Oklahoma City-based punk artist Prom Mom sat with the OU Daily at Second Wind Coffee House to discuss his artistic inspirations and his journey as a solo artist. Prom Mom will be performing at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday April 27 at the Alley Stage.
Are you from the Norman area?
I grew up in south Oklahoma City and then I went to the University of Oklahoma here. I went and got my degree in design and then I moved down to Austin, Texas. I lived in Austin for about 10 years. I just recently returned here to the beautiful Oklahoma City area.
What brought you back to the area?
Friends, family and all that good stuff—and also COVID just a little bit as well.
Could you describe your sound in three words?
One-man synth punk.
Who are your influences?
I've always been a big fan of synthesizers and anything that bleeps and bloops—but I'll tell you, a lot of my love of music comes from punk music. I'm a big fan of the Avant Garde rock band from the 80s The Pixies—that's one of my absolute favorites. That general oeuvre of music is always something that I always strive towards in my personal music.
Do you think people who listen to your music also listen to artists you’re inspired by?
I would say it kind of depends. A lot of the stuff that I'm inspired by is quite old, and so I'm just taking a new kind of spin on it…for a lot of younger people, it’s something that they are probably not quite as familiar with. So it might be something that's old to me, but still kind of feels fresh to others.
What would you say has been the most impactful moment in your career?
I've been in quite a few bands throughout the years, and it was finally when I sat down and decided that I wanted to do my own thing. Prom Mom is nothing but me and my own personal project. I’m just really excited to have something that’s specifically my vision of what I want to do.
How do you balance being a professor with having your own musical career?
Oh, my goodness gracious…they never they never cross paths, really. I'll be interested to see if any of my students actually show up and see me—but if they don’t, that's fine, but if they do—you don't know who I am. That’s for me to know and you to find out.
If you could only play one song from the setlist for the duration of your set, what would it be and why?
It would probably be the song “Cram.” It's my favorite song because it's loud, and it's fast and it's angry…it’s a little autobiography song about me. It always starts off the same which is “I'm a rat, I’m a rat, I’m a piece of Midwest trash.”
What do you hope that people can take away from your music?
Just have a good time. Music is supposed to be fun and weird and experimental. If you don't walk away from a music performance and you're like, “Wow, that was awesome” or “that’s was not what I was expecting,” then what are you doing, man? Go out and see something fun. Get excited about music.
What is your favorite spot in Norman?
Oh man, where to start? I’ll just give you the whole day.
Wake up, go to The Diner. Number one best breakfast out there. Lunch: go to the library, go have a PBR and a burger over at the library—as a former arts student, that's my recommendation for you.
After that you go and you get drinks at the Mont—go get the swirl—always and forever, always get the swirl. And last but not least, you finish it off with dinner at Victoria's.
What does Oklahoma’s music community mean to you?
What I love about Oklahoma's music community is that it's very, very small, but it is very, very supportive. It always has been, and it always will be. I think that that's something that is really exciting about it… doesn't matter what kind of music you play, people are just excited that you're out there performing. There are so many great opportunities for live music here in Oklahoma in general, beyond Norman Music Festival, (and) some wonderful new venues that are popping up in Oklahoma City. It's a place for music and musicians to be right now.
What’s been your favorite place to play in this area?
In Norman, my favorite place to play is the Opolis—I love the Opolis.
In Oklahoma City, I would recommend the Grand Royale, it’s a great punk bar as well as one of my favorite places to play.
What brought (the mask) about?
I'll tell you about the real reason why—it's so I could keep my hair out of my face. I didn't want to tie my hair back into a bun, so I decided I would just get the weirdest thing I could possibly find—and the internet provides, doesn’t it?
Why should people come to Norman Music Festival?
Because it's amazing…it really is transformational, especially if you are excited about music. It's one of the best music festivals out there…2008, first year I went was amazing. Second year got even better, and the third year and the fourth year. It gets better every single year, it gets bigger every single year, and there's such a wide selection of stuff to go and listen to.
This story was edited by Emma Blakley.
