by Brittney Corridean
Photos courtesy of Tell All Your Friends PR
Prince George County gave birth to synth pop band Prinze George- a trio that is quickly shedding a bright light onto the indie music scene. With a new album released on August 5th, Illiterate Synth Pop, and a show coming up in Philadelphia a week from now, it was a great time to talk to Prinze George’s Naomi Almquist.
Members Almquist, Kenny Grimm, and Isabelle Leon formed the band in 2013, after starting to collaborate just a year earlier. Almquist and Grimm have known each other for quite a while and even attended UMD together. Wanting to form a band, they posted flyers around campus to see if they could spark any interest.
“Everybody met in 2012 when Kenny and I were looking for a drummer for our old rock band. Kenny posted a ‘seeking drummer’ flyer on UMD’s campus,” says Amquist.
While they all had other fields of study in school, they also all had some sort of focus on music. “We definitely attribute the internet, music blogs and being in NYC when the project launched (so we could take lots of industry meetings) to the fruition of this project,” Almquist continues. Though they didn’t leave their local influence behind, “I think that our identity developed from growing up in Maryland and DC, which has largely dictated the direction the music has taken.”
Songs that are largely growing popularity on the internet are “Victor” and “Upswing”. The former was even featured on a Warner Bros European movie [Honig Im Kopf] soundtrack. As far as influences go for their new EP, it has a lot to do with the trials and tribulations that band has experienced in the past year. They culminated everything they were going through as a group and as individuals, letting those experiences reflect in their songs.
“I guess the record was inspired by the year we were having. The spring and fall of 2014 were not easy for Kenny and I. All three of us were feeling really stuck in Maryland and confused about the next steps we should take,” says Almquist.
While facing their own life problems, the music industry was presenting new ones that were kind of hindered by the glamorous idea of signing with a label. They almost signed the rights away to their own music when luckily, they met their manager Nate; “We said no to the label and yes to Nate.”
After meeting him, they recorded the album in his studio in Minneapolis. “I think there was a purge for all of us emotionally in that space while we were making the record. We were inspired by the space and by the year we were having, and by our new relationship with Nate,” Almquist states confidently of their manager.
The band’s past musical influences vary but for Almquist, she relates largely to female singer/songwriters such as Lauryn Hill, Regina Spektor, Alicia Keys and Emily Haines. “The Beatles too, of course,” she adds.
While in Philly at Johnny Brenda’s on August 17th, they hope to visit some friends and scope out the local art scene.
“We are also playing Eaux Claire’s music festival in a couple weeks in Wisconsin, in the middle of the tour. In October we’ll be back in Austin for Austin City Limits,” Almquist says.
