How would you describe your sound?

When a singer songwriter (Grace) meets a metal guitarist (Austin). Thoughtful lyrics with distorted guitars.

 

How did you come up with the name?

G: While we were recording our first-ever song on Austin’s laptop I commented on a sticker he had for Prickly Pear Pale Ale from Lewis and Clark Brewery in Helena, MT. We discovered that we’re both obsessed with prickly pears, cacti, and beer and thought that the prickly pear cactus would be a good motif for the band. We also liked how the word prickly evokes strong emotion such as physical pain or feeling scared or anxious. 

 

How was the band formed? How/when did the members decide to start a band?

We met during an Army deployment in the Middle East in 2021-2022. It was pretty depressing and hopeless over there, but the one nice part was the on-base chapel. The chapel had a bunch of instruments, amps, PA system, and even a full sized drum kit that we could mess around with. We spent a lot of time there, both during practice for the praise band and on our own to escape our roommates, work, and most importantly to practice our instruments. During one of our rare days off we shared some original music with each other and quickly realized we had great musical chemistry. We wrote and recorded several songs over there, including our first-ever single, In Plain Sight. A year after returning from deployment we both relocated to Tacoma, Washington where we now reside. Prickly Paranoia is currently a three-piece band. We met our drummer on craigslist, but that isn't as interesting of a story.

 

 

If you had no choice but to become a cover band, who would you cover?

Microwave. 

 

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How do you deal with creative block as a band? how do you continue to come up with new sounds/ideas as a group?

G: Both Austin and I have a huge backlog of half written songs so we try to work on those

when we're stuck. 

A: I never get writer's block when I'm shit faced. If I were sober I would steal the pick of destiny.

 

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What is the hardest part about being in a band? What gets you through those times?

Working full time day jobs and finding time to practice and play gigs. We haven’t gotten through those hard times yet, it’s a constant headache.

 

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If your grandmother wrote a review on your band what would it most likely say?

Doesn’t this band ever write anything happy? No one wants to listen to sad music all the time. 

 

Which song of yours was the most fun to write & make? 

G: In Plain Sight. It was the first song we ever worked on together. I started singing and playing the chords and Austin immediately started playing the bass line that’s in the studio released version of the song. The song components came together so easily that we both knew we had to continue writing music together. 

A: Shell. I wrote the instrumental music for it years before meeting Grace, but I could never find a melody for the verse or chorus. Grace wrote the lyrics and melody the song needed to finally bring it to life. It was also super fun to record the vocals because we sang together in a microphone. 

 

 

What helps bond you as a band?

Going to live shows. We talk about the things we liked about the performing band and use that as inspiration in our own music and stage presence.