Artist InformationBiography
The Teenage Prayers have been blowing audiences away with their genre-bending brand of rock and roll for going on ten years, and they continue to gain steam.
Their first album, “Ten Songs”, featured a track produced by 60’s soul legend Solomon Burke, who flew the band cross country to work with them in LA. Their sophomore effort, “Everyone Thinks You’re the Best”, was produced by Dream Syndicate frontman and indie rock progenitor Steve Wynn, who fell in love with the band after they opened for him at a club gig in New York City.
Along the way, they’ve kept up a rigorous touring regiment, developing powerful followings across the Midwest, throughout New England, as far south as Atlanta and as far west as Los Angeles, sharing the stage with the likes of The Hold Steady, Radar Bros., The Detroit Cobras, Nicole Atkins, Eli Reed & The True Loves, Deer Tick, Hymns, multiple appearances at SXSW Music Festival and a coveted recording session with Daytrotter.com.
Currently, The Teenage Prayers are hard at work on their third full-length album, which they are recording at Camp Street Studio with Paul Q. Kolderie (Pixies, Radiohead), and mixing at Tree Fort Studio (Vampire Weekend, MIA) in Brooklyn NY.
SELECTED PRESS
DAYTROTTER.COM: Tim Adams inflects his voice with some of the soul of a Nathan Willett and a Jim James when he sings about sex as well as escape and being lost in the cluster, and his bandmates help to create a sound that is rambunctious in its meaning and energy, giving off sparks and the kind of cleansing, sweaty movement that all good days should have at least a little bit of or they’ve been wasted. The Teenage Prayers makes sure that theirs – the prayers and all of the things that actually did happen – weren’t in vain.
ALL MUSIC GUIDE: Everyone Thinks You're the Best is a rocking good time, executed with soul and conviction, and ultimately a wonderful endorsement for a band that must be a blast in a live setting.
BOSTON HERALD: “A” - If you’ve bounced from Marah to the Hold Steady to Art Brut looking to recapture the high you get from discovering fresh, 24-karat rock ’n’ roll, you need to freebase New York’s Teenage Prayers… this Steve Wynn-produced follow-up clobbers cool and catchy with maniacal rock brilliance.
TWANGVILLE: Imagine a soul band playing CBGB’s and you’ll have a sense of the Prayer’s sound. The Brooklyn-based group serves up a potent blend of soul and hard rock that will get you dancing until you collapse from exhaustion.
BRUCE WARREN WXPN-PHILLY: Frontman Tim Adams comes with the drama and energy so lacking in indie-rock these days and his brother Terry is adept at riffing on soul music as he is with the classic rock. The songs on this album promise you a bright future should you indulge.
POPMATTERS.COM: Bucking the "nostalgia band" trend by being authentically nostalgic, the Teenage Prayers cause you to give blessings to that raw, purely enthusiastic adolescent music fan in all of us.
BROOKLYN ROCKS: The forthcoming sophomore release from The Teenage Prayers hasn't left my CD player for the last week. The band's music is somewhat of a throwback to the 70's but it touches on all points of the spectrum. There are elements of Cheap Trick, New York Dolls, Queen and California funk-rock on this disc.
UNDERRATED MAGAZINE: If these guys started their own religion, it would get you to stand up and sing. Trust me. I did it.
POPMATTERS.COM: Solomon Burke must have sensed that waft of tension in the Teenage Prayers' irony-free delivery -- their calculated smoke signals suggest they're searching for the secrets of the real showmen, not just fanatically aping them.
BOSTON PHOENIX: Frontman Tim Adams sing-shouts are a cross between James Brown and Isaac Brock
TROUSER PRESS: One of the most soulful indie rock outfits to come out of New York in years...
CITY BEAT, CINCINNATI: Their riffs have a sort of visceral simplicity, somewhere between the Rolling Stones and the Presidnents of the United states of America. Add the piano/organ and the juxtaposed guitar parts and a stew thickens. When you pourin the soulful vocals, the mixture becomes too thick to stir, but the Prayers are just going to start a food fight with it, anyway.
The Teenage Prayers Timeline
October 24, 2009 – The Teenage Prayers song “Time”, an unreleased track off of their upcoming third album, is featured in supermodel Cameron Russell’s Day of Action video campaign for the climate change awareness site 350.org.
October 2009 – The Teenage Prayers play two showcases as part of CMJ Music Festival.
October 2009 – Mixing work on The Teenage Prayers’ third album begins at Tree Fort Studio (Vampire Weekend, MIA) in Brooklyn
September 2009 – The Teenage Prayers begin work on their third album at Paul Q. Kolderie’s Camp Street Studio in Cambridge MA.
September 2009 – The Teenage Prayers tour the Midwest with Chicago’s Brother George
September 3rd, 2009 – The Teenage Prayers perform in front of a sold-out audience at The Bowery Ballroom alongside members of The Strokes, The Killers, Fountains of Wayne, Longwave, Nicole Atkins and more as part of Rolling Stone Magazine’s The Smoking Section’s PETTYFEST.
August 2009 – The Teenage Prayers’ song “I’m in Love Again” licensed by The Gap for use in a behind-the-scenes video on the making of their “Born To Be Unexpected” campaign.
May 2009 – The Teenage Prayers tour the Midwest, culminating with a show opening for The Detroit Cobras.
May 21st, 2009 – The Teenage Prayers perform at Mercury Lounge alongside members of The Strokes, Fountains of Wayne, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Hymns and famed bassist for Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue Rob Stoner as part of Rolling Stone Magazine’s The Smoking Section’s DYLANFEST.
April 2009 – Alter Eco, a series produced by and starring Entourage’s Adrian Grenier, features The Teenage Prayers songs “I’ll Never Let You Go”, “I’m in Love Again” and “123” in multiple episodes.
April 2009 – Daytrotter.com releases 4-song live session by The Teenage Prayers
January 2009 – Twangville and The Boston Herald name “Everyone Thinks You’re the Best” one of the Best Albums of 2008. Radio station WDUB names the record Album of the Year.
December 2008 – The Teenage Prayers open for Radar Bros. (Merge) at NYC’s Mercury Lounge.
November 2008 – Teenage Prayers frontman Tim Adams composes instrumental music for “Still Bill”, a feature documentary on the legendary Bill Withers.
June 2008 – Teenage Prayers frontman Tim Adams composes instrumental music for Wisdom, a documentary featuring Clint Eastwood and Robert Redford.
May 2008 – The Teenage Prayers sell out Schuba’s in Chicago on first night of two week tour.
May 2008 – Planet Green network approaches The Teenage Prayers to license multiple tracks off of “Everyone Thinks You’re the Best” for use in new documentary series about eco-friendly living.
March 18, 2008 -- The Teenage Prayers officially release their second CD "Everyone Thinks You're The Best" to strong reviews and initial sales.
March 6, 2008 -- The Teenage Prayers begin 17 day tour of the mid and southwest, including 4 shows at SXSW.
March, 2008 -- "Good Voodoo" used by PUMA for in-house brand commercial.
February 7, 2008 -- The Teenage Prayers profiled in PopMatters.
February 5, 2008 -- The Teenage Prayers "I Like It" featured in NPR's nationally Syndicated "World Cafe Live" radio program heard on 200+ radio stations.
February 4, 2008 -- The Teenage Prayers are #6 most added record at CMJ.
January 2008 -- The Teenage Prayers featured in WXPN Bruce Warren's blog "Some Velvet Blog."
January 2008 -- The Teenage Prayers "I Like It" featured on New York City rock station Q104.3.
December 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers announce their return to Lakeside Lounge for a residency in January 2008.
November 2007 --The Teenage Prayers "Good Voodoo" included on Planetary sampler "Stranded in Stereo Vol. 7"
November 9, 2007 -- The Boston Herald praises The Teenage Prayers for their "indie soul reinvention" in the article "From Survival to Revival: Sweet Soul Music is Flourishing Again."
October 20, 2007 -- Teenage Prayers play the Massachussets Museum of Contemporary Art.
October 16, 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers play a CMJ Showcase at Arlene's Grocery.
October 7, 2007 – The Teenage Prayers play Oktoberfest in Harvard Square, over 5,000 standing by to watch the band.
September 27, 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers perform in studio at WOXY.COM in Cincinnati.
September 19, 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers perform in studio at Minnesota Public Radio's The Current.
September 14, 2007 -- Teenage Prayers embark on 16 city tour of the midwest and east coast including Chicago, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Columbus, Charlotte, and Detroit.
August 25, 2007 – The Teenage Prayers and Steve Wynn debut "Hazel Motes" a side band playing rockin' gospel.
August 25, 2007 – The Teenage Prayers play the After The Jump Fest organized by influential NYC music bloggers.
August 9, 2007 – The Teenage Prayers open for The Hold Steady and The Big Sleep in Brooklyn's Prospect Park to over 4,000 people.
July 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers play live on WERS-FM Boston.
July, 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers featured in Frontier Airlines in flight magazine Wild Blue Yonder
July 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers "Center of the World" licensed for use in the upcoming film "Jack and Jill vs. the World" starring Freddie Prinze Jr.
July 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers "Center of the World" licensed for use in the upcoming film "Jack and Jill vs. the World" starring Freddie Prinze Jr. (currently in post production)
June 1, 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers nominated for Band of the Month in The Deli Magazine.
April 1, 2007 -- TheTeenage Prayers featured as the NHL.COM Connect Band of the Month.
March 27, 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers selected as Featured Artist on Reverbnation.com.
March, 2007 – The Teenage Prayers play 4 successful shows during SXSW week in Austin, TX.
March 1, 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers profiled in The Deli Magazine.
February 24, 2007 – The Teenage Prayers return to Raleigh/Durham, NC to play at
Slim's Downtown and make a return appearance live on WXDU-FM.
January 19, 2007 – The Teenage Prayers perform live at WMBR-Cambridge on Joan Hathaway's "Three Ring Circus."
January, 2007 -- Paul Kolderie (producer for Hole, Radiohead, etc.) signs on to mix The Teenage Prayers second album.
January, 2007 -- The Teenage Prayers confirm 2 showcases in Austin TX during SXSW.
December, 2006 -- WOXY.COM names "Ten Songs" one of the "Best 97 of 2006" in their year end album picks.
June 2006 – The Teenage Prayers make their Los Angeles debut at the infamous Viper Room. Solomon Burke attends.
November, 2005... Trouser Press Magazine calls the Teenage Prayers "one of the most soulful indie rock outfits to come out of New York in years."
November, 2005... Pop Matters calls "Ten Songs" ' a rough-edge soul bloodletting from New York 's indie rock scene'.
October 5, 2005... The Teenage Prayers self-release " TEN SONGS", featuring "Goodbye Baby", as produced by Solomon Burke.
October 1, 2005...The Teenage Prayers perform at NEMO Music Festival in Boston
May, 2005... "Ten Songs" by the Teenage Prayers mixed by Eddie Mottau, guitarist for John Lennon on "Walls and Bridges" and "Rock and Roll"
March, 2004... The Teenage Prayers first meet Steve Wynn while sharing a bill at NYC's Sin-e
August, 2003... The Teenage Prayers profiled on national television, making their debut album with Solomon Burke, on "Fox Magazine" show
January, 2003 -- Solomon Burke flies the Teenage Prayers to LA to produce their cover of his soul classic "Goodbye Baby"
August 2001 – The Teenage Prayers begin.
Instrumentation
Tim Adams - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Terrence Adams - Lead Guitar, vocals
Kyle Chrise - Bass, vocals
Adam Schatz - Piano, organ, sax, vocals
Kyle Wills - Drums
Discography
"Everyone Thinks You're The Best" - Produced by Steve Wynn - released March18, 2008 through MRI Distribution and Sony/Red.
"Ten Songs" - self-released LP (2005) with continuing radio airplay from KEXP, WOXY, Minnesota Public Radio, and KCRW, among many others.
Links