GREG PREVOST
Confessions of a roots rocker and former garage rocker
interview By John Wisniewski
(April 2025)
Upstate New York band The Chesterfield Kings caught the attention of garage rock fans as they revived the sound and look of the classic '60's era with some modern panache during the '80's and '90's, cumulating in the hilarious non-bio pic 2000's Where is the Chesterfield King and collaborating with the likes of Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones), Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) and Sal Valentino (Beau Brummels) among others. Singer Greg Prevost was an obvious center of attention of the band. During the new millennium, the group caught the ear of Steve Van Zandt, getting signed to his Wicked Cool label.
But Prevost decided to go his own way, leaving in 2009 and starting down a more roots rock path with 2012's Mississippi Murderer, then adopting the nick mane 'Stackhouse' for his albums. Following up with 2016's Universal Vagrant (consisting mostly of original tunes, topped by the Stones meets the Stooges sound of "Shot of Rock 'n' Roll") and 2020's unplugged Songs For These Times, done as a duo with guitarist Alex Patrick (whose cover art parodied Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home), he's kept true to his raucous rootsy sound, taking up the mantle of gritty blues-rock that the Stones seem to abandon by the mid '70's. He also proved himself to be a great interpreter, turning in memorably gritty takes on songs by Love, Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, Donovan, Skip James and more. Now with last year's After the War, he stakes his claim as something of a proudly rowdy elder statesmen in the roots world. This time, he takes on Buddy Holly, Phil Ochs, Tammy Wynette, Felix Pappalardi (Mountain) and crazed cult rocker Armand Schaubroeck (also from Rochester, Prevost's old stomping grounds). There's even a 7-minute five-part suite/medley that he tops off with a David Bowie cover.
Here, he talks about his new album, his inspirations, his favorite music and being free of his old band.
PSF: Greg, what was it like recording the latest album After the Wars? What records were you listening to while making the album?
GP: Initially I intended it to be a strictly acoustic album like my previous release Songs For These Times but after recording for the first couple of sessions, I felt that it had to take a different approach. It was still based on the acoustic level but a lot of textures were added. It was a great experience recording this and working with a great engineer, musician and close friend Dave Anderson who owns the studio, Saxon Recording as well. It is a studio on par with real studios like RCA and CBS studios were in the past.
At the time of recording, I can't exactly remember what I was listening to, but a lot of traditional folk songs, classical, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny solo, Steeleye Span, Enya, Procol Harum... the usual. When I record something I am influenced by things I like and listen to but don't listen to something to copy it or 'oh I have to do a song, I'll listen to this and try to be like this...'
PSF: Are you a blues enthusiast? Any favorite blues and rock artists?
GP: Sort of, I guess. I never thought of myself that way, I just absolutely love whatever is classified as blues, country blues, acoustic, electric... so many artists! Howlin' Wolf, Muddy, Reverend Gary Davis, Little Walter... I also like all the heavy blues bands from the '60's and early '70's like the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Ten Years After, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers... The list goes on...
PSF: Two of your songs from Mississippi Murderer were used for the Danny Garcia film about Brian Jones (Rolling Stone: Life and Death of Brian Jones (2019)). How did that come about?
GP: I am a friend of Danny's and an admirer of his work. While working on the Brian Jones feature, he was looking for songs that were Stones-like by nature and he liked what I did on that album. It was the only album I that I had out at the time he was putting the film and soundtrack together.
PSF: What other musicians join you on After the Wars?
GP: I played acoustic, steel and electric guitars, and harp. On the album with me were studio engineer Dave Anderson, Bass, Drums; Paul Morabito, guitars, 12-string, 6 string lead; Karl LaPorta, Piano, Hammond B-3 Organ, Harpsichord; Melissa Davies, Cello; my wife Caroll, Andrea Wilfeard and Danielle Colbert-Parrish, vocals; Al Keltz, Pedal Steel. All friends and people I love and am comfortable with who are all on the same page as I am musically.
PSF: What inspires you to write your music?
GP: Just living and being alive! I write most of my original material while out in nature, you know, walking or biking outside.
PSF: What made you want to become a musician early on?
GP: I don't know if I consider myself a musician per se, I'm just someone who started bands in the '70's and got to where I am now, doing my solo trip. As a kid in the mid-'60's, I was into the Stones and Yardbirds and got a guitar in 1965 for Christmas and all that stuff and played with friends and did a solo trip for my own amusement in my high school days. In my autobiography (On The Street I Met A Dog), I explained that after high school, I went to college to study medicine and become a doctor, which didn't happen, and I drifted back into music.
PSF: Could you tell us about The Shitkicker Rebellion, recording "White Light White Heat"?
GP: Rather than me conjuring up the story, here is the press release for the 45 by Penniman Records' Enric Bosser, which details everything:
'2022 turned out to be an especially fruitful year for Greg's "artistic pursuits". His excellent biography On The Street I Met a Dog (Misty Lane Books) was published just two weeks before the release of his album Vintage Violence (Mean Disposition Records), a compilation of rarities from the mid-to-late '70s. To properly celebrate this coincidence, a presentation was organized at the legendary House of Guitars in Rochester, where Greg worked for half of his life. For such a special event, a book signing was scheduled, spiced up with free pizza, a "party" atmosphere, and a small, unannounced live performance. Greg was joined by his "brothers," companions of countless battles and former Chesterfield Kings members Rick Cona (bass), Paul Morabito (guitar) and Zachary Koch (drums). Ryan Moore (lead guitar, piano/organ), current member of The Low Spirits with Zachary, was part of the ensemble, but due to Covid, couldn't make the scene. They played five songs right on the floor of the store, surrounded by dozens of record bins, boxes, and a full-capacity crowd that merged with the group's "stage." The band performed under the name The Shitkicker Rebellion. Marketing genius. As expected, it was a blast, leaving both the artists and audience wanting more. Within a couple of weeks, at the end of January 2023, still feeling the vibes, they headed to Dave Anderson's Saxon Recording studio to record two songs from the brief live set -this time with Ryan- with the idea of releasing a single. This one."
PSF: Tell us about recording the single "Mr.Charlie" and "Rolling Stone."
GP: I randomly recorded these and several other songs, very crudely using an old 1970s cassette recorder. I sent these two songs to Enric Bosser of Penniman Records in Barcelona Spain, a friend I met in the '90's when his band, the Meows were on the same bill as my former band, the Chesterfield Kings. We remained friends over the years and when I sent him these songs he wanted to release as a single. It was the beginning of my reinventing myself and burying the past. That was 2011-2012. Here were are now five albums, and several singles later!
PSF: Any future plans and projects, Greg?
GP: Yes! Already in phase one of my next Greg 'Stackhouse' Prevost album. In the meantime, the Shitkicker Rebellion 45 (explained above) should be out any day.
PSF: What are some of your all-time favorite albums?
GP: Obvious albums, all the Stones on London/Decca, the Mick Taylor era, Blue Cheer albums, Country Weather album, Kak, Shadows of Knight, Music Machine, all Steppenwolf albums, Yardbirds, Kinks... pretty much everything that was released before 1974.
PSF: What was the experience like being in the Chesterfield Kings?
GP: Good question- being involved with something for over 30 years it's difficult to answer. It was several experiences, good and bad. In the end, I look at it like it was a waste of my life but at the same time I met a lot of people who are great friends as a result and saw a lot of the world over the decades so it was a double edged sword. I am much more satisfied NOT being in a band now for multiple reasons and could not fathom ever going through the shit I went through prior to freeing myself from the shackles of the band.
