By Mark Kneubuhl
Special to LIVE!
June 17, 2007

They’re called Primm, as in how older club owners used to misspell the name of the band’s founder and lead singer/song writer. “I just gave up one day and named the band that way,” says Ray Prim (with one ‘M’). Last Saturday the band played at the Steel Penny Pub (2412 College Hills, San Angelo).

Their music is a provocative blend of rock, R&B and hip-hop, seemingly having evolved from ‘old school’ roots. An example of this odd, but alluring musical concoction is evident in their modern rendition of the Beatle’s classic, “Eleanor Rigby.”

In their single, “Up and Down” from their first CD, the vocals are nothing less than a reincarnation of the 60’s/70’s R&B sensation Al Green. So much so, it’s almost scary.

There is also the obvious influence on the music from some of their own idols like Lenny Kravitz, King’s X and Otis Redding, (remember, “Sitting on the Dock in the Bay?”). Then, out of the middle of nowhere comes the folksy, acoustic guitar melody, “Waiting on Angel,” a Ben Harper tune.

In general, the music is a likeness of Ray himself; a reflective person of contrast with multiple sides to his persona. Born in the small up-state New York town of Pougnkeepsie, (they probably couldn’t spell that either), a couple years after the Beatles broke up; he’s now a devoted fan of the Fab-four. He’s a high energy personality who ‘mellows-out’ by listening to Stevie Wonder tapes, drinks coffee with a beer chaser, all-the-while talking about the allure of doing a straight six-hour live set someday.

Ironically, one of Ray’s more popular creations is a single entitled, “Simple As It Seems.”

 

Everyone is born
Knowing wrong from right
Stumblin’ in the darkness
Step into the light
Jesus is your savior
The devil is your fight
All the bad guys wear black
Where the good guys wear white

 

Well I can’t believe… It’s as Simple as it Seems.

Listening to this up-and-coming band, the higher quality of musicianship and wordsmithing is immediately evident. But what puts a song on the charts, (although no one can tell you exactly what “it” is), comes after the second or third playing of the tune. It’s when your foot starts tapping involuntarily and sub-consciously your hand reaches for the volume button to crank it up. The “Fonz,” in the hit 70’s TV show, Happy Days, would have called it “catchy”.

In songs like “All In Yo Head” and “Up and Down”, they’ve got “it”. Or for the Seattle, coffee house set, “Waiting on Angel” has “it” too. Get a couple more tunes like that and signing a record deal shouldn’t be too far off. In the mean time, they are a group more than worthy of even the most costly of cover charges here locally. While some bands get stuck into one genre, you never know what to expect from Primm.

Unfortunately for the fans, the band has yet to be autopsied by the internet. All of the songs, lyrics, pictures and other tidbits that any good groupie would expect is simply not there.

“We like to concentrate on the music,” said Ray. Back-up vocalist and sax player Gary Hargle, echoed those sediments, “We’ve got our gigs and practice sessions and I’ve got a wife and a child… we just have to pick out what’s important.”

Guitarist Tate Farrar is the only member of the group that can claim to be Texas-born, although not by much, having come from Beaumont, close to the Lousiana state line. Drummer, Jusin Sadowski hails from the Great Lakes region, while bass player, John Mcfarlen is from Huntsville, Alabama.

Nowadays, they all claim Austin as their home, having lived there for over a decade and playing in the “Live Music Capital” for almost as long. Back in the day, they were called “Seven Stones”.

When it comes to touring, Primm is of the “weekend warrior” variety, having to balance only occasional road trips with their steadier gig at Austin’s popular night spot, Lucky Lounge.

Primm’s 3rd CD, All In Yo Head, features the promising single of the same name and “Simple As It Seems.”

By the way, club owners are now getting the spelling of “Primm” right!