An Interview with Adam Prairie (The Hoot Hoots)

For some reason I recently had Beatles on the brain, specifically the early years of their madness-inducing mop tops. I started to think about those early interviews of theirs, and then started to look up some of those early pressers. I was taken aback by just how many times the foursome was asked about money and marriage, but there were some gems amongst the clunkers. And so, inspired by the early press conferences of the Beatles, I decided to ask some of those very same questions.

It's not every band that could pull off a song about bloodthirsty bears, or an EP with a serious Star Wars focus, but Seattle's The Hoot Hoots manage both just fine, and manage to make it all sound like a heck of a fine time to boot. You might could say this fuzzed-up party pop outfit is skilled in the art of the over-the-top.

Adam Prairie's vocals are key to the band's good time sound, his 90s college rock-reminiscent tones delivering lyrics with no shortage of grains of salt. But what does Prairie have to say when it comes to fielding this here set of Qs? Check Adam's As below, and if you're fortunate enough to be heading to this year's Treefort Festival, check The Hoot Hoots out up close and in person.

Fuzzy Logic: What has been your most exciting moment in the last year?

Adam Prairie: We released an new EP called Rainbow Squadron this winter that consists entirely of Star Wars-inspired songs, and we released it at the Pacific Science Center's Laser Dome. They made a custom laser show to accompany us and made some great Star Wars-inspired graphics.

FL: Who are your favorite recording artists?

AP: St. Vincent, The Animal Collective, The Flaming Lips, Lizzo, The Smokey Brights.

FL: Do you feel safe riding in airplanes?

AP: No, planes freak me out. Every time there's the least bit of turbulence I'm clutching my seat having a heart attack.

FL: Does every city look the same?

AP: Not at all! At least not so far. We'll see over the next decade how many cities Amazon assimilates and molds like they have in our backyard in Seattle.

FL: How would you describe yourself in one word?

AP: Right now, peckish.

FL: Where would you like to go that you haven't gone yet?

AP: Japan.

FL: What kinds of guitars do you use?

AP: I use an American Telecaster and our bassist Ben uses a Rickenbacker bass.

FL: How do you prefer for your fans to act at your concerts?

AP: As long as people are having fun and being respectful of others, they can act however they want!

FL: How do you go about writing your songs?

AP: Our drummer Chris and I write the majority of the songs (Ben wrote one on our last EP though!), so we kinda get it started and then we take the songs to the rest of the band to fill 'em out.

FL: What do you call your sound?

AP: Fuzzy power pop.

FL: Have you ever had a mental block-out on stage?

AP: More often than I like to admit.

FL: What are your unfulfilled ambitions?

AP: To tour Japan.

FL: What advice do you have for teenagers?

AP: If you wanna make a band, do it as early as you can! There's usually a bit of a learning curve figuring out how to be a band, and it's best to start figuring it all out as soon as you can. Don't be afraid to fuck up either! And don't be afraid to suck! As Jake the Dog would say, Dude, suckin’ at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.

FL: What is the closest you have come to losing life and limb?

AP: Chris, Holly, and Ben were in another band called Friends and Family and their car flipped on the highway traveling down to Treefort a few years back.

[posted 2.8.18]


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