To students at Cerritos, Gary Pritchard may just be the soft-spoken professor who taught you about the history of rock and roll. But when he’s not telling the story of musical evolution, he’s making his contribution to it.
Along with Mark Wein (singer/guitarist), Scott Francisco (guitarist), Martin Torres (bassist) and Charlie Waymire (drums), Pritchard and his keyboard are reinventing the singer/song writer style by adding a rock edge to an otherwise placid technique.
Passion for music is simply in Pritchard’s blood. He grew up in Oakhurst, a small town outside of Yosemite National Park, and migrated south to attend Chapman University. He has obtained degrees in music from both Chapman as well as Claremont Graduate School, but he hasn’t stopped there.
He is currently working to obtain his Ph.D. from the school of social sciences at UCI. His emphasis is in ethnomusicology, the study of music within culture.
“My dissertation focuses on issues of modern forms of diaspora and Azorean music practices,” he told me. During his study, Pritchard traveled to Portugal last summer, and has spent time in Artesia working with the Portugal community there.
But infatuation with music does not limit itself merely to textbook histories. Playing a hand in its creation is a vital part, and Pritchard has found an outlet with the Los Angeles based Felt.
“I enjoy the camaraderie I share with my band mates. We all are friends and have a tremendous amount of respect for each other.”
As five individual music fans, you get an eclectic mix of musical influences. This is a band that looks to many mentors, including The Beatles, Radiohead, ACDC, Elvis Costello, Cheap Trick, Dada, and Jeff Buckley, just to name a few.
In the studio, that mix melted and merged into Felt’s debut release “Desert Center” and the result is a reinvention of pop style. From piano ballads like “Here is Nowhere Now” to foot tapping, “Travis Bickell Day,” Felt is upping the bar on music quality with their constantly creative approach to traditional song format.
Originality and uniqueness in the Felt style is evident by the song “Killing Time” which features a harpsichord solo mixed with the guitar and drums of a traditional rock song. Every track is appealing with lyrics of picturesque story telling and poetic emotion. In each track, the keyboards compliment the message, and add a layer of complexity that differentiates this band from many others.
Well-played music is only half the battle of creating a great song, because poignant song writing is just as important to drawing the listener in. Songwriters Wein and Francisco weave tales of self-realization and discovery with the metaphors of desert life and travel. A comparison to Counting Crows by the Orange County Register is not a far stretch, but an uncreative one. The songs of Felt have a much more linear appeal, but with all of the power of imaginative discourse.
There is a little something for almost every type of music fan on “Desert Center,” as long as your taste is not limited to the redundancy of today’s American Idol-pop and KROQ-styled rock. This is a band for true fans of music, with diverse collections and a taste for history’s classics. Felt is a band of music lovers, not money-driven hit-makers.
What may have started out as a hobby or release for Pritchard, is now a round-the-clock job. Pushing distribution and playing shows around southern California have become a regular part of his schedule.
“Not to sound sappy, but I honestly have a great time whenever we [Felt] record and/or perform,” Pritchard said.
This is the artistic outlet of five, well-rounded music fans, and their finished product is a tight mosaic of all their favourite sounds and strongest talents.
You can pick up copies of Felt’s debut release at most Tower Records, Fingerprints in Belmont Shores, or on line at CDBaby.com. For a taste of the live act, you can visit Tower Records in Marina Del Rey March 29 at 7:30 p.m. or the Viper Room on April 10, and visit the band’s website at www.felthq.com for continuing updates.
