05 Jul 12

"...we're fuckin' going to rock like it's 1999!" ~ The Prep School Tragedy

Hey, blogspot readers, it's explosive after the 4th! SouthSide and her daughter, Sunday (name changed to protect her identity) spent their after the holiday fun at Reggie's Rock Club for a little education in shoegaze/industrial rock - The Prep School Tragedy style. Though, there was a sparse number of DelinQuents (the name for TPST fans) in the audience at this early all ages show, they still rocked the stage celebrating the official release of their debut CD - It's All A Show as part of the opening lineup that  featured Blackopz, [X]-Rx with Aesthetic Perfection headlining. SouthSide, for over two years, has watched this local troupe evolve from their zombie-fied makeup to their current status as a faux prep school-looking band with cheerleaders ...and soon a new mascot (more about that in a minute). After TPST's brief opening set, this reviewer had the chance to speak with Benn "Tran Q" Guy and Michael "Ignited" Hodes - the principle leads of this school gang about the band, CD and the mascot.

So, who ... or what is The Prep School Tragedy, blogspot readers? Well, it's definitely NOT Glee or High School Musical. "...sex, drugs cheerleaders..." or how about this answer "...sexy twisted energy..." According to the guys, they're just having fun with lots of guilty pleasure. And basically, that's true if you listen closely to the songs by TPST - there's SouthSide's favorite, SeduQtion (pronounced "seduction"), their hit - Thought I Toldja (check out the awesome video for this particular song on their YouTube page),  and Phoenix In the Sky. The Tragedy shows tend to get very intense due its hardcore guitar riffs and industrial/shoegaze sound, blogspot readers as well as sexually suggested because of the tasty eye-candy, the cheer squad, dancing on stage. Then, there are moments when this band can get extremely wide if performing a full 45 minute set. So this reviewer asked the guys why release the album now and not two years ago. The reason - they jumped the gun too soon with a release put out in August 2010 and it wasn't as polished or didn't have the music sound like what they have today. Now as a solid band, TPST team has their sound to where it should be "...like a fine wine..." have to do it right.

So, what keeps the fans coming back to a TPST show? For that answer, SouthSide spoke with a fan, Aydee who comment by saying "...[was] pretty amazed the first time seeing them ...having a band from Chicago is cool ...[they] have amazing performance..." Yes, they do, blogspot readers. As this reviewer mentioned earlier, their shows are intense and wild ...sometimes can get the fans along with the crowd agitated and hyped within the electrifying rock of the industrial sound. Yet, tonight, it seemed quite difficult for the guys and the band to even a whimper out the audience. Granted it was an early and all ages show for TPST but they still went onward as if the venue was packed with screaming fans performing a short selection of songs that included Hate Everything I Do. This reviewer (as well as Sunday who says "...they're cool...") enjoyed the energetic, fast paced momentum and the rosy cheek reactions from some of the audience members upon seeing the cheer squad's racy dance moves. It's definitely not a show without the cheer squad seducing and rockin' with the band ...but what's school without a mascot? So, does TPST have a mascot? Answer is yes but they wouldn't tell SouthSide what it is. "...can't reveal for many reasons..." says Michael and Benn. They had one in mind since the band's major DelinQuent Wolfie is no longer with them. This reviewer did her best in getting you, blogspot readers, the scoop about this mascot. However the guys remained tight lipped about it.

The Prep School Tragedy, to end the interview, highly suggests blogspot readers checking out their debut album in which you can get online at http://www.theprepschooltragedy.bigcartel.com/ as well their homepage  - http://www.theprepschooltragedy.com/ and Facebook. And be the hippest DelinQuent at your school, blogspot readers.

Until next time, support your local scene,

SouthSide