The Preakness

By William Cane
Photo by Jessica McGowan

The days of the compact disc may be numbered. Many purists have always preferred vinyl, and pragmatists often resort to mp3s. In what has become a growing trend, Atlanta’s The Preakness has taken note, adapted and avoided manufacturing CDs altogether for the release of its new, self-titled EP. It wasn’t so much a premeditated decision as a capitalization on what was already convenient: indie label Eskimo Kiss expressed interest in helping the band release a 7-inch record, and iTunes was the most logical way to bridge the analog/digital gap. “I don’t want to say that [CDs] are a dead media,” singer/songwriter Brandon Arnold admits, “but they’re probably on the way out. Vinyl, however, is ... an event.”

A collector of vinyl himself, Arnold began The Preakness as a simple way to keep track of his ideas. His involvement in other bands kept him busy, and it was only his curiosity that prompted him to go public. “Like a lot of people,” Arnold says, “I’ve played in many, many bands over the years, but I’ve never been the primary songwriter ... So I opened up a MySpace page and called it The Preakness.” The demos were crude, and Arnold’s profile offered a disclaimer: “They sound a little crappy, but feel free to download and listen over and over in your car on the way to the party.”

Upon hearing Arnold’s catchy, simple songs, bassist Tracy Clark knew that she wanted to be involved. The vocals left plenty of room for Clark to contribute harmonies, and the “messy pop” style of music was exactly what she’d been trying to pursue. “The melodies really appealed to me,” Clark says, “and the way that the songs were written. When I first heard it I thought, ‘This sounds like a band that I should be a part of.’” The problem, however, was that The Preakness was more of an idea than an actual band. It was only through the occasional prodding of friend/drummer Tim Genius that Arnold decided to take things a step further and attempt to translate the songs to a live setting. At the beginning of 2006, Arnold agreed that it may be time for The Preakness to step forth, and he remembered that Clark had contacted him and expressed interest in collaborating.

“I sent her a MySpace message, ‘cause that was the only way I knew to get in touch with her,” Arnold says, “and she was looking for a new project at that point — so we got together.”

Despite The Preakness’ one-man-show origins, Arnold insists that each member now plays a vital role: “As far as I’m concerned now, The Preakness is a unit ... I might have written the songs [up] to this point, but it’s definitely a band and I won‘t be releasing anything on my own.” Genius’ drumming makes the old songs much more dynamic and shapes the new songs as they come together; Clark’s harmonies, bass lines and novel ideas give the songs what Arnold calls the “meat.” All three members perform every song on the new EP, and all three members are hard at work developing material for a full-length follow-up. Unless another label springs up and offers to manufacture the record, however, The Preakness’ full-length debut will be released on compact disc. “Our goal is to take some time in June and July to do the recording of the full-length, and release a CD,” Clark says, “because we’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback and we want to strike while the iron is hot.”

Arnold, Clark and Genius plan to perform throughout the Southeast, but in the meantime they’ve been playing Atlanta clubs that are close to their hearts and homes, such as The EARL and the Drunken Unicorn. Just as the fetal version of The Preakness started in Arnold’s home and trickled through his local scene, the fully realized band must now reach past its comfort zone and hope that listeners everywhere will hear what Tracy Clark heard.

www.preakout.com