Merge Records

Pram

Pram
Pram got its start in 1990 after a chance meeting between Rosie Cuckston and Sam Owen at a local supermarket's "Single's Night." Their 1992 debut EP Gash, was a bare bones effort featuring only Rosie's soaring vocals paired with the sci-fi whirl of a homemade theramin. The duo soon welcomed other members and the "band" were signed to the now legendary Too Pure label in the UK (Stereolab, PJ Harvey, SeeFeel, Long Fin Kille), and enjoyed an all too brief stint on American Recordings in the U.S. Eventually, the band would record for Domino in the UK and Merge here in the U.S.

What started as a project between two friends evolved into a musical collective with numerous contributors and collaborators. Throughout their 13 year existence Pram have managed to keep their sound fresh and unique by combining eclectic musical ideas and instrumentation (theramin, zither, toy piano, glass hammer, glockenspiel, and the infamous hawaiian bubble machine) with a wide range of influences and styles (pop, jazz, dub, hip hop, and rock). At the center of it all are Rosie Cuckston's riveting and hypnotic vocal delivery and a puzzle-box of lyrics. The world evoked is one of fairy tales, dreams and nightmares come to life. Imagine if you will the Brother's Grimm starting up a rock band ... that's the closest analogy we can come up with. We think you'll agree that there's no one else out there today quite like Pram. Despite their long and distinguished history, the seas of fate and fame have never been smooth for Pram. To their devoted following of fans they are a magical mystery to be cherished, but their very uniqueness of vision and style has kept them far below the mainstream's radar. But no worries, not everyone can be in the mainstream. How boring would that be? The world needs magic and mystery. Pram will humbling forge on providing the perfect soundtrack. Dark Island is a somnambulist's dance through the nether-worlds of escapist imagination. We welcome you along for the ride, please check your realities at the door.

Pram = Rosie Cuckston (vocals, keyboards)
Sam Owen (flute, clarinet, accordion, keyboards, guitar, bass)
Max Simpson (samples, keyboards)
Matthew Eaton (guitar, bass, keyboards, samples)
Nick Sales (zither, theramin, bass, keyboards, samples)
Alex Clare (trumpet)
Steve Perkins (drums)
The Stars Are So Big The Earth Is So Small :: CD (Too Pure) 1993
Iron Lung :: CDEP (Too Pure) 1993
Meshes :: EP (Too Pure) 1994
Helium :: CD/LP (Too Pure) 1994
Sargasso Sea :: CD/LP (Too Pure) 1995
Preambulations :: CS (AE) 1995
Gash :: CD (World Domination) 1997
Music For Your Movies :: CD5/EP (Duophonic) 1997
North Pole Radio Station :: CD (Merge) 1998
Omnichord :: 7" (Wurlitzer Jukebox) 1998
Last Astronauts :: 7" (Kooky) 1998
Sleepy Sweet :: CD5/EP (Domino) 1998
Space Siren :: CD5/EP (Domino) 1999
Telemetric Melodies :: CD/LP (Domino) 1999
The Museum of Imaginary Animals :: CD (Merge) 2000
Somniloquy :: CDEP (Merge) 2001
Dark Island :: CD (Merge) 2003
Keep in a Dry Place and Away from Children :: (Domino) 2003
The Owl Service :: (Domino) 2004
The Moving Frontier :: (Domino) 2007
Prisoner of the Seven Pines :: (Domino) 2008

Monkey Puzzle


from Somniloquy
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Sirocco


from Dark Island
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On Tour

Archers of Loaf [+]

February
25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
26 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
April
26 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
27 Cambridge, MA Middle East - Downstairs
28 Cambridge, MA Middle East - Downstairs
[see all]

Richard Buckner [+]

February
22 New Haven, CT BAR
24 Lexington, KY Cosmic Charlie's
25 Atlanta, GA Highland Inn Ballroom
27 Easton, MD The NightCat
March
02 Bayport, NY The Grey Horse Tavern
[see all]

Caribou [+]

April
17 Mexico City Foro Sol
18 Mexico City Foro Sol

Crooked Fingers [+]

February
29 Los Angeles, CA Hotel Cafe

Destroyer [+]

April
14 Indio, CA Coachella
21 Indio, CA Coachella

Eleanor Friedberger [+]

February
03 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
04 San Francisco, CA The Independent
07 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
09 Seattle, WA The Crocodile

Hospitality [+]

February
03 Brooklyn, NY Glasslands
25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
26 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
29 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern
March
02 Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall
[see all]

Imperial Teen [+]

February
24 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord
25 San Francisco, CA Amoeba Records

Lambchop [+]

February
23 Berlin Babylon
24 Berlin Babylon
25 Dresden Beatpol
26 Leipzig Werk II
27 Vienna Konzerthaus
[see all]

The Love Language [+]

March
09 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
10 Savannah, GA Savannah Stopover at Ships of the Sea Museum
11 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
12 Baton Rouge, LA Red Star Bar
20 Birmingham, AL The Bottletree
[see all]

The Magnetic Fields [+]

March
06 Hudson, NY Helsinki Hudson
07 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
10 Minehead All Tomorrow's Parties curated by Jeff Mangum
18 Vancouver The Vogue
19 Seattle, WA Neptune Theatre
[see all]

Jeff Mangum [+]

February
04 Minneapolis, MN Pantages Theatre
06 Chicago, IL Athenaeum Theater
07 Chicago, IL Athenaeum Theater
08 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
10 Athens, GA 40 Watt
[see all]

the Mountain Goats [+]

February
03 Greensboro, NC The Blind Tiger
04 Saxapahaw, NC The Haw River Ballroom
March
09 Denton, TX 35 Denton
13 New York, NY Carnegie Hall
24 New York, NY Merkin Hall

Portastatic [+]

February
11 Chapel Hill, NC The Cave
18 Durham, NC Duke Coffeehouse
23 San Francisco, CA Swedish American Hall

Superchunk [+]

February
11 Chapel Hill, NC The Cave
18 Durham, NC Duke Coffeehouse
23 San Francisco, CA Swedish American Hall

Versus [+]

March
09 London The Lexington
April
10 Brooklyn, NY The Bell House

M. Ward [+]

March
20 London Leicester Square Theatre
21 Paris Le Zenith
22 Lyon Transbordeur
23 Lille Theatre Sebastopol
25 London Royal Albert Hall
[see all]

Wild Flag [+]

February
03 Ghent Vooruit
04 Paris La Fleche D'Or
05 Koln Gebaude 9
06 Amsterdam Melkweg
07 Hamburg Uebel and Gefahrlich
[see all]

Wye Oak [+]

February
23 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
24 San Francisco, CA The Independent
see all tour dates

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