Peter Prescott - Mission Of Burma Interview
Tell me about growing up in Nantucket, Massachusetts? When did you first begin to fall in love with music and what was it that initially fascinated you about it, more specifically the drums?
I was born on Nantucket, but I grew up in Wareham, Mass, which was mostly boring as hell. I guess The Beatles piqued my interest. I wanted to play guitar, but the drums fit better because all I had to do was hit them.
What would you and your friends do for fun growing up? When and where did you see your first concert and what kind of impact did this leave on you? When and where did you guys first get together to jam/rehearse in ‘79?
My first concert was Jethro Tull. I played in several cover bands in my parents’ basement like everybody else. The first band that I played with in Boston was called The Molls and there’s an art damage 45 out there by them. Roger and Clint played in a band called Moving Parts. When both bands broke up, I searched them out and tried out for them three times. They finally caved and invited me in. I think April fools Day 1979 was the first time we played out. Rick Hart of Ace of Harts saw us play live a few times and seemed to think there was some way to harness the noise into something pleasant. Our recording process was the opposite of most punk bands at the time because we played the songs over and over until they were either perfect or we couldn’t do it any better. The EP was the next step. I really don’t have any distinct impressions of it, just that we were more confident and had more songs.
That following year in ‘82 the band released their official full length record “Vs.” When and where did recording begin and what was the overall vision for this album now that you guys were in a place to release a full LP? What is the legacy of the band and its music after all these years mean to you?
We recorded “Vs” at Normandy Sound in Rhode Island. The main objective was to make it sound visceral and physical and much more intense. Roger had tinnitus, Clint was ready to go on to a journalism career and it just seemed time to move on. I have no idea of our legacy, all I remember is that we didn’t believe in compromise.
What have you been up to in more recent years? Anything new on the horizon for 2023? Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?
Since 2011 I’ve been making music under the name Minibeast. I put out two records alone, started playing live with amazing Providence musicians. It has solidified in the past five years with Keith Seidel drumming and Niels LaWhite on bass. I put three albums out with this lineup. Minibeast is tribal and repetitive, and much more free and open than anything I did before. The last album we put out is called “On Ice.” We put out a CD last April and the vinyl just came out. It’s a two-record set that finally gets what we’re all about.
