Cue & A: The Memorials project plans Peoria stop
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Thomas Pridgen and Viveca Hawkins will bring their musical outfit, The Memorials to Peoria on Sept. 14.
PEORIA —
San Francisco drumming prodigy Thomas Pridgen will bring his project The Memorials to Peoria for a showSept. 14 at Shifters Pub, 500 Main St.
Pridgen, who started drumming at age 3, became the youngest student ever to earn a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston (he was 15).
Pridgen formerly performed with The Mars Volta and formed his own group in December 2009, calling on friend and former Berklee College of Music student Viveca Hawkins to join him. The result is a diverse sound that combines Pridgen's thunderous drumming with Hawkins' versatile voice.
Ahead of the show, Pridgen and Hawkins answered a few questions by email. Here are excerpts of the interview.
- Danielle Hatch
Describe The Memorials sound for someone who might not be familiar with it.
Pridgen: Life as we know it won't exist much longer so I'd describe it as the reboot button on a musically deprived, dumbed-down universe...
Hawkins: I guess my most common answer is psychedelic soul/progressive rock. There are heavy riffs and complicated rhythms that are complimented by thick vocal leads and storytelling for people to actually relate to.
You're on a three-month tour. Where will that tour take you, and what are you most looking forward to?
Hawkins: We have been on the road for a month since we left (California) by way of the south. We have one more to go as we make our way home from the East Coast back down through the Midwest. Then we have a break before we go to Europe for the first time.
Describe an experience when you were completely moved by music. Who was the artist?
Pridgen: It was a dark and gloomy night, Tony Williams was playing and the whole building was shaking...
Hawkins: Last time I cried at a concert we went to see an R&B artist named P.J. Morton at Yoshi's in Oakland. It wasn't so much the music as it was the lyrics... But these dudes called Blackfoot Gypsies in Nashville moved me to change my clothes after they rocked my world as one of our openers.
What can people expect from your show in Peoria?
Pridgen: Some dope (expletive) and a picture. We allow wild animals in our show so come ready to party.
Hawkins: We're coming to do the same thing we do every day... Try to take over the world. Seriously. We play to win every night. Come be a part of the glory.
The Memorials, made up of drummer Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta) and vocalist Viveca Hawkins will perform Sept. 14 at Shifters Pub, 500 Main St. Doors open at 10 p.m. Admission is $10; ages 21 and older. For more information, visit Facebook.com/thememorials
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