King of Prussia

Interview with Brandon Hanick
Words: Michael Rabinowitz 

There is a rich, 30-year tradition in the Athens, Georgia music scene of percolating a brew of pop majesty, beginning with such elder statesmen as The B-52’s, R.E.M., and Pylon.  By the mid-90s Athens had a second coming of indie pop acts including the encompassing Elephant Six Collective (consisting of such acts as The Apples In Stereo, The Essex Greene, and Neutral Milk Hotel) and Kindercore Records, all worthy of national recognition.

Now a third generation of bands are coming due, along with a re-launch of Kindercore, with King of Prussia as the scene’s eminent crown jewel.  Spearheaded by Brandon Hanick, the group’s chief songwriter, KOP’s first effort album is a memorable one.

Save The Scene breathes a mix of Cali psych pop airiness with Southern folk grassroots pragmatism.  The messages are there, hidden under synth, claps, and multiple guitars of shiny happy pop: from consumerism in, “Scientists And Mathematicians,” to zealous patriotic extremism in, “Misadventures Of The Campaign Kids” (particularly the line “Tony Danza is on the run,” an allusion to Cat Steven’s ridiculous placement on the Homeland Security’s No Fly list in 2004), to old fashioned vanity on “Terrarium.”  Each track is sung with a child-like Liverpoollian bent by Hanick; all the more reason to appreciate the dual nature of King of Prussia’s work.

“I try to, in a lot of songs I write, not hit people over the head with my political or socio-economic views,” explains Hanick,  “but work in a line or two that speaks to those issues in a song that is otherwise about love.  I try to at least allude to things I see around the world, specifically in America, that could be changed, or should be changed, or are adversely affecting people.

For the former Largo resident, moving to Athens from the friendly confines of Florida State University was just part of his continuing education.  Hanick sought out Athens almost as a pilgrimage, a place where he dreamed of a future for his music.

“I decided to move here, not for school,” he says, “but to play music, as did all of my band mates.  They all came from Myrtle Beach.  I’ve always loved the fact that there is this tiny town of 100,000 people that just happens to put out more incredible music per capita than anywhere else.”

Reflective of the Athens scene, Save The Scene was itself, with Hanick, constructed by its own collective of artists: Peter Alvanos, Taylor Coggin, Katie Griffin, Brian Hall, Elizabeth Jones, Trey McManus, A.J. Rownd, Brian Smith, and Nathan Troutman.  This densely-layered pop implemented by a legion of artists is reminiscent of bands like Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, and Of Montreal, a result that Hanick did not originally intend.

“I definitely surprised myself,” he admits.  “This is by far the most heavily layered stuff I’ve done.  But, from the onset I had a clear vision that I didn’t want it to be singer/songwriter music.  I wanted additional melodies and a bunch of different tones and as varied an instrumentation as we could muster up.”

Hanick’s songwriting is not the only characteristic that stands out on Scene; it’s the professional sound the band produces on the LP, a feat all the more impressive considering it came from a basic eight track machine.

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