If I Dropped By… with Casey Tennis of Pravada

This week, I posed my "If I Dropped By…" question to Pravada drummer Casey Tennis.  With a couple of shows coming up at The Bowery Electric on May 6 and May 13 (see below for more details and how to win a pair of tickets to see them live) and a fondness for their music…check out their album Dirty Looks, my curious mind got the best of me.  So, of course, I had to make one of my hypothetical visits.  

Quirky NY Chick (QNYC): ... and brought a friend who didn't know your music, what song of yours would you play for them and why?

Casey Tennis (CT): The Pravada song I’d play you would depend on the moment -- we hop genres a lot. As a starter, perhaps ‘Touch Too Much.’ Its a new version of an old favorite. 

Pravada - “Someone Else”

Pravada released a video for their song, “Someone Else”.  The track is from their album, Dirty Looks, which was released this past November.  Check out the clip below.

“Someone Else,” evokes elements of The Cars and The Faint. The piece masterfully interweaves staccato guitar licks with a danceable beat, brought to life by Lee's deliciously sweet, yet distorted vocals. A spiral of guitars, drum and bass provide the song with an over-the-edge punch as Lee’s voice accumulates a raw indie rock power and emotion. The video proves to be a real page turner with mystery and suspicion around every corner. A case of a cop gone bad, using criminals for his own gain, “Someone Else,” will instantly draw your attention.

 

Pravada is the musical creation of Jesse Lee (vocals, guitar), Casey Tennis (drums, keyboards), and Hubert Glover (horns, bass). The trio had spent the earlier half of the 2000s playing in Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s before branching out on their own with Pravada. Unleashing their newest effort, Dirty Looks, just last week, the gorgeous record is filled with 10 electrifying and glorious songs that will stop you dead in your tracks.  The record is a vibrant burst of electric melodies alongside an enthusiastic rhythm section. Jesse Lee's voice switches between smokey and gorgeous and raw and boisterous, creating an intriguing combination. 

Song of the Day: Pravada - "Campfire Song"

Today we have for you, "Campfire Song" from Pravada.  This is the third single from their NO! EP. Check out the song HERE.

Video of the Day: Pravada - "Molly"

Today we have for you "Molly" by Pravada.  The is comprised of former members of Margot & the Nuclear So and So's.  They are set to release their second full-length record Dirty Looks this fall so keep an eye out for that.

"Molly" is from the bands recently released ep NO!.  Check out the video below and enjoy.

Gorgeous imagery fills the video, as you are taken on a chilling trip by Molly herself, only to meet those whom she will fall prey too. At a masquerade party, where no one shows their face, Molly decides to reveal herself, and lets herself become the victim. The haunting vocals of Jesse Lee, alongside Hubert Glover (bass/horns), and Casey Tennis (drums/keyboards), bring a dark and gloomy, yet seductive element to the piece. “Molly,” will chill your bones to their very core, and have you coming back to experience more of Pravada. I dare you not to be intrigued!

 

Song of the Day: Pravada - "Someone Else"

Today we have for you, "Someone Else" by Pravada.  Check out and grab the song using the handy widget at the bottom of the post.

It has been quite some time since we have heard from Indianapolis trio, PRAVADA. Rising from the ground of Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Jesse Lee (vocals, guitar), Casey Tennis (drums, keyboards), and Hubert Glover (horns, bass), take on an epic form all of their own. Seven years ago we saw the release of their debut album, Manus Plere, which created an overwhelming buzz about the group in the Indianapolis music scene. Creative differences saw Lee, Tennis and Glover separating themselves from the eight-member Margot, as the issue within the band took it's toll. The three saw this opportunity as a blessing in disguise and forged ahead once again with PRAVADA.

Over the time span of a year and a half, Tennis and Lee prepared a batch of new songs which blend Tennis's refreshing rhythms and Lee's phenomenal knack for writing shimmering pop riffs. The band enlisted a few former bandmates, Andrew Fry and Tyler Watkins, whom shared engineer duties, as Fry co-produced alongside Tennis. PRAVADA had then laid down the tracks for their newest release, which combines their musical and life experiences. Available now is the poignant and catchy No! EP, which serves as a preview of their upcoming full-length, Dirty Looks, due out Fall 2012.

"We look forward to challenging ourselves musically on every recording," says Tennis

PRAVADA has just released their newest single “Someone Else,” with alternately evokes the Cars and the Faint, masterfully interweaving staccato guitar licks with a danceable beat, spearheaded by Lee's deliciously distorted vocals, which sound as if he might have wrapped his microphone in cotton candy.

   Pravada - "Someone Else" by CityBirdPR