70s: Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, T. Rex
80s: U2, Big Country, The Church, The Smiths, The Cure, Joy Division, Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, Stone Roses
90s: Catherine Wheel, Slowdive, Pale Saints, The Verve, My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Supergrass
00s: Moonbabies, Calla, Trespassers William, Coldplay, Jet, Delays, Nada Surf, Voyager One, Joseph Arthur, The Stills, Snow Patrol, Midnight Movies, Kasabian, Black Mountain, The Legends, Caesars, The Morning After Girls, Dead Meadow, Hinterland, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Formed during a dark time in U.S. history, when we
learned that states came in colors and the blue ones
would soon suffer four more years of chaos and
corruption, The Pagan States give voice to the
disenfranchised. With a sound that both soothes and
stirs -- calling to mind such diverse influences as
Led Zeppelin, Joy Division and Slowdive, but sounding
like no one but themselves -- this Seattle band tugs
at the frayed edges of society.
The three primary players were pulled together by
songwriter, bassist and vocalist Randal Prater to
craft songs that speak to the soul. The union of
Prater and guitarist Peter Sawtell and drummer Gary Hunt was not a new one, however. In a different
decade, the three "states" produced several albums and
performed live shows as Creeping Myrtle. Added to the
mix this time around are Pagan "cities," vocalists
Daniel Keiran and Benjamin Thompson.
Prater does much of the heavy lifting on The Pagan
States self-titled debut, lending his unique vocal
style (a dreamy blend of Steve Kilbey and Daniel Ash)
and lyrical poetry to the bulk of the album's nine
entries. Under his steady supervision, each
collaborative effort is given room to breathe and
develop. No two sound alike, and all take the listener
on a new journey.
"Skeleton," the opening track, pounds its way into
one's consciousness, then backs off to deliver such
thoughtful lines as "Listen less and you'll hear much
more." Pain and loss are recurrent themes throughout,
revealing twisted relationships as close as the person
standing next to you and as remote as the White
House. "Pipe Dreams" is pure escapism, flowing in and
out of a throbbing intensity and an ethereal high. The
album closes with "Resisterville" and the lines "We're
so sorry, Elysian Fields would just take three.
Goodbye, goodbye."
The Pagan States are currently rehearsing for their CD
release show sometime in early summer.
You guys were wonderful...Thank you so much, for sharing this with me...I had a great night,The show was great, and meet some new friends...very nice... THANKS...
randal, i don't really name the songs unless i put them up on myspace. that danelectro song and our whole set was made up on the spot, that's how we do it. i'll have to listen to that one today...
Greetings. Thanks for the nice comments. I dig your sound (of course!) given our common musical likes. What time do you anticipate hitting the stage at your farewell gig? Cheers and all the best to you in your future endeavors! ~Brent in Seattle
i think a post-november show with us is in order. i never got to see you live, and neither have you seen us, plus we play on november 9 too, so we have to work this out...
It was nice to meet you all. We think it a crime you're bringing your incredible music to an end...keep us in the loop on your solo projects (did you fellows not learn anything from Kiss' mistake????)
thank you, so much...also I hope my camera work wasn't too shaky for you all. I was trying to scratch my arm at the same time as I was shooting you guys...hmm shooting you guys...no malice was intended by that last phrase.
The Pagan States - Debut CD, 2006
