Prophet

Digging for inspiration is easy when your mentor is Dio - he was a god among us who will live forever. A prophet of metal if there ever was. But enough about that prophet - there is a new Prophet on the scene - at least here in the 'Peg. Now forget about Dio (just for the duration of this article), there is more to this fresh faced mob of upstarts than another HRHM revival act (that was already done, for those who missed it, it was called 2010). Mixing influences old and new, Prophet has a sound that - although it cannot be depicted - cannot be denied. And will be heard. Prophet is new, Prophet are stoned, Prophet will nod to Dio, fight Axl Rose, and wake up Matt Pike. Absolute Underground recently caught up with the haphazard riff missionaries to unravel the myth...

Absolute Underground:

Ronnie James Dio was a handsome man, eh?

ML: Incorrect. The word is amazing. Handsome does not apply to rock. (Guitarist Ryan McElhoes missed the question, showing up soon afterwards looking extremely sketchy and disheveled)

AU: Long Live Rock n Roll!

ML: And fuck the world?

RM: We generally try not to refer to that song too much... it invites a lot of accusations. You know, of the "plagiarism" kind. Fucking kids.

AU: But isn't Rock n Roll dead?

ML: Yeah, but what's cooler than a zombie?

RM: True, but we put on a hell of a show for a bunch of corpses.

AU: You guys are brand new! Like diapers fucking new!

ML: New, yes, but a band this awesome has been due for a long time.

RM: I like to think our music represents a skillful meld of the late 60s classic blues based rock sound with a heavy, scooped-out and fuzzed-out tone more reminiscent of today's own doom and stoner scene. Yeah.... we basically just play led zeppelin riffs with dual rectifiers.

AU: Sum up Prophet yeah-one in 5 words or less.

RM: Get. High. Listen. To. Prophet

ML: Hookers, blow, booze, weed, arenas.

AU: Yeah 2- record? Tour?

RM: Both, in fact. We just wrapped up a round of recording and are currently in post-production. Hopefully this will give us something to support for a few smaller Canadian tours. It all depends on how our resident "bad ass" Christian Bohonos' mission to impregnate his wife goes. It's pretty fucking Rock n Roll.

ML: Record is on way. Tour will shortly follow. Expect this patter to repeat but get more intense every time.

AU: OK, enough bullshit. 3 most important albums of the last decade?

RM: Maybe Death is This Communion and Potemkin City Limits? Is 2 enough? I still think Led Zeppelin - I, The Stooges - S/T, MC5 - Kick out the Jams are the 3 most important albums of every decade.

AU: There's a lot of cocaine on that T-shirt....

ML: Which explains why we've been forced to charge 80$ a shirt. It's scratch'n'sniff.

RM: Marty's answer.

AU: Winnipeg - live or die? Why?

ML: Live, if only by the grace of long johns, rock and beer. Why? Because deep down we love this shithole.

(Ryan McElhoes had already left the room at this point... he didn't look well...)

- Absolute Underground

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Prophet
Slow Heavy Killers
(Independent)

www.myspace.com/prophetrock
I was a big fan of singer Christian Bohonos’ previous group, Breakaway Faction, so I was interested to hear what he’s been up to in the four years since that band’s demise. His vocals are arguably the best in Winnipeg rock, the guitars are chunkier and the drums are devastating. Produced by John Paul Peters, this six-track EP makes a fighting case for the guitar solo and wins on tracks such as Salvation and Quarter Mile Romance. Stone Temple Pilots’ Dead and Bloated gets re-invented here as Gambling Man, and overall the disc is simply a love letter to unapologetic, radio-ready rock.
– Nicholas Friesen - Uptown Magazine

"We play badass music that’s better than what you listen to," says illuminating Prophet vocalist Christian Bohonos in the band’s basement blasting space, relaxing after practicing on a freezing January night.

"We drink a lot when we do shit, especially after we jam," he says before revealing the real reason behind the badass booze blitz of Prophet.

"I’m 30 years old, and the only thing I know is playing badass rock ’n’ roll. I just live my life getting wasted and playing badass music. We don’t even have a choice. The only music we play is the most badass music ever. I do it because if I didn’t do it, I’d blow my brains out.

"I have a stressful life," Bohonos continues. "That’s putting it mildly. Now I’m trying to live my life vicariously through this, and I think the main reason why we play badass rock ’n’ roll is this: a lot of us played in punk bands and other bands and, at the end of the day, we’re all having a better time playing badass rock ’n’ roll."

Hey Streetbeaters — where do most Winnipeg punks go when they grow up? Backwards of course! The five-piece killer rock band features punks gone crazy for classic hard rock such as Purp and Sab with powerhouse vocalist Bohonos (ex-Hate Kill Destroy, Martian Grave Robbers, Cone Five), bassist Marty ‘Sex Wolf’ Lafreniere (Minority Justice League, Rastamils, ex-High Five Drive, Day One), guitarist Ryan Mcelhoes (MJL, Rastamils, ex-Day One), drummer Steve Jowsey (ex-HFD, Asado and Gizmo) and Nick Weselowski on guitar.

"It’s Nick’s first band," the guys chime in.

If U dig thunderous rock with a kickass, classic, proto-metal schtick and a booze ’n drug-fueled bent, then U must take the time to expose your mind to Prophet if you haven’t already. Prophet is the band that stones U! It formed about two years ago and has already played MTS Centre as part of the Uproar Rockstar Tour. Now the quintet is going hard for the local rock jugular — pugilistic pounders of heavy ’n’ hard rock!

In, July Prophet released the epic Slow Heavy Killers EP, recorded with John Paul Peters at Private Ear. It features quasi-metallic killer cuts such as Quarter-Mile Romance and Bow to the Gun.

"We have a bunch of new songs," Bohonos says. "Some are finished, some are in the process. At our next show, we’re playing three songs that will be on our (planned) full-length album."

He then details these new kickass numbers for you streetbeaters: "Warbird was written about the Jets coming back to Winnipeg. Highway Thunder is about bikers selling drugs and riding Harleys.

"Then we have another one with the (working) title Heavy as Fuck."

See heavy as hell Prophet at The Zoo on Feb. 3 with the guzzlin’ Legion of Liquor as well as Kids and Heroes. Fist click Prophetrocks.com for up-to-the-badass-moment info. (In related streetbleat new, Marty and Ryan gig with Minority Justice League at the Standard on Feb. 4 with Dead Ranch).

"If you need to know anything about Prophet — we’re writing really great shit right now," Bohonos says. "Really heavy, really groovy. We’re going to play the classic hits like Gamblin’ Man from our demo, and those new songs at the next show.

"And I would just like to add that, in the future, girls with minimal clothing should come to our shows!" - Uptown Magazine