Pravada

Highlight: "We shot it in the historical Murphy Arts Building, which used to be a department store in the 1930s," drummer Casey Tennis tells Spinner. "Part of the building housed The Granada Threatre, which showed films until 1951. The cast and crew worked as volunteers. Based on a brainstorming between the director of photography, artistic director, and the band, invisioned a 'dream maze' of beauty and horror with emphasis on theatre and color play instead of special effects. - aol spinner

What is it about midwestern rock that’s caught in this filter of an immovable 90s vibes? You’ve got the elderly envelope pushers like Guided By Voices and Slint, but even new-agers like The National and Cloud Nothings have these dark and rough traces (respectively) of the thunderous tunes from 20 years ago (shit, why did I leave Neverland?!). So, maybe that’s why Indianapolis’ Pravada emits a vibe that has an aura of The Pixes fused with Violent Femmes. Pravada is a three-piece made up of former members from Margot and Nuclear So and So’s and “Campfire Song” is a track I can get down with in these early days of 2013. - I Guess I'm Floating

Pravada have been around for over a decade, and they’ve had a lot of lineup changes. However, the band’s latest lineup seems to be the most promising and consistent in years, and this Friday at the much-buzzed-about Fountain Square Grand Prix / Cataracts Fest kick-off show, Pravada are preparing to unleash a new 10” EP titled NO! This band is a force to be reckoned with in the local scene: they were partying and rocking in Fountain Square at least five years before it was “cool,” all current members (Jesse Lee, Casey Tennis, and Hubert Glover) did time in Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s a few years back, and their new album is without a doubt one of the finest pieces of recorded music I’ve heard this year, local or otherwise.

Recorded at Queen Size with Andy Fry and Tyler Watkins (also both members of Pravada at some point), featuring art by John Clark, and mixed/mastered by J.B. Andrews, NO! may have a brief runtime, but it’s the definitive Pravada album fans have been waiting for. Let me clarify; Manus Plere, the band’s full-length debut from 2005, is an outstanding and underrated work of art that I still enjoy listening to at their MFT page. It’s just that NO! is conceived with more immediacy, more musical fun, better production, and the best songs in the band’s arsenal, in my opinion. Every track is a winner, and whenever I listen, I feel like there’s no need to change the record (or sometimes even to flip it) - I just let it play again.

“Someone Else” is the ideal indie rock EP starter: an up-tempo, swinging beat propels the fuzzy bass and clean-toned guitar under Jesse Lee’s amazing voice. He’s almost whispering his cryptic lyrics on the verses, until the choruses explode in high-pitched pleading and unrestrained volume from the whole band. “Someone Else” is a genre-smashing rock n roll stomp, and it’s available right now at the band’s MFT page. It’s a singular example of Pravada’s awesome ability to create timeless powerpop, and I’m willing to bet it will leave you wanting more (you can, at their bandcamp page).
The next song on the EP, “Flatbush,” has been a recent live favorite of mine at Pravada shows. The “woah-woah” hook is impossible to get out of your head once you’ve heard it, and the band is in top form here. They sound sassy, sexy, and carefree - combining shades of The Kinks, The Cars, and dare I say early Cheap Trick? In any case, it’s the kind of track that makes you wonder how the band will keep up the pace for a whole album. For Pravada, that just means they kick the whole thing up another notch on “Straight Guys,” a clever and furiously-paced shitkicker of a rock song, bringing an energy that’s as venomous and salty as the crustiest of punk rock, but with a sugar-sweet pop sensibility (and maybe even a little pop-metal on that highest scream of “Straight guys that dance don’t pay!”).

The opening of side two is the perfect place to slow things down on NO! It starts with the sublime mid-tempo ballad, “Molly,” which features stunning production (sprinklings of piano, smooth-as-fuck background vocals, oh-god-the-trumpets!), a beautiful melody, and evocative lyrics. It’s a standout track among all the other brilliant songs on NO!, and it’s the perfect showcase for Jesse Lee’s meticulous songcraft. The record finale, “Campfire Song” has another of Lee’s unforgettable vocal melodies, and a breezy, poppy feel that has been missing from indie rock since the mid-90s. I love the way that Pravada can combine simplicity and complex arrangements (“Campfire Song” has more of those awesome background vocals) to build songs that sound classic upfront and reveal depth on repeated listens.

These guys are doing things right. They’ve been playing out a lot more, and I’m confident that they will be on fire at their set this Friday. Don’t miss your chance to get a copy of this limited-edition vinyl before it disappears into the annals of Indiana rock history. It also comes with a download code, so get it even if you don’t listen to vinyl. Pravada have earned their position as one of Indiana’s standout bands, and this feels like the right moment for them to win even more people's attention.

The next song on the EP, “Flatbush,” has been a recent live favorite of mine at Pravada shows. The “woah-woah” hook is impossible to get out of your head once you’ve heard it, and the band is in top form here. They sound sassy, sexy, and carefree - combining shades of The Kinks, The Cars, and dare I say early Cheap Trick? In any case, it’s the kind of track that makes you wonder how the band will keep up the pace for a whole album. For Pravada, that just means they kick the whole thing up another notch on “Straight Guys,” a clever and furiously-paced shitkicker of a rock song, bringing an energy that’s as venomous and salty as the crustiest of punk rock, but with a sugar-sweet pop sensibility (and maybe even a little pop-metal on that highest scream of “Straight guys that dance don’t pay!”).

The opening of side two is the perfect place to slow things down on NO! It starts with the sublime mid-tempo ballad, “Molly,” which features stunning production (sprinklings of piano, smooth-as-fuck background vocals, oh-god-the-trumpets!), a beautiful melody, and evocative lyrics. It’s a standout track among all the other brilliant songs on NO!, and it’s the perfect showcase for Jesse Lee’s meticulous songcraft. The record finale, “Campfire Song” has another of Lee’s unforgettable vocal melodies, and a breezy, poppy feel that has been missing from indie rock since the mid-90s. I love the way that Pravada can combine simplicity and complex arrangements (“Campfire Song” has more of those awesome background vocals) to build songs that sound classic upfront and reveal depth on repeated listens.

These guys are doing things right. They’ve been playing out a lot more, and I’m confident that they will be on fire at their set this Friday. Don’t miss your chance to get a copy of this limited-edition vinyl before it disappears into the annals of Indiana rock history. It also comes with a download code, so get it even if you don’t listen to vinyl. Pravada have earned their position as one of Indiana’s standout bands, and this feels like the right moment for them to win even more people's attention.
- Musical Family Tree

"Pravada, which is arguably one of the best live rock and roll bands in Indianapolis right now, followed suit with a more melodic and subtle stage presence. There seemed to be a deeper, rooted connection... and after having heard their album Manus Piere, seeing them live absolutely blew me away. There was no wasted sound from what I could hear. Every note was mature and deliberate." - Transpanther Group

"Little is known, however, about the origins, and values of their somewhat covert indie super-group Pravada. The band has played a handful of shows and recorded only one album ("Manus Piere") together since its inception about a decade ago. Yet it’s one of the most talented rock-n-roll acts to ever have surfaced in Indy." - Metro Mix

"Pravada have long been one of Indianapolis’s best acts, thanks in part to top-notch songwriting, Jesse Lee’s singular voice, and the (dare I say “perfect”) drum work of Casey Tennis. The addition of Hubert Glover on bass certainly hasn’t hurt the band any, as he is one of the most talented and versatile musicians around.... Yes, folks, I may not need to say much more about them, but trust me, if you have a chance to go see Pravada soon, do it. They’ve been steadily increasing their amount of local shows lately, and each one seems to sound better than the last."

Jon Rodgers - Musical Family Tree (MFT)