The Jessica Prouty Band
Words By Justin Landau. Photos by Juliet Degree.
This past Wednesday at Big Heavy’s studio, I spoke with the Jessica Prouty band. They formed in February of 2007 in Marblehead Massachusetts, and are compromised of Jessica Prouty (age 16) the singer, Cam Pelkey (age 16) the drummer, Cody Nilsen (age 17) the guitarist, and Andy Covino (age 15) the keyboardist. Both this and last summer, the band has played over 40 shows all throughout New England, including Six Flags, Gilette Stadium, Hampton Beach, Maine Lobster Fest, and countless other venues. Wednesday the band will be playing at Higher ground for their fourth time.
The Jessica Prouty band have won numerous contests, most notably The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus and Daddy’s Junkie Music – Rockin’ Roland Battle of the Bands, which gave them the opportunity to produce a music video for their song “Escape," which won best song at the Boston Children’s Hospital Notes for the Cure Battle of the Bands. “The music video was filmed in ten hours in a parking lot in Massachusetts. We also filmed in a stone quarry, and found an abandoned motel.”
Musically, the band are extremely talented and polished, and are much more talented than their age might suggest. Each has won summer scholarship programs to Berklee Music School, and extremely prestigious honor. Their musical tastes are quite different, ranging from Cam’s Hardcore, Cody’s blues, and Jessica’s southern and alternative rock, while Andy listens to everything. Despite this, “we dip our toes in each other’s lakes, and appreciate all types of music.” Cam, Cody, and Andy are all extremely talented musicians, which I was able to pick up while just talking to them and hearing them fool around with their instruments. Jessica’s voice is eerily reminiscent of Amy Lee from Evanescence, and is both haunting and beautiful at the same time. As they played an acoustic version of Bring Me to Life by Evanescence on The Radiator, it sent a shiver up my spine. Each band member is a unique personality as well, with Cody the most exuberant and goofy, while the others less so, which gives the members a good balance.
The band is currently on their Time to Escape tour, and “are working to regionalize throughout New England and develop a devoted fan base.” They consider themselves a Heavy Modern Rock band, though other influences can be clearly heard in their songs. Their five-album disc, titled Time to Escape just came out on June 23rd, and was recorded at the Spirit House. All information about the band, its tour dates, music video and other tid bits can be found at jessicaprouty.com, along with Facebook and MySpace. Though already talented, the potential of these young musicians is limitless, and they are a must-see if you're ever presented with the opportunity.
