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Diamonds in the ruff #3

Glorious return of the sleaze with Prima Donna

By Nick Schwab

Trolling through the city night and looking for a kiss and a fix, Prima Donna brings both the boogie and the sleaze back, not just to rock, but rock 'n' roll. The sound on their first record, "After Hours" is embedded in nostalgia of a time when listening to that little rock 'n' roll song on the radio first saved lives. The band stays true to 1970s punk Mink Deville's motto: "If you can't f-ck to it, it ain't no good!" Words to live by and rock out to, indeed.

When describing Prima Donna's sense of rock 'n' roll joy, vocalist/guitarist Kevin Tyler Preston said, "I have never seen us as a band that can play an hour worth of slow ballads ... We try to be loud, both in the way we look and sound." With a listen to the album, one can certainly thank them for it. In fact, when compared to New York Dolls' recent work, which lacks the presence of Johnny Thunders, Prima Donna rocks a lot harder, and has a better sense of 'tude.

Other than boogie, personality is indeed something Prima Donna has in spades. "Now your whole world is in a frenzy/ He comes in waves and you just turn to dust/ He holds a one way ticket, it's the stars or bust," sings Preston on "Soul Stripper," a song about the feeling of someone bleeding you dry. "It's just a f-ck you to people who suck the soul out of you," said Preston.

As Prima Donna is based in Los Angeles, they could be considered music for the underbelly of this sunny city. The place where dreams come true for some is sadly, for many others, a place where hearts are broken and feelings of grandeur are squashed. Prima Donna acts as the rallying cry for those lost in the shuffle.

Preston, a Los Angeles native like the rest of the group, expanded on the city and how Prima Donna's music relates to the surroundings, "I think it brings out a lot of urgency." He added, "I know people come out here and they have a problem with all the superficial people, but to us it is comedy, and it's fun."

Also included in their sound is a modern influence, in the way of some polish in production (and it's thankfully not too clean), as well as the act's own knack for hooks and some rather nifty saxophone and keyboard courtesy of Aaron Minton, which bring out a sense of glitz and glamour. There is also Preston's voice, soaring above the songs with a sense of strut, but it's clearer than most of the acts that play this form of glam/punk. In fact, it is slightly poppy, and the hooks find a great balance between the modern and the nostalgic, the reckless and the perfected, all without crying out for attention.

Moreover, at some points on the record, such as on the song, "I don't want you to love me," Prima Donna shows some nice early 1960s garage rock influence and its pure stimulation. One of the more noticeable elements to the band is the sense of that great rock 'n' roll junkiness, as the personable and handsome Preston believes.

"If you go for a sex appeal, it's really corny," Preston said. "But sleaze is not something you can fake ... in my opinion, sleaze is more sexy than sexy. Sexy is old fashioned and prude," Preston said of the fuel that ignites Prima Donna's creativity. What else is their source of inspiration, you ask? Well, you probably don't have to think too hard.

"I'd say women. I don't think there is anything better in life than a pretty girl. Also, I hate to say this, but there's a lot of negative things in life that fail you to greatness ... it starts to boil down to that, but I would just say alcohol and women." I know a true rock 'n' roll party animal when I talk to one, as Preston commented about what he hopes to create in their concerts.

"There is nothing like playing against a bunch of crazy rock 'n' roll kids jumping up and down," said Preston, who along with the rest of Prima Donna, has recently embarked on a European tour with the world-renowned Green Day. "What we want to do and what I want to do is give kids a chance to lose their minds ... Everybody should just get out of their head and go nuts."

Trust me Kevin, those lucky enough to listen surely will.

Prima Donna's first album, "After Hours, is out now. Kevin Tyler Preston is also a member of the Green Day side project, Foxboro Hot Tubs. To hear a sample of Prima Donna, visit uweekly.com.

Originally Published: February 3, 2010

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