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With bands, as with lovers, the best indication of compatibility is the ease of the union. After years of fruitless courtships, things just fell into place, according to the Preakness' bassist Tracy Clark.
"The time leading up to us getting together was really slow going," Clark says. "We were in different parts of our lives. But when we met it must've been the perfect time, because once we got together it was great."
It began when Clark found some lo-fi recordings singer/guitarist Brandon Arnold had posted on MySpace, and offered her services if he needed added instrumentation or vocals. Arnold, feeling it fortuitous that she contacted him, called up a drummer he knew, Tim Genius, thereby giving birth to this jangle-pop trio.
Arnold's approach to music reflects the same blithe, go-with-the-flow attitude. "I like to approach it as a natural evolution and let things come together as they're supposed to without thinking too hard about every little detail," he says. "The songs evolve into what they should by us letting them."
Indeed, there is a casual grace to Arnold's sleepy vocals and ringing guitar tones, pulled together by a rubbery rhythm section reminiscent of Pylon. Songs such as "Demons," which opens their debut 7-inch, gently build to explosive bridges before receding into the distance. "What They're Saying" crosses Small Factory and Wedding Present, while "I Thought I Was in Control" boasts the tight focus of Lou Barlow's home recordings, doused in warm guitar jangle.
Working with Liverhearts' drummer Matt Glagola, the four-song single came together quickly. They'd gone in to simply set up the drums for the next morning, but left with the basic rhythm tracks done, finishing the entire recording in just a few days.
"There are mistakes in there, and some roughness," Clark says, "but I think that's just as beautiful as any part of the songs." - Creative Loafing
The Preakness have their own page on the unholy site known as MySpace. Their musical influences include Yo La Tengo, Guided by Voices, and Pavement. Well that’s strike one, two, and three. This reviewer is pulling your leg, folks. Those bands are super sweet.
The Demon 7" features four wonderful songs that are more Yo La Tengo than Guided by Voices or Pavement. Brandon Arnold and Tracy Clark mix well vocally and they have something good going on with ‘Demon’ and ‘What They’re Saying’. It’s a noisy release at times and a nice acoustic release at times. You can’t go wrong with this 7”. That’s what she said. What?! Inappropriate! - www.erasingclouds.com
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/the_preakness_a_class_act_in_a_bad_situation/Content?oid=750463
Posted on MARCH 18, 2009:
THE PREAKNESS: A CLASS ACT IN A BAD SITUATION
By Chad Radford
The Preakness' full-length debut, A Class Act in a Bad Situation is filled with sweet and sour pop gems that harness the concise chemistry and power of a loved-and-lost indie-rock trio. A steady diet of Built to Spill, Sebadoh (circa Bakesale), and the Rosebuds informs its collection of careening numbers — most of which never surpass the three-minute mark. Songs such as opening number "Wax On" and a cover of Smog's "A Hit" are summertime anthems rife with reminiscence. "Frog Logic" rams that sentiment head-on into a wall of motorik guitars, butting melancholy squarely against deflated belligerence that becomes a recurring theme. Each song condenses epic emotions into short vignettes brimming with metaphor and jangling emotions. 4 stars (out of 5)
- Creative Loafing
This fine 7" EP is the debut for this new band from Atlanta, and I like it quite a bit! Their sound is deeply rooted in the 90s indie rock style of bands like Mendoza Line and Small Factory, and the songs here are acoustic-based, with plenty of electric overdubs (which makes me wonder how the trio performs these songs live). There's a bit of a southern influence prevalent, particularly noticeable in the accents in the boy/girl vocals. Every song on this 7" is a winner from the bright and jangly "On The Couch" to the slower, Sebadoh-ish "I Thought I Was In Control", and from the calm opener, "Demons" to the rollicking "What They're Saying", which closes the EP. A great start, and I can't wait to hear more from this group! - www.indiepages.com
If you're longing for luscious and local guitar pop, this is the place to be. Both the Preakness and Silver Lakes have a touch of the indie-pop jangle in their soul. Silver Lakes is the latest project from former Seely member Steven Satterfield. The 12 tracks on the band's self-released "The Great Pretenders" are beautifully produced and addictively melodic. It's a pillowy soft blend of the Go-Betweens and Trembling Blue Stars. The Preakness is a little more ramshackle and lo-fi about it, going by the recorded evidence, but the band's songs are still as catchy as a bramble. The trio's excellent demo promises great things to come, and we shouldn't have to wait too much longer. Preakness guitarist and vocalist Brandon Arnold says a more professionally recorded four-song EP will be out on Eskimo Kiss Records in early 2007. With the Eyes. The show is a benefit for the Atlanta Community Foodbank. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Discography
- A Class Act in a Bad Situation. Released on Two Sheds Records March 28, 2009. Track List: 1. Wax On 2. Frog Logic 3. What They're Saying 4. This Drive 5. Before You Fell 6. The Spoke 7. Water's Edge 8. I Thought I Was in Control 9. Air Traffic Controller 10. On the Couch 11. Killing Time 12. A Hit 13. Way to Shore
- Demons - 7" vinyl. Released on Eskimo Kiss Records March 2008. 1. I Thought I Was in Control 2. What They're Saying 3. On the Couch 4. Demons
Photos
Bio
the preakness
Phone: 404-226-2179
e-mail: preakout@gmail.com
web: www.twoshedsmusic.com
myspace: www.myspace.com/thepreakness
Quick view:
Atlanta three piece formed in spring of 2006. We play the rock music.
Members:
Matt Glagola � drums
Tracy Clark � bass/vocals
Brandon Arnold � guitar/vocals
RIYL: GBV, Versus, Guv�ner Yo La Tengo, Butterglory, Sebadoh, Pavement, Go Betweens, Eric�s Trip, Sonic Youth, Smog
Biography:
The Preakness is the shortest of the three races in horse racing's Triple Crown, and places a premium on brevity and economies of effort. The race itself usually clocks in at about the length of a pop song...Atlanta trio The Preakness has much in common with its racing namesake. Its trademark jangly tunes typically span the length of the fabled race, with no wasted notes.
The 13 songs on its debut LP, A Class Act in a Bad Situation began as simple sketches, etched out over miles of audio tape, originally recorded in a dark basement on a second hand 4-track. Songwriter Brandon Arnold toiled over years crafting these pop gems, never quite able to let go of the aesthetic he cut his teeth on...the hook-laden simplicity of the low-fi 90's.
In the winter of 2006, the Preakness moved from the basement to the practice space as Brandon found common musical ground with bassist/vocalist Tracy Clark, and drummer Tim Genius. The trio spent the next two years re-sculpting the primitivism of those early demos. The tape hiss and quaint flubbery of Brandon�s early demos quickly gave way to a more cohesive sound built on natural harmonies and a fierce rhythm section. Yet, as a trio, the evolving sound of the Preakness kept intact the quiet, disjointed melodic revelry of Brandon's early demos. Never afraid to let arrangements careen into the noisier, more unpredictable territories, as a band the Preakness frequently draws comparisons to their like-minded forbearers � The Go Betweens, Sebadoh, Guided by Voices, Eric's Trip, and Versus � and its members wear these influences proudly.
After the departure of Tim Genius in 2008, drummer Matt Glagola joined the band, solidifying the current lineup. With the release of A Class Act in a Bad Situation, The Preakness is out of the gate and running strong.
Notable shows: Paste Rock and Reel Festival, the Rosebuds, French Kicks, Centromatic, Portastatic, Celebration, Sound Team, Cold War Kids, Magnapop, Ultrababyfat, Luigi, the Selmanaires, Corndog-o-rama.
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