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By Travis Tutwiler |
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What has he learned in that time? “The biggest lesson is that you can’t listen to anybody,” he advises. “You have to not listen to the flavors of the month and you should be true to your own influences – what you like and what you think is cool rather than what your girlfriend or some guy at a record company thinks is good.” This holds true on Prong’s new disc, Power Of The Damager, which is being released on 13th Planet Records – owned by fellow musician and good friend Al Jourgensen of Ministry. “We’ve got a working relationship and then we have a friendship, so sometimes we have to separate ourselves,” Tommy says of Jourgensen. “He’s really good at that, and he’s a very intelligent guy. It’s rare, I’ve found, in the music business. He likes to be in the studio a lot, and that’s his whole trip.” He admits that another rarity with Al is – “he’s a rock star but, on the other hand, we can sit down and watch the (Chicago) White Sox or something, too.” Having this kind of support is rejuvenating for a band that in 1996 went on hiatus. According to Tommy “there was a lot of political things, a lot of personal things and lack of support from the record company during the whole process of doing the Rude Awakening album. So many people had so many agendas, and everyone looks out for themselves,” he states. “I was just disgusted after the whole process of making the record, then going out on tour and losing money, then eventually getting dropped (from Epic Records).” After reforming in 2002, releasing two CDs and playing in Danzig, Tommy hooked up with Al Jourgensen and Ministry in late 2005. Spending two years in the Ministry fold, he began writing new Prong material. “There’s an open door policy with Prong,” he explains. “The scenario that applies to me is that in order to keep going on any realm of the music business or try to stay active, I’m involved in several different side projects.” This is reflected in his choice of musicians for the newly revamped Prong. “Monte (Pittman) has been touring in and out of Prong for the last five or six years as a bass and second guitar player, which we eliminated now and it’s back to a trio form,” explains Tommy. “Aaron (Rossi – drums) did the last couple of Prong tours, then went and did Ankla, in which he plays on their new record. He quit the band and called me up and asked about the new Prong record. I said ‘come back in and do it. These guys (Monte and Aaron) are always in demand, and I was lucky to have this window of opportunity to grab these guys right now.” The new offering is loaded with 12 lethal songs. Tommy describes the title track as, “You wake up and feel some sort of sense of doom. Just a real negative energy or real dark; it’s floating around, and there’s no way to get rid of it. You can hit the bottle or smoke crack, or whatever, but that’s not the way to deal with it. You have to find some kind of positive way on how to filter it somehow.” “Spirit Guide” is about looking to a higher power for help but also relying on yourself to make changes. “Changing Ending Troubling Times” is a sinister-sounding track, which Tommy explains as, “I put it all in one bag — financial problems, broken relationships, problems with the law and the IRS. I’ve pretty much been through all these things, and I don’t necessarily expect these things to stop and tomorrow is a better day.” He adds, “These things pop up again, and the only thing you can do is try to be a little courteous to yourself and not beat yourself up.” Prong will be hitting the road October 12. Due to scheduling complications, there’s no Dallas date on the current run (which extends through mid November), In January, the band heads to Europe. “Go on our website or Myspace site,” Tommy advises, “and look at the dates and come out and see us on tour. We may come to Dallas. We may do a fly-in show there. We’re trying to set that up.” We can only hope! |
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