NSM
Where did you come up with the name "The Pioneers of Prime Time TV?"

Thomas- There were lots of names thrown around in the beginning. We wanted something really good, but we also didn’t want it to be real serious:
“The Trouser Trouts,” “Food n Poop Tubes,” (which is just a funny way to look at humans), “Giant Hairy Nevus,” “The Michael Balangelos,” and “Lets all go jump off a cliff”.....to name a few.
The name "The Pioneers of Prime Time TV" was just something Paul said one day in the middle of a conversation. We were in the middle of practicing for our first show, and I was like "what did you say?",...."That's it!" We introduced ourselves at the show as "The Pioneers of Prime Time TV" and it just stayed with us.

NSM
Do all the members contribute to writing the songs?

Thomas- I usually just start playing something off the top of my head and Paul just jumps in. It’s usually a 5 or 10 minute jam and we just improvise. Then I usually start mumbling a melody and then we write the lyrics together, bouncing ideas back and forth. The lyrics are the hard part of songwriting. So I guess Paul and I work out the bones of the song on Sundays and then we throw the ideas to Jon and Josh on Tuesdays. They gobble it up and we all start bouncing off each other to build it up until we're all happy.
It’s really very cool and magical how it works.

NSM
Do you do any covers? Why or why not?

Thomas- We do a few covers. Mainly Elliott Smith and “Iron and Wine” tunes. We usually bust a couple of those out at gigs. It's always fun to put your own little twist one someone else's song.

NSM
Tell us a little about yourselves. How old are you? Is anyone married? Kids? What do you do when you're not playing music? (Hobbies, jobs, etc...)

Thomas-
Paul is 17 and is a High school Student at Alamogordo High. He’s been playing guitar for about 2 1/2 years.
When he’s not with the band, he’s working at a pizza joint at the mall. He’s a great artist and an all around funny guy.

Jon is 20 years old and he is a college student at NMSUA, he works part time as a administrative assistant. He was all-state Orchestra as a junior and senior in high school and he was all-state choir since the 5th grade. He has been playing Violin for 10 years. He's probably the most musical of the bunch, and has a deep passion for it.

Josh is 27 and he is a youth Pastor at Cottonwood Church in Alamogordo. He has a beautiful wife, Brianna and two cute kids. He has been playing guitar for about 5 years. He leads a busy life and does so many things that it would take a page to list them all. Above all he’s a great human being and a good friend.

I am 25 years old and I have two wonderful women in my life. My sweetheart of 7 years, Elisha, and my adorable daughter Shaeli, (pronounced Shay-lee). We live in a small town named La Luz, New Mexico. I have been a Carpenter for most of my working life and I like it, not LOVE, but like. I love Music, Art, People, The Great Outdoors, and building things with my hands.

NSM
The photography on your MySpace site is amazing. Is Debora a friend of yours or someone you hired?

Thomas- Well lets just put it like this. Deb is a friend that we met along the way. She believes in what we do. She works with us for free and we are very fortunate to have her. She has really given our sounds a face.

NSM
I spoke to Debora on the phone yesterday and asked her to write an article on the art of photography. Each of the pictures on your MySpace page tells a story. Althewhile they add a mystique to the band. – It’s an interesting topic because some artists go too far with this and it takes too much thought and energy for the listener or the reader. Debora’s pictures "let you in" just enough to make you want more. – I can only speak for myself but this is the same thing your music does. – My point, or my question is: Was this a conscious decision? Is this what you were trying to convey or did it just naturally happen?

Thomas- Well thank you,...I take that as a complement. and yeah, you know, ...only so much of this kind of thing can actually be planned ahead of the finished product. The rest really has to be left up to what you were feeling at the time when you wrote the song or found that one magical line that seemed to sum up what you were trying to say. I think all art is like that.....it's that first spark of an idea or emotion and once that starts to actually take form, you just have to try and keep up. So I guess we just try to let the song take us where we feel it wants or needs to go.

NSM
What inspired the song “Motorhome?”

Thomas- When I was young, my parents had a motor home. I used to love traveling, right on the top bed, looking out the window. Watching the scenery pass by. Well, me and my girlfriend have always loved taking road trips. Never in a motor home, but when you're on the road for a week, the truck can start to feel like home. It's nice, there’s never really a time limit on those kinds of things. You just head in a direction and hope that we get to our destination before the money runs out.

NSM
So there’s a true freedom in your entire lifestyle?

Thomas- Actually, it was like that for the first three or so years that of me and Elisha's relationship. But now things are so much different, we have a daughter now and there's so much more to consider. It was really fun for that time of our lives though. Now we live a pretty domestic life: work, college, bills, life insurance, you know actual responsibilities. No White picket fence yet, but hey were working on it man. I love being grounded and having a family to call my own.

 

NSM
Are there plans to add a drummer or any other musicians?

Thomas- We want more people involved. In fact, I have a really great friend named Dave who is considering moving out here from Nashville. He is an amazing musician and we will be exceptionally lucky if that happens. But yeah, the more instruments you can play, the better. We're always trying the same part on numerous instruments to see which one sounds the best. It would be very cool to find a drummer/percussionist who was also able to float around to other instruments. We are open to anything.

NSM
So you let the song itself dictate which instruments you use?

Thomas- Yes, pretty much. For me, the tone of a song is just as important as the melody. A couple of months ago we were working on this great new song and most of it was done. It was still lacking in a couple of areas so I wrote another part for it on guitar, (most of the parts are written initially on guitar), so anyway, I thought it would really sound good on the banjo. I had to change the tuning quite a bit and it was really tuff. I practiced it for over a week and when I finally got the part down it sounded.....well,...not so good. So it's a guitar part now. It doesn't always work out.

NSM
How often do you guys rehearse?

Thomas- Twice a week

NSM
Are there any plans to create a video?

Thomas- Actually, Yes.
We shot the video for a song named "Vietnam" about a month ago. Debora was in town from Houston, and we really wanted to get some video down. We weren’t able to get together until the last day of her visit, but we all brainstormed for about an hour and had the shoot done before dark. She’s very professional and there is always a great creative vibe in the air when we collaborate. Debora sent the film off to her friend Jason for editing. He lives in Atlanta, and there was so much Video to look at, that it had to be sent on a hard drive. We expect to have it out by the time this article is published.

NSM
Can you give us a brief preview? Where was it shot? Does it tell a story or is it the band playing live?

Thomas- Well I don't want to give too much away right now, mainly cause I like people to make their own judgment on what they think it is, but also because I know what our story board was and the shots we got but we'll see what it really is after edit.
But it's basically a story about hardships in life, past ,present, and future...and the beauty that is there in those times but is more often than not, very hard to see. I think the guy we cast as the main character really nailed it and I can't wait to see the end result. Most of it was shot in the Canyon above my house in La Luz. There are also shots of us in the studio recording the song and just playing you know. It's our first attempt at this so we'll see how it all plays out, but we're pretty excited. 

NSM
Have your family and friends been supportive of your music?

Thomas- Yes. Always.

NSM
What's next for "The Pioneers of Prime Time TV?"

Thomas- We hope to have our first full-length, "Smokey Gun & the Crow", out by mid-summer. We have already racked up enough good songs for at least 2 or 3 more. But really, I guess we just want to keep practicing and playing and growing as musicians. We do hope that by staying true to our art, people will notice.

NSM
Will your CD be for sale on the Internet? Where will our readers be able to purchase it?

Thomas- Well we will definitely be doing the whole MP3 download thing ITunes etc. And we will have hardcopies to sell at our shows. But we are really just thinking of putting it up for free download wherever possible to get it to as many people as possible. Obviously we really don't stand to make much money off it anyway and I really feel that music should be free to anyone. If people like what we are doing, enough that they want to send us some cash, we certainly won't turn it down. We'll just use the cash for more instruments and recording equipment, which we need lots more of both.