I was recently asked by Owl and Bear music blog to write a list for their Poetic Memory series. I chose to compile 10 YouTube videos of bands that were personally influential in crafting the Montalban Quintet sound and musical direction. This article rolls in a nice promo for our upcoming Soda Bar show. It’s a good read. Check it out!

http://www.owlandbear.com/2012/06/21/poetic-memory-montalban-quintet-list/

From a press release on June 4, 2012:
“We’re pleased to welcome Chris Prescott to our artist family. Chris is a San Diego-based musician who has been teaching and playing professionally for over 20 years. Over the years he has performed and recorded on more than 50 releases on both independent and major labels, as well as recorded music for both film and television. Some of the bands he has toured and performed with include Pinback, Rocket from the Crypt. System Officer, No Knife and Tanner among others. During the past 20 years he has performed in over 180 cities in places as far-reaching as Japan, Russia, Australia, Europe, Czech Republic, Canada, Mexico and all over the United States.

Chris holds a degree in Music/Jazz studies from the University of California, San Diego. Recently he published his first method book on drumming called Creative Construction which contains play-along audio tracks. The book centers on drum part writing and musicianship concepts, aimed at helping young drummers connect logically with their musical counterparts. His book piqued the interest of Modern Drummer editors and was commissioned for an ongoing series through the 2011 publications.

Pinback remains his musical focus and he and the band are in the middle of recording their 5th full-length album slated for a 2012 release on Temporary Residence Ltd. Their two previous albums sold around 100,000 copies each and they are anticipating a strong response to the upcoming album as well. The band just returned from a successful headlining tour of Europe/UK/Russia and are taking a few months off before they begin touring to support the new record.

Chris will be touring around the world in the later part of 2012 with his Los Cabos Drumsticks in hand.

Praise for Chris from his peers in regards to his new book, Creative Construction:

“I like Chris’s method. It reminds me when I was a kid. I used to pop on the headphones to play drums to my favorite records to learn all the drum parts. Plenty of cool time signatures and information make this book a fun way to learn.” (Chad Canning – Nirvana)

“Chris’s book is a great tool for inspiring creativity out of any drummer.” (Scott McPherson – Beck, Bright Eyes, Elliott Smith)

“Chris Prescott is someone who knows how to put together interesting, creative and unique drums parts…I’ve been watching him do it for 20 years! As an obvious standout from the huge talent pool of San Diego musicians, he has always been able to make something that could be boring or standard…not! For him to put his method into words is a gift to any and all drummers looking to create original drum parts for songs. Nice work!” (Atom Willard – Angels and Airwaves, Social Distortion, Offspring)

“Chris Prescott has been playing drums very well for a very long time. He is also a multi-instrumentalist and a great songwriter. These things combine to make him a great contributor to “the song”. Chris’ new book is a way for the new to get into drums from a fresh & creative perspective. He looks at drum parts in a way that incorporates the song, which is of course a key element of drumming. I would highly recommend this book to any stickmen, young or old.” (Mario Rubalcaba – OFF!, Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes, Earthless)”