If you’ve ever spent the night in one of those West Texas ghost town areas, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say Catch Prichard’s new record, “Eskota,” will have you keeping one eye open, just in case… It’s haunted. No, I didn’t say, “these are haunting songs.” The bloomin’ thing is haunted – there are ghosts and spirits of forces unseen and loved ones and old friends wandering these sands.
Prichard’s voice is deep, his thoughts match it and the arrangements of the instruments chosen amplifies the beauty of his songs that somehow look to the past and the future at the same time. “You asked for wood, but you won’t burn it, so I guess you’ll have to freeze at night.”
On the 3rd spin of the record, I still can’t quite put it into words, so the above will have to do while you get a taste of some slow mezcal for yourself. Why don’t you do that while you get to know Catch Prichard a bit better…
https://soundcloud.com/catchprichard/eskota-2
What attracted you to this folk style of music?
It was something uncontrollable. No thought or specific event pulled me in a specific direction of “folk” or “country”. It was already there and growing. Still is. I dont want to be tied down to any closed off label or genre. It’s changed a lot over the years and people have called it many different things. And thats a direction I will continue to wander. It is what it is ’til it isnt.
How long have you been making music? Have you been performing or sharing it with the public all that time?
I picked up a guitar around my 10th birthday. It would flow in and out of my life as those things do at that age. It wasn’t until I was 16 till I played my first show. A shitty bar that probably doesn’t exist anymore in my hometown. It was a pay to play scenario where you had to sell a certain amount of tickets or else pay the bar back. A 16 year old trying to sell tickets at school to a bar on the edge of town. Hmm.
When high school was coming to the wind down, I knew university wasn’t in any interest to me, but music was. I recorded my first EP under my name and entitled the album O Lost! in some guys basement with a home studio. I got them pressed and moved over seas a few weeks later in hopes that musical success would come easy. I was young, I now know that’s not how things pan out for most.
Who or what influences your writing and performance?
It depends on what I am listening to at the time right before recording. Very spontaneous. One song could be influenced by Franz Liszt, the other Patsy Cline, and the next Kanye West. There is usually something you can ingest from any song and artist with any shape or form. But there are defiantly some things I have adapted into my subconscious from some greats. Like thespians, musicians are also chameleons whether they are aware of it or not. Whether if its in the studio or on stage, there are hundreds of characteristics that create this enigma of the artist. Just like you are developed from all the people and experiences in this life. You pick up what you want to represent, and leave behind the rest. I don’t know why this comes to mind, but Nick Cave put it in a very good way, “I was watching television when I was a child and saw a monkey dancing on the the screen with a fez and clanging cymbals. I thought to myself right there. That will be me some day.”
It seems all creative people go through rough patches or writer’s block of some sort. What motivates you to keep going?
Have no choice. I don’t like to force the process. It has to come on its own. Its somewhat of its own entity. Sometime you have to be patience and wait for it to come to you, otherwise its too contrived and unnatural.
Were you trying to accomplish something different or specific with this project – creatively or otherwise?
Coming back to America and finding the roots of myself artistically through the roots of music if I had to dig for an answer. But again, there is never a specific purpose for what I do. I have no choice.
What was the last song you listened to?
Poison by Bert Jansch
Do you prefer a certain medium for listening – vinyl, CDs, mp3, reel-to-reel, Pono,(lol sort of)?
I was never in a position to own a vinyl player or record player since I’ve been on the move for so long. I have been at the mercy of mp3s since high school.
If you had to choose one place to host your music, would you prefer Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, or … ?
I am on them all besides bandcamp actually.
Do you ever feel as if your tunes are lost in a sea of music? What are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract new listeners?
In the see of social media platforms is the hardest in the days where everyone relates how many likes you have to the the quality of ones music. Hard to get pulled out of the mud on that one.
Are you playing on live stages, clubs, bars, the local town picnic, festivals?
all the above besides town picnics. Do those still happen? [ed: yes they do! come on down South 😉 ]
Do you ever stream your performances over the net? Where can music lovers see you perform?
Youtube and Vimeo are the best video platforms to see Catch Prichard or my past project Brittsommar.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and/or discover more of your music?
All the streaming mediums- Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc. Can find Catch Prichard on all the social media platforms as well Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud, official website, etc.
Can you share an anecdote or tale of woe or inspiration like a story about an out-of-touch club manager, your favorite fan interaction, broken busses, or you know… just some experience in your musical journey you’ll never forget?
I was playing a show in Berlin two years ago. I was waiting for the opening act to finish up and was having a cigarette outside. In the darkness a woman’s voice asked, “Are you singing tonight?”. I looked over my shoulder and saw nothing but that small ember of a cigarette glowing in the shadows.
“Me? uh, yeah. Yeah I am.”
“Good” she said, “good.”
That was it really. But it was beautiful there in the dark Berlin autumn. Very intimate.
Lightning Round
Dream vehicle?
Cadillac
Sailing yacht, catamaran, bass boat, or kayak?
I dont like water
Favorite beer or beverage of pleasure?
Tecate with lime and Bulleit Burbon
Left with a choice of one instrument, which would you keep?
My voice
