Music
Press
"The smart and mellow Teenage Prayers bust Velvets-y songs about sad girls..." - the Village Voice
"Raw, amateurish, and yet oddly fascinating, the Teenage Prayers might be onto something..." - Time Out New York
Discography
Ten Songs - LP (2005)
On the verge of completion, this will be the Teenage Prayers' first full length release.
Fashion - EP (2003)
Limited edition, signed and numbered EP available only at Printed Matter NYC (http://printedmatter.org/catalogue/search.cfm?email=&cookie1=8958196.9&return=/index.cfm)
Tears and Laughter - EP (2002)
Out of print self released EP.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
What forges the sound of the Teenage Prayers runs deeper than mere genre. Its blood. Solomon Burke, the King of Rock and Soul
The Teenage Prayers arent just a band. Theyre an actual family.
They call themselves a soul band, but no amount of soul can better explain how the Teenage Prayers bridge the gap between Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, Bowie and the Band. Some by birth, others by marriage, the Teenage Prayers are all related, and as is true for so many family bands, the proof is in the harmonies.
After spending a good three years cutting their teeth on New York Citys fabled indie-rock circuit, releasing in the process a couple of self-produced singles, the Teenage Prayers scraped together the money to hire out a studio and record ten songs on 2 analog tape, just like their heroes had before them. Soon, one of those heroes intervened.
We first met (Grammy-award winner and Atlantic Records soul legend) Solomon Burke in the summer of 02, said lead singer Tim Prayer, and afterwards had covered one of his tunes and recorded it live to send him, just as a means of saying thank you for a good time.
He loved it, and in January of 2003 he flew us out to Los Angeles to record it with him.
The resultant work, an effervescent rendition of Burkes classic Goodbye Baby, stands out for its youthful exuberance and the bands obvious excitement at being under the tutelage of such a legendary musical force. But that wasnt all the Teenage Prayers got done that day. Also recorded were two Hammond B-3 tracks, performed by Burkes longtime organist Rudy Copeland onto not one but two Prayer originals, Brown Bottle and Banner Muse.
That was truly a blessed day, recalls Prayer. Solomon really produced us, it was the first time Id ever had that kind of guidance. And the further gift of Rudy Copelands incredible talent on our songs thats something I still cant really believe today.
Burke sent them back to New York City with his blessings and work continued on the album. Final touches on the recording were laid down in the late summer of 2004, and the record was mixed by guitar legend Ed Mottau (John Lennon band). In the meantime, the Teenage Prayers have been leaving audiences gasping for more all over the Northeast with their burn-down-the-house live shows, sharing bills with, among others, Dream Syndicate founder Steve Wynn, the Candybutchers Mike Viola, and Wheat.
Contact:
Tim Prayer : reverend@teenageprayers.com
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