First time on the west coast for Drag City artists, PRISON, featuring Paul Major of Endless Boogie and Sarim Al-Rawi of Liquor Store.
"Prison are a band simply not born for these times. It’s exactly the reason what makes them masters in their own right, and another why more people should be listening to them. The band, consisting of Paul Major (Endless Boogie), Matt Lilly, Sarim Al-Rawi (Liquor Store) and Mike Fellows(Mighty Flashlight) began in 2017, which also included the late Sam Jayne (Love Is Laughter, Lync). A ramshackle of punk-inspired outlaw psychedelia. A wicked brew for lovers of everything from The Stooges and Spaceman 3, to those Grateful Dead lost souls who have spent the last 50 years scouring the ends of the earth for the ‘vibe’.
That vibe? Look no further than Prison’s debut album, Upstate. Recorded by Kevin McMahon (Prewn, Pile), Upstate comprises of five long-form jams that is 90 minutes of locked-in lunacy, deeply entrenched in fundamental outsider grandeur. Lloose, Iggy-inspired technicolour yawn that is purely designed to blow minds.
While Low Hangin’ Disco Ball / So Alone begins as a slow-paced meander akin to the come-down anthem of 2023 (“Smoooke ‘em ouuuut”), the composition unravels into a howling cascade of space-rock madness that catapults you into orbit. And that’s where we stay, firstly with I Always Get What I Want / Playin’ Pool with the Planets, then on the barnstorming finale, Destroy/ Cookin’ With Heat – arguably the pinnacle moment of Upstate as Prison save their best for last.
Upstate is the kind of album you gravitate towards during a certain time of the day. Where that window of opportunity for something more expansive seems like the only one to go through. There’s no better record to indulge than Upstate. Prison provides the rhythms of choice in something that completely opens the mind to new possibilities. An off-kilter, out-of-body experience through the portal of acid-mangled punk.” - Sun 13
“Wild, 15-minute psych/garage/punk burners.” - Brooklyn Vegan
Prison west coast tour dates
Thurs 11/14 - Permanent Roadhouse, Los Angeles w/ Muscle Beach, Graffiti Phallico
Fri 11/15 - Thee Stork Club, Oakland w/ Low Plateau, Haardvark
Sat 11/16 - The Siren’s Song Tavern, Eureka w/ Blackplate
Sun 11/17 - Turn! Turn! Turn!, Portland w/ Dommengang
Mon 11/18 - Black Lodge, Seattle