Little Rock, Arkansas is the capital of the state and, besides having liquor laws that stagger the mind (no alkie served after midnight), there’s a breed of great rock and roll coming fresh from this outpost close to the heart of the delta. American Princes are among the leaders of the pack, bringing a forceful, passionate, and swift ass-kicking sound to rock and roll music that is both instantly captivating and deeply literate. Unlike johnny-come-latelys content with simply making great records, American Princes successfully translates their brazen and unsettlingly gorgeous brand of music completely into their live performance. Their personal take on all things rock is beautifully portrayed on Less And Less, the band’s second album for Yep Roc Records. Blistering guitar and drum work, melodious vocal lines with straight-forward, no nonsense delivery, and songwriting that is on a par with some of the best post-punk and rock bands of the past twenty years, the album impressively moves between styles without blinking.

Tonight I had the pleasure of witnessing American Princes open for one of my favorite Memphis bands The Glass, and I had an opportunity to sit down and get to the heart of matters with David Slade and Collins Kilgore, two of the principal songwriters and band members. We talked about everything from how the record came to life to their adoration of nu-hype band Tapes ‘N Tapes and Joanna Newsom, from nightmare tour stories to the issue of unabashedly pushing the envelope with music that not only rocks but makes a point. At the heart of the American Princes down-to-earth personalities and musical ethos lies a true passion for the music that they make and an unselfish need to break down the barriers of oppression that they see being built around us every day. If you’ve never had the pleasure of hearing them, please enjoy this unedited interview and two of my favorite songs from their latest release.

If you happen to be in Atlanta next weekend, American Princes will be performing a free concert along with De La Soul, Big Star, and The Flaming Lips. This is a show which you cannot afford to miss. They will be playing Mercury Lounge in New York City very soon as well.

Listen To An Interview With American Princes (24.1MB)
Listen To American Princes – Open Letter
Listen To American Princes – Breaks

You can purchase Less And Less from Amazon by clicking here.

Related posts: