3rdEyeGirl Shed Light On Working w/ Prince, Tell Tales From Paisley Park
For many of us, stepping beyond the high satin walls of Prince's Paisley Park compound is the stuff of reverie. But for the power-trio that is 3rdEyeGirl, it's just another day at the office. The lovely ladies of Prince's latest ensemble recently sat down with the folks at The Guardian to hash out what it's like to work with the Purple Sage in his Minneapolis retreat, tour the world by his side and having his stamp on their musicianship.
They touch on recording their forthcoming Plectrum Electrum LP and how Mr. Nelson brought out the strongest suit in them all, how his style and ethos remain unmatched in the music world and how he's turned a new leaf in the over-sexualizing of female pop-stars. Lets's not forget how scantily clad Apollonia and Vanity 6 were in the "Nasty Girl" days (ca. 1982.) There's so much purply goodness in there that you're gonna have to head over to The Guardian for the full scoop. Whet that pallet with a few excerpts below and preorder both Plectrum Electrum and Art Official Age via iTunes today ahead of their September 30th releases.
Taking a stand against overly sexualized pop stars:
“We’ve been inspired by his style and him telling us how he wants people to see us. There’s a way to be portrayed as beautiful, and even sassy and sophisticated, yet still powerful. None of us will ever compromise our look and feel as if we have to go out there wearing next to nothing to be noticed. That’s what the industry has become these days and the music is suffering; people are over-compensating for their music not being very good."
How to play on Prince's level:
“One thing Prince has said a few times is that with every performance, go in with the mindset that it’s being recorded, as much as we encourage people to put their phones away and bootlegging is highly discouraged – he calls bootlegs “unfinished recordings” because the sound quality is not nearly the same. He says to dress like you’re being videotaped, perform as if you’re in the studio, and nail it. Because at some point someone will be recording and they’ll probably put it online and you have to look at and hear yourself and you want to be proud of it.”
On bringing out the group's stronger suits:
“Prince has really encouraged us to take the reins and be courageous with our playing. It’s OK to make mistakes as long as you’re trying for something, know how to recover and keep going. Either it can be fixed or it can’t and we have to redo it, but it’s OK to take chances. What’s cool is that Prince teaches us the grooves but he’s very much open to our interpretation of the parts, as long as we stay true to the feel. He’s not a stickler, like: ‘This is what I gave you, this is what you play.’ He’s really laidback – at least, he is with us. That’s what makes our sound and shows so special because you hear all of our different personalities shine through the music.”
