Price Harrison of Nashville’s Sour Ops has seen it all: growing up in Murfreesboro and attending Vanderbilt in the ’80s before heading to New York, he’s been steeped in garage rock since day one. With the band’s new album X, Sour Ops demonstrate their command of making old sounds seem as shiny (or in this case, grungy) and new as they were out of the box. Harrison is also a videography and photographer, and you can see his work on display in the band’s music videos.
Price gave us his thoughts on what Nashville needs these days, plus professors his unabashed love for underground rock.
Who are some of your musical influences?
I love 60’s American garage bands like The Sonics and The Wailers because they prefigured the energy and emotion of punk. My favorite British bands are The Kinks and Mott the Hoople, both bands wrote amazing songs and produced iconic albums.
Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?
Make the lyrics interesting, lead the listener into unexpected territory. Sometimes I think that many Nashville songwriters are unaware of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed.
Do you start off with the music or lyrics first? Why?
Both approaches are valid: just be willing to edit the lyrics so they are musical when you sing them!
What’s the first concert you ever attended? What do you remember about it?
Sweet at War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville. They were touring the US to promote their Desolation Boulevard album.They were spectacular, maybe the best rock concert I have seen.
What 5 albums are you going to make your kid listen to and why?
Mott the Hoople “MOTT,” because it is a perfect rock and roll album (with a lot of soul).
The Kinks “Village Green Preservation Society” Every song on this record is great: “Big Sky” is a personal favorite.
The Rolling Stones “Exile on Main Street” my favorite Stones record, “Loving Cup” is amazing.
The Velvet Underground “Loaded” one of the most influential albums ever made.
Iggy and the Stooges “Raw Power” this is still probably the most explosive American punk record.