put some bass or some guitar and tried to follow whatever melodies they made up on top, trying to make songs you could actually sing. Chords and keys I don’t know much about – I’m a drummer.”
In addition to his work with the Tubes and Rundgren, Prairie was the original drummer in Journey, belonged to Jefferson Starship for several years and, as one of Northern California’s top freelance drummers, has recorded with a vast array of accomplished peers including Chris Isaak, Tom Waits, George Harrison, Dick Dale, and many others. With his creative partner Michael Cotten of the Tubes, Prairie and Cotten have designed and built stage sets for Bette Midler, Billy Joel, NSYNC, and others. They worked with choreographer Kenny Ortega on the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Super Bowl XXX halftime show with Diana Ross, Michael Jackon’s “This Is It” show, and a number of lavish Las Vegas spectacles. Their mural of flying record albums hovered over the A&M Records lot in Hollywood for many years.
Prairie Prince Colours and Passions will usher in a new era in his illustrious musical career as recording artist.
Perfect rhythms, enlightened poetry, word paintings, visual renderings: All are found in the COLOURS and PASSIONS project created by drummer and artist, Prairie Prince.
Each musical piece features a different type of drum chosen from Prairie’s collection of percussive instruments celebrated throughout the world.
Seeking a form for a solo project with guest musicians, he reached back to the 1950’s remembering Ken Nordine’s spoken word records that were favorites of his older sisters, Leslie and Helen Prince. One “Word Jazz” recording was “Colors” produced in 1966. Prairie’s project is a new take on Nordine’s work.
TRACKLIST
Inviting collaboration from fellow musicians, each musical piece has a distinct input by friends such as:
Chris Von Sneidern – Guitars/Vocals and Engineer and Co-Producer
Michael Cotten – Synth/Samples and Keyboards
Todd Rundgren – Vocals/Synths and Production
Buckethead – Guitars/Bass
Ross Valory – Bass/Vocals
Eric Levy – Keyboards
Bobby Vega – Bass/Guitars
Atom Ellis – Bass
Ton Ayres – Guitars
David James – Guitars/Bass
Brian Compton – Bass
Jim Thomas – Guitar
Kasim Sulton – Bass/Vocals
Bobby Strickland – Sax/Flute
Tia Luminosa Raimond Jones – Cello
Ralph Carney – Sax/Fugal Horn/Vocals
Beth Custer – Bass Clarinet
Jeff Tamelier – Guitars
Gil Assayas – Keyboard/Synths
Barbara Golden – Piano/Vocals
Diana Mangano – Vocals
James Deprato – Slide Guitar
Joe Mirante – Guitar Feedback/Vocals
Cyril Jordan – Guitar
Joe Dileo – Guitar
Roger Steen – Guitar
Rick Anderson – Bass
Trey Sabatelli – Drums
Michael Holman – Vocals
Nick Taylor – Vocals
Frankie Jupiter – Vocals/Piano
Jimmy Sax Taylor – Sax/Vocals
Bruce McDaniel – Guitar
Grace Yoo – Vocals
Mia Jones – Vocals
Charlie Prince – Laughs
Steve Conte – Guitars
Neil Hamburger – Joke
Vince Welnick – Vocal
Jason Scheff – Bass/Vocals
Randy Brown – Bongos
Oink – Inspiration
John Ferenzik – guitar
Jennifer Burnes – bass
Jello Biafra – vocals
Miss Biafra – vocals
Mikel Ross – scatman and trashmouth
Gregor Huebner – violin
Hugh Cornwell – vocasl and guitar on Blue Despair
This project has slowly taken shape, and now the 14 cuts accompanied by Prairie’s artistic renderings of the various drums, have been completed and are label ready. Contact Prairie for more information about the future of this recording.
