American Princes

 With less than a year since their critically lauded debut effort We Are The People, Little Rock’s American Princes are back with a collection of songs that should secure their place in reputable rock and roll circles. Written and recorded during the cold, early months of 2004, the band’s second effort Little Spaces launches quickly with the anthemic “I Want To Be Good”. The pace continues terse & powerful until the fourth tune when you notice the Princes taking their first of several welcome side steps. “In The Dark” shakes and shifts with a remarkabley powerful mood & subtlety, while the also quiet “Providence, RI” is perhaps the band’s best song to date. This push & pull appears at other points during the course of the album, making Little Spaces a immensely accomplished sophomore step for a band still very much in it’s formative years.

"Another great CD from this Little Rock band: a pop record with amazing lyrics, guitars, and vocals. Trying to pinpoint their musical influences or compressions is hard, but every song here is radio ready in a refreshing way." - Punk Planet (January 2005)

"Shaggy modern rock traditionalists, this band from Little Rock were weaned on Pavement, The Pixies and The Replacements. They like lyrics that reach and rhythms that kick and an overall sound that's more than a little reckless. The band's two DIY LPs, We Are the People (a sly nod to Taxi Driver) and Little Spaces, rely on a dual-guitar attack that allows for more intricacy and groove, putting the "rock" back in indie-rock." - Nashville Scene (October 2004)

"I'm not quite sure if the entire album is about claustrophobia, but I do know that any fear of little spaces I may once have held has now been assuaged. Contained within their stellar second album, the American Princes have forged a sharper soundimage through stronger musicianship and more concentrated songwriting. They've taken off from where they left their first album We Are the People, plowing steamfaced ahead. They've created something great, even the while struggling with a new understanding of it. The journey tackles death, boredom, and sex with a stained virility--remaining stoically wedged betwixt sky and cement. Yet the sound is global. With the exception of 'Providence, RI,' any of the songs could take place in any town in America. The boys have had their share of urban intimacies. Six bits of the Princes hail from Little Rock-- a scene they've conquered quite naturally. Rhythm guitarist/singer David Slade and (recently departed) bassist/singer John Beachboard formed the band in Brooklyn a couple of years ago and decided to put together a raw but layered rock band. They imported local Brooklyn badass Matt Quin on drums to fill it out. But it wasn't until they transplanted back to Little Rock that they reconvened with friend and lead guitarist/keyboardist/singer Collins Kilgore to add the final touches. I've had the royaluxury of watching the Princes' songs develop from show to album. What didn't fit live, they laid down to digital--breaking out the acoustic for about a quarter of the time. Still, their live show remains a force to be reckoned, if heard. Ryan Universe joins on bass, and the boys' between-song banter is always a treat: Slade's recent valediction of the encore as their "hidden track" was clever at best, until at home, the CD's ending rendered it brilliant. In fact, brilliance seems to abound on little spaces. A poet-songwriter could do well to be heard and understood by including a lyric sheet to his work. As such, one can glean the genius of Slade with the turn of a phrase: "I wrote this song / but it's gone in a second and it's worthless, so" from the poignant Shins-esque 'In the Dark,' to the cynicalanthemic, Pixies-like boast "out is in / out is in," from '100 Eyes.' The lyrics dig deep, and the accompanying album art adds an element of embryonic encapsulement that fits the albums' theme. Sometimes it takes standing in the corner to force you to think about your misdeeds--sometimes these little spaces allow you to put it all in perspective. They push you to do better. Sure there are a million bands these days, a million scenes out there, but the American Princes want to be good; they know these scenes. And I think they're beginning to outgrow their own little spaces." - Ridge Bardo / Slightly Confusing To A Stranger (August 2004)

"Thank goodness Little Rock is represented by someone besides Amy Lee of Evanescence. We Are The People's eight songs bring rock 'n' roll salvation. Give them a chance, because you won't be disappointed." - Punk Planet (March 2004)