Prinze George is a three-piece indie pop group hailing from Maryland, currently residing in one of independent music’s trendiest incubators, Brooklyn. Combining influence from 80’s new wave and a more current synth-y electro pop sound, Prinze George’s airy, pleasant vocals and sonic beats carry listeners away on their self-titled EP, (distributed via TuneCore).
The trio will be partying with us and performing at this Friday’s TuneCore Live: Austin day party at the Vulcan Gas Co., and we couldn’t be happier about it! Our event partners Swisher Sweets, CraveOnline, Mirrored Media, DropKloud, and LANDR will be hanging out, too. Check out our interview with Prinze George below:
You guys have had some very buzzed about singles right out of the gate! Tell us about how you got together and defined the Prinze George sound.
Prinze George: Thanks! We have been stoked about the response. We actually started out as a rock band by the name of Kin Heads. Prinze George was a side project at first and we sort of stumbled into the sound. We really like the efficiency of production and all of the sonic possibilities that production provides. We all come from acoustic instrument backgrounds and we strive to get the same feeling from synths. Vocal samples are also a huge part of our inspiration. Sometimes a vocal sample will inspire an entire song.
What kind of advice have you been hearing from your peers/management about making your first trip to SXSW?
Most of what we’ve heard from people is that it’s crazy busy and crowded, so we are just bracing ourselves for that. We have been told to try to stay as close to the main strip as possible because Ubers are surging like crazy the whole time.
How do you plan on utilizing your social media channels while at SXSW? How important has social been for you so far?
We post regularly to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram because ultimately that is the best way to make a personal connection with our fans. We want them to feel connected to the entire process, so we try to provide them with as much content as we can. We will keep all that going during SXSW and since its our first time we will probably be taking photos of everything.
You guys made the move from Maryland to New York City, a move that many artists make. What are some of the less obvious pro’s and con’s of this type of transition?
The pros are mostly networking related. Our entire team came out of NYC with the exception of our manager, and we still had our first meeting with him in NYC. We have an amazing manager, publicist, booking agent and lawyer; there is a real sense of community and we have NYC to thank for that.
The cons of living in NYC are that it is very expensive and extra expensive if you are a musician, because you are essentially paying two rents; one for living and one for a studio.
We’re proud to have distributed Prinze George’s EP & prior singles! What kind of role has TuneCore played in your ongoing development & growth?
TuneCore is amazing! You guys make sure we get paid! It costs money to live and to make music and TuneCore makes it very simple to access what we need.
Besides playing for new ears, what are you guys looking forward to most at SXSW?
We are so excited to visit Austin, I (Naomi) have never been so that is probably what I am most excited about. New places often fill us with inspiration. We are also pumped for the barbecue.