Hailing from various shore towns and musical backgrounds, Prop House brings a raw blend of post-punk, hardcore, and noise rock. They recently released their debut EP, SPRUE, on Mint400 Records, featuring three tracks that explore themes of alien abduction, betrayal, and the less obvious types of loss we all face. Members Rudy Meier (also of Bristler, Yawn Mower, Scumming, Tide Bends), Eric James Guy Friedman (Yawn Mower, Earth Telephone), Jay Marinzino (The Vansaders) and Biff Swenson (Yawn Mower, Grasser, Bristler, Dana Why, Scumming) bring a wealth of experience, while singer Ian Beatie, whose vocal style combines an Ian MacKaye growl with ‘90s punk and hardcore influences, handles all of the band’s design work adding an aesthetic complement to the music. Produced by Rudy Meier, SPRUE offers a compelling introduction to the band’s distinct sound and vision.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
It originally started with different members and it was called better weather. A couple people left the fray, uninterested with the direction of the music / logistical reasons, and the lineup at present, formed up.
We ended up agreeing on the name prop house. Some of the lyrics I write draw inspiration from film and television. A Prop House is a business that rents period accurate materials. Literal works for this.
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
After high School I did a little bit of producing and hip-hop. My brother and I made a few albums of rap music.
Around 2012 I formed a three-piece band with our drummer, Jay. It was kind of like a rage against the machine hardcore hip hop thing. No guitar, just bass drums and vocals. It ended up becoming limited and holding us back musically. There were other alleyways I wanted to explore and sounds I wanted to pursue.
What's your writing process like?
Easy? I don't know any other way to put it. Usually I can write a song within the confines of 3 hours of practice. As long as somebody's got a riff or a beat, I'm good to go. I've always liked writing stuff and I've always wanted to be in this type of band. Feels natural now.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
I'm nearing 40, but I found that there are definitely a few newer vans that I've absolutely fell in love with over the last 5-10 years.
PUP is currently, and has been for a few years, my favorite band to listen to. Sometimes when paying attention to their lyrics, they feel like lyrics that I would write. They're despondent and slightly negative, like I am. Another branch of the tree is being from NJ. Thursday has been a favorite group of mine for a long time. Going back to their debut on Eyeball recs.
Militarie Gun is also big for us in PH. We all love that group.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing?
I'm a huge Frank Zappa fanatic. Zappa really never played the same thing twice. His solos were always kind of a little different. The orchestration would be different. I love all that stuff. I love a good live recorded punk record.
The other side of the coin lends to helping your sound, I believe, get where it needs to. If that's the direction you're walking in.
Live my vocals will always be a little nuanced or different in ways. Holding words a little longer, tonal differences etc. I like to have fun with it and keep it fresh in my brain.
What's up next for the band?
We're currently in the midst of gearing up to release our first EP this weekend. After this, we have two more EPS in the wings and plans to compile them at some point? We're still working on what we're going to do after the third ep releases in late summer.
We also want to make sure we keep cool stuff coming out. I'm a screen printer by trade and an artist. So fresh merch, patches, stickers, more tapes, beer koozies etc. I want to keep churning out things that are fun and involved.