Presque Vu
Cleveland, Ohio, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Among the influences a musician can cite today that are taboo, former Genesis singer and ’80s pop-rocker Phil Collins’ name is probably near the top, alongside Vanilla Ice and Shaun Cassidy.
However, that didn’t stop Presque Vu visionary Eddie “Johnny La Rock” Fleisher from giving the “Sussudio” singer a shout out when mentioning what acts inspire his electronic, hip-hop, folk and indie-rock-sounding Cleveland-based band.
“My influences vocally are like a weird mix,” said Fleisher (vocals, programming, keys, guitar, harmonica), formerly of the rap act Johnny La Rock & Mush Mouth. “I’d say I’m channeling a strange mix of Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode, maybe Elliot Smith and Phil Collins. I love Phil Collins. He’s one of my favorite vocalists of all time. I’d like to cover a song of his at some point. I guess ‘Against All Odds’ would be my choice, but it’s been done by Postal Service, so maybe I’ll pick ‘I Don’t Care Anymore.’”
Not embarrassed by the fact he’s dated himself with the Collins reference, Fleisher, for the record, is quickly approaching 30 (“I’m old school”). The office manager by day is excited about Presque Vu, which started two years ago as mainly a solo project to help him get over a terrible breakup documented in the group’s debut effort, “Capgras.” Its title is a medical term used to describe people who see their loved ones but think they’ve been taken over by somebody else.
What a great (and overt) metaphor for attempting to come to terms with the actions of a former lover who has gone their own way.
“That describes how dark I was in that period after our breakup,” Fleisher said. “Our new CD, due out in February, is a lot poppier than the first record. The last record was essentially a break-up album, and I’d call this one the sort of bitter period after the breakup where you’re more into writing anthems, moving on and getting through it.”
The singer said the band will be playing unreleased songs from the new CD “210 and a Mustache” at its Youngstown debut Saturday at the Lemon Grove. He also promises a cathartic evening for unsuspecting audiences. Just shy of a discussion regarding the healing principals of music, Fleisher believes Presque Vu helps the broken-hearted.
“People can really relate to what we’re saying; it’s something they can really get behind,” Fleisher said. “I feel like if anybody has ever struggled with feeling like [expletive] and wanted to feel better, they can find something in our music to rally behind.”
The real question is what would Phil Collins say about Presque Vu?
“I think he’d respect our pop sensibility,” Fleisher said. “I also think Phil Collins is a pretty emo dude himself. He’s a sad guy. So I think he would like it. I hope one day I’ll get the chance to find that out.” - Vindicator
Among the influences a musician can cite today that are taboo, former Genesis singer and ’80s pop-rocker Phil Collins’ name is probably near the top, alongside Vanilla Ice and Shaun Cassidy.
However, that didn’t stop Presque Vu visionary Eddie “Johnny La Rock” Fleisher from giving the “Sussudio” singer a shout out when mentioning what acts inspire his electronic, hip-hop, folk and indie-rock-sounding Cleveland-based band.
“My influences vocally are like a weird mix,” said Fleisher (vocals, programming, keys, guitar, harmonica), formerly of the rap act Johnny La Rock & Mush Mouth. “I’d say I’m channeling a strange mix of Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode, maybe Elliot Smith and Phil Collins. I love Phil Collins. He’s one of my favorite vocalists of all time. I’d like to cover a song of his at some point. I guess ‘Against All Odds’ would be my choice, but it’s been done by Postal Service, so maybe I’ll pick ‘I Don’t Care Anymore.’”
Not embarrassed by the fact he’s dated himself with the Collins reference, Fleisher, for the record, is quickly approaching 30 (“I’m old school”). The office manager by day is excited about Presque Vu, which started two years ago as mainly a solo project to help him get over a terrible breakup documented in the group’s debut effort, “Capgras.” Its title is a medical term used to describe people who see their loved ones but think they’ve been taken over by somebody else.
What a great (and overt) metaphor for attempting to come to terms with the actions of a former lover who has gone their own way.
“That describes how dark I was in that period after our breakup,” Fleisher said. “Our new CD, due out in February, is a lot poppier than the first record. The last record was essentially a break-up album, and I’d call this one the sort of bitter period after the breakup where you’re more into writing anthems, moving on and getting through it.”
The singer said the band will be playing unreleased songs from the new CD “210 and a Mustache” at its Youngstown debut Saturday at the Lemon Grove. He also promises a cathartic evening for unsuspecting audiences. Just shy of a discussion regarding the healing principals of music, Fleisher believes Presque Vu helps the broken-hearted.
“People can really relate to what we’re saying; it’s something they can really get behind,” Fleisher said. “I feel like if anybody has ever struggled with feeling like [expletive] and wanted to feel better, they can find something in our music to rally behind.”
The real question is what would Phil Collins say about Presque Vu?
“I think he’d respect our pop sensibility,” Fleisher said. “I also think Phil Collins is a pretty emo dude himself. He’s a sad guy. So I think he would like it. I hope one day I’ll get the chance to find that out.” - Vindicator
Not afraid to mix and match styles and sounds, Cleveland act Presque Vu -- Eddie "Johnny La Rock" Fleisher (vocals, keys, guitar), Aaron "Mush Mouth" Donahoo (vocals, harmonica) and Vinnie "Furface" Furman (keys, DJ) -- is back with its sophomore effort, "210 and a Moustache."
"The album finds us moving into a direction of more a band effort than the first disc, 'Capgras,' " said Fleisher, a 2000 Lake Catholic High School graduate.
"The first CD still had my hip-hop roots on it, and this one drives more toward an electronic synth-pop sound comparable to Depeche Mode, a little bit of Cure and even modern artists like Chromeo. It's poppy-electronic music, but there's still an element of darkness to it." The trio hopes the new album, which includes the anthemic title track and the melancholic "Missing Balfour," opens doors for more regional touring, including a possible trip to Austin, Texas' South by Southwest music conference. - Plain Dealer
Not afraid to mix and match styles and sounds, Cleveland act Presque Vu -- Eddie "Johnny La Rock" Fleisher (vocals, keys, guitar), Aaron "Mush Mouth" Donahoo (vocals, harmonica) and Vinnie "Furface" Furman (keys, DJ) -- is back with its sophomore effort, "210 and a Moustache."
"The album finds us moving into a direction of more a band effort than the first disc, 'Capgras,' " said Fleisher, a 2000 Lake Catholic High School graduate.
"The first CD still had my hip-hop roots on it, and this one drives more toward an electronic synth-pop sound comparable to Depeche Mode, a little bit of Cure and even modern artists like Chromeo. It's poppy-electronic music, but there's still an element of darkness to it." The trio hopes the new album, which includes the anthemic title track and the melancholic "Missing Balfour," opens doors for more regional touring, including a possible trip to Austin, Texas' South by Southwest music conference. - Plain Dealer
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
The journey of Presque Vu has had many twists and turns throughout the years. The project stretches all the way back to 2007, when Eddie “Johnny La Rock” Fleisher was a producer/rapper in the old-school rap outfit, Johnny La Rock & Mush Mouth. He decided he wanted to create a side-project that would focus solely on his love for beat-making, instead of the vocal heavy material with Mush. He hooked up with Furface (his real name is top secret) and Chris “chrismick” Mick, two DJ/producers who we’re also involved with JLR/MM. The trio created one instrumental song as Presque Vu for the Necker Cube 2 compilation, and then went dormant.
In 2008, Fleisher went through a heavy breakup with his longtime girlfriend. If there was a silver-lining to the situation, it was that it inspired him musically. He began channeling the pain into songs, but knew the darker material wouldn’t work in the fun-loving confines of JLR/MM. So, he decided to disband the group, to focus on a solo career.
In 2009, he decided to revive the Presque Vu moniker for himself, releasing it’s debut, Capgras - Mick and Furface would appear briefly, but as guests. While there were several instrumental songs on the disc, they were in the minority – Fleisher sang and rapped on most of it, unleashing a barrage of raw emotions over a sea of mellow electronic beats. When it came time to plan a live set, Fleisher called on his old pals – Furface signed on to DJ, and Mush Mouth (born Aaron Donahoo) settled into the role of hype man.
During 2010, PV would evolve again. Furface’s role grew exponentially, becoming an integral part of the project. It also cemented a strong creative partnership between him and Fleisher, making them an unbeatable team. In addition to his live presence, Fur was now equally involved in the writing and production process too, giving the group a slicker sound. They spent much of the year playing shows – performing with a backing band* for a while – and working on a slew of material that eventually became the follow up LP. 210 And A Moustache was finally released in early 2011, and was quite the departure. The record was thick with catchy synth-pop anthems, with Fleisher abandoning his MC past almost entirely for singing. There were several instances of live instrumentation too, showing how truly versatile PV can be. 210 also brought more Donahoo – he performed backup vocals on many of the tracks, transferring his live hype role to the studio. The group toured for the album, playing several shows at SXSW, the yearly music conference in Austin, Texas.
In 2012, Donahoo left the group. Fleisher and Furface forged on as a duo until late 2013, when the project was finally laid to rest. It was an amazing ride, but all things must come to an end.
R.I.P. 2007-2013.
*PV’s revolving backing band included Mike Sillipini (guitar), Chris Mick (bass), Ray Zen (vocals), and Ruwani (vocals).
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