Formula Indie Sessions – Interview with PRINZ GRIZZLEY

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

Listening to CCR, Bruce Springsteen, and Status Quo on a little cassette player I got from my grandmother. It had a small hole burnt into the front from a cigarette butt; I remember for years it stood next to an ashtray in my grandmother’s kitchen before she passed it on to me.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

From a young age, I always made a “top ten” countdown before I went to sleep. I sang and tried to recreate the songs I heard on the radio throughout the day. Sometimes I remembered them correctly; if not, I just made songs up. It was all a fun game for me until I was 13, when my sister handed me Nirvana’s Nevermind. From then on, everything changed. I really wanted to create something that touched me as deeply as those songs did. That was when I started trying to learn how to write songs properly.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

After 10 years and four albums with my indie band, “Golden Reef,” I felt I was the only one really trying to move forward and improve. I had so many songs that didn’t make the cut on our last album. It wasn’t because of competition—I was the only one writing—it was just that the others didn’t “get” the songs. To their taste, they were too dark, too moody, or too folky. So, I decided to take a different path and started anew as a solo artist. That is when Prinz Grizzley was born.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before? American roots music filtered through the mountains of Austria. Honest to the bone: sometimes cheerful, sometimes sad.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

Don’t overthink it and never follow a trend. If your own music doesn’t feel real to you, why should it feel real to anyone else?

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

I’m pretty old-school: a guitar, a pen, a piece of paper, and a blank mind.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Ian Noe—specifically “Leeann.” What a songwriter!

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

They are everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It’s a complicated puzzle that, in my opinion, doesn’t need solving. I want songs to feel magical when they arrive.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

I hope people find comfort, cheerfulness, or a streak of hope in my music.

What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

If you love it, hang in there.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver would be awesome.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

I would love to have a 23-year-old John Fogerty sing one of my songs. I’ve known his voice and music for as long as I can remember—he is definitely one of the greatest to me.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music?