Latest Blog Posts
- Sage Francis
All the Sage Francis updates you may have missed. - B. Dolan
Dissatisfied Customer vol. 1 - Jared Paul
Prayers For Atheists SUMMER TOUR 2010: 6/24-8/18 - B. Dolan
The Good Cowboy
- Sage Francis
Bio
Prayers for Atheists deliver their debut self-titled EP on Strange Famous Records, adding a touch of punk rock to the indie-hop label.
Fronted by long-time SFR affiliate Jared Paul and punk rock journeyman Alan Hague, PFA delivers the well crafted and thought provoking lyrics people have come to expect from Strange Famous. Thrashing rapidly between mid-80’s hardcore punk, counter-culture victory anthems, and politically-slanted rap, PFA gracefully snakes in and out of genres while escaping lazy categorization.
Using creative concepts to address pressing topical issues, the music remains fueled by the message while the band demonstrates a sense of victory and hope. These songs are labor testimonials, dance jams, and anti-war hymns executed with heart, craft and integrity. This self-titled 8 song EP is a forceful opening statement for a group who intends on shaking things up while having fun doing it. It’s not macabre music. And it’s not cynical. That would be too easy.
With years of anti-war organizing and a storied career laden with protest arrests, Jared Paul has become somewhat of a modern folk hero within the under ground American counter-culture. His most notable run-in with the law happened during the 2008 Republican National Convention, where Jared was the victim of a mass arbitrary arrest.
Fans and supporters jumped to action, creating a fundraiser via www.ConspiracyToRiot.com, from which an attorney was hired and the case was eventually dropped. This particular victory is celebrated in PFA’s lead-off single, “Psalm for St. Paul.”
Latest Blog Entry
Prayers For Atheists SUMMER TOUR 2010: 6/24-8/18
6/24 – thu Brooklyn @ Bushwick Studios w/ Metermaids & People With Teeth – 8p/$5
6/26 – sat Pittsburgh @ The Fallout Shelter w/ The Fuzz – 8p/$5
6/28 – mon Toledo @ Black Cherry Info Shop w/ Am Rev – EARLY SHOW! 7p/$5
6/29 – tue Detroit @ Division Gallery w/ Bike Tuff – EARLY SHOW! 6:30-9:30p/$5)
6/30 [...]
Audio
Press
- The Providence Phoenix - Psalms-For-The-Deaf
- http://www.decoymusic.com/reviews/2973
- http://hanginghex.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html
- http://www.punknews.org/review/8523
- http://www.aversion.com/bands/reviews.cfm?f_id=4165
- http://bigwheelmagazine.com review
"Jared Paul is a stunning performer – staring audiences in the eyes and calling for conscious responses to injustice. His talent at sharing complex ideas through verse should not be missed." -The Eureka Times Standard
"Emerson said that character is higher than intellect. What happens when someone has both character and intellect, as well as a sense of conviction that can be described only as humbling? You have made Jared Paul's acquaintance." -Raine Maida, Our Lady Peace
"Jared Paul is a firestorm of conviction and flow. In a world long on words and short on action, Jared delivers both." -Peter Young, nationally renowned animal rights organizer and advocate for social justice.
"I’m not exactly sure how I can describe this without putting off some people because the people who tend to read this blog are probably music elitists. I know this because I’m a music snob myself. So should it come as a surprise that I’m totally blown away by a rap-rock record? Yeah, I said it. Prayers For Atheists is the punk band fronted by slam poet extrordinaire and Strange Famous Records Collective (Sage Francis) shadow walker Jared Paul. Here, Jared’s exceptional vocal delivery concerning public protests, resulting arrests, eventual victories, patriarchy, bike riding, and eco-awareness collide with music that runs from vitriolic one-minute Bad Brains-styled punk
dirges (“Tom Delay”) to meaty head-bobbing rockers (“Bike Song”). The obvious comparison is to Rage Against the Machine and it’s safe to say that Prayers For Atheists legitimately holds up both lyrically and musically with that group, as opposed to simply being a cheap imitation made for frat initiation parties. Personally, I can chime in from a historical perspective as I witnessed the marriage of rap and rock in it’s most successful experiments, from Run DMC (“King Of
Rock”), to Public Enemy/ Slayer (“She Watch Channel Zero”), Public Enemy/ Anthrax, and up to Rage Against the Machine. Prayers For Atheists gets it. They understand how to make these sorts of connections and they don’t even need a DJ to do it. They approach the style from the basement show perspective and drive a message home that may tread familiar social justice topics, but in such a way that is both clever and poetic at once. These are definitely uplifting victory anthems delivered by a group with a lot of passion. I suggest checking it out for yourself." - Hex Records
Video
Sage Francis' new album Li(f)e features collaborations with tons of indie rock luminaries & artwork by Shepard Fairey! The SFRstore exclusive deluxe package includes posters, stickers, buttons, & a SIGNED CD!
B. Dolan's Fallen House, Sunken City (produced by Alias) is available now in an exclusive package including the CD, Instrumental CD, stickers, and a signed poster here.
Limited edition! Left over from the "LI(F)E On The Road" US/Canada Tour, these are the last few remaining shirts in this design from Free Moral Agents, Sage's backing band and opener on the trek.
