Focusing on the importance of being yourself and doing what you love
When I first mustered up the idea of starting this blog, I knew I wanted to really hunker down and focus on Sacramento musicians as much as possible. When doing some research, it was brought to my attention there are over 6,000 bands within this region which is intimating to some degree, and yet I still find myself thinking “wow it really is a small world”. Why? Well, the first artist I had the privilege to interview (EVER!!!!) knew my mother in high school. In fact, my mother was one of the first people Jeffry-Wynne Prince played guitar for!
I had the opportunity to speak with Jeffry-Wynne Prince of The Bitter Elegance, a local, four piece, Sacramento region band who was a nominee for the best Local Band for the 2017 Sacramento A-List. They have a sound that is easy to listen to while still being dark and modern. It features lead singer Merlot, Jeffry on guitar, Michaelandrew on bass, and Bractune on the drums. I met with Prince for the first time in a Starbucks where he pointed me out right away for “looking just like your mom at that age”. We dove right into questions, and he was a trooper for being able to decipher my disorganization for this first interview. We were able to discuss his start in the music industry, the band he is currently in with life-long mates, as well as the benefit show for Stand Out Talent this month.
What and Who got you interested in making music?
I would have to go back to when I was like nine years old, and started playing [guitar]. So, I’m going to completely date myself…so 1976 I saw Cheap Trick on TV, and I lost my mind because Robert Zander was so cool in his all white outfit and his pink Telecaster, and I instantly went to my grandparents and said ‘you have to get me a guitar, like there’s nothing else in life that’s as cool as this.
Is The Bitter Elegance the first band you’ve been in?
30th maybe? In this band I’m primarily guitar and keyboards. We have a really very accomplished singer who handles a lot of that…Someone said we sound a lot like Muse and Evanescence and I feel like that is very accurate”.
What is your response to the “What’s your back up plan?” question?
So I have very strong opinions on this. First of all, when I graduated school in the 80s, you could actually go to college like on a scholarship, and if you wanted to do the typical go to college for four years, get a regular job, and exist like a normal person, that was available. But in 2018, that’s not even a thing. In 2018, you make your own life. Entrepreneurial attitudes are where you succeed. Whether that’s music, or production, or teaching, or whatever. I think you decide what you wanna do; find something you’re good at, and pursue it as 100% yourself.
So, is that some advice you would give to beginners?
The thing is, I think parents especially think ‘you’re 16, and playing guitar’. There’s so much you can do with that skill than just be in a band. You can produce, or you can teach. You can work in the film industry. There’s a myriad of music paying jobs that are not necessarily being a burnout band member.
I agree. I feel like when someone says they want to play an instrument or be in a band, a lot of people look at it as very black and white. Where, you either have to be very successful, or you shouldn’t be in it at all.
Yeah there’s a lot of middle ground being lost in that philosophy.
We weren’t even going to be a band when we formed this. We were doing it because we had much more success as writers, so we wanted a kind of song writing collective, and then it was just so awesome we decided we should play too.
What is the most challenging aspect of being in a band?
My career in music has been a series of little bits of success and lots and lots of losses. The biggest challenge is to not just quit when your misses are adding up. That’s a daily challenge even now.
How have you seen the Sacramento music scene change?
Well, it’s definitely a microcosm of what’s happening in the world. It used to be: You’d get in a band, you do your thing, and you move up the next step on the ladder which usually meant getting label support, and that just doesn’t even exist. Now it’s, You have to be an entrepreneur, you have to figure out how you’re going to market yourself as your own business, and find your way through the madness of the 6,000 bands in Sacramento.
I think a lot of bands and music performers in Sac have been marginalized if they aren’t seen as totally weird or different. Like, if you’re doing anything slightly mainstream in Sacramento, that seems to be like the wrong thing to do [to be popular] which is ironic because that’s the right thing to do. To be popular everywhere is to do something lots of people wanna hear. I don’t like that.
If you could give your past self any advice, what would it be?
Ah the time machine question…. Focus more on writing songs and less on chasing girls.
So tell my about this benefit show you’re playing.
So, Stand Out Talent Organization works outside of Roseville Tower Theatre. They do musicals, and all sorts of performance based art. They’re not for profit, and it really has helped Placer County experience a lot more culture and art than they would have without them. And we [The Bitter Elegance] were fortunate enough to be hired as the orchestra for the musical they did for Evil Dead. So we did the entire show run as the orchestra pit as The Bitter Elegance, and it was awesome. The cast would have us jam on rehearsals and breaks, and they’d get to hear us play live. The main person in charge, Jennifer [Bortz] had this idea for a Benefit show, and asked us to play.
Michael, Bractune, and I were the three people that were in my band back in high school. Bractune and I have been playing together since 1984. Michael in the late 80s early 90s.
It must be cool to know someone for that long, and to see how they change music wise.
The big challenge is to not fall into your normal habits, try to keep it interesting. It’s a double edged sword because you play with someone you know, and you kind of anticipate where they’re gonna go which musically is very satisfying, but then you can always anticipate each other, and you’re not surprised.
They have their Debut Album titled Painting Over Your Ghost out now where you can find it on their website www.thebitterelegance.com as well as Spotify and iTunes. My personal favorites so far from the album are “Bite_Me” “Light of Sorrow (#I’m Done)”, and “It’s a Wonderful Lie”. I really love their use of keyboard in just about every song because it keeps the album incredibly cohesive but each song is different from the last. I find myself playing this while I’m at work, and I’m incredibly ecstatic to share with you all this artist. They have a sound that can be appealing to a plethora of different audiences while staying unapologetically themselves. It’s incredibly encouraging to see people who have known each other for years continue to keep their dreams and passions thriving, and I cannot wait to see how this band evolves.
Join me in seeing The Bitter Elegance at Roseville Tower Theatre on January 27th at 6pm. Tickets are only $20 and can be found on their socials and website. All Proceeds go towards the cause. If you’d like to keep up with The Bitter Elegance and know when they’ll be performing next, you can follow them on Instagram at @thebitterelegance, and on Facebook at The Bitter Elegance.
If you’d like to know more about Stand Out Talent, and where to donate to their inspiring cause, you can find them at www.standouttalent.org.