ARTIST TAKEOVER: Prison Escapee's Musical Influences
Prison Escapee
A rundown of my top 10 musical influences.
Hey, this is Erik David Hidde aka Prison Escapee taking over this blog post to give you a rundown of my top 10 musical influences, listed in order from when they were released.
"Heroin" by The Velvet Underground
My all-time favorite song. Heavily influenced by its mood, as well as John Cale's electric viola.
"Northern Sky" by Nick Drake
My all-time favorite musician. I first heard this when I was 15 years old as the closing song in the film "Serendipity."
"Jealous Guy" by John Lennon
The Beatles and notably John Lennon are significant influences in my music. My song "Jesus Set Me Free," uses the same key and BPM as "Jealous Guy."
"Lover's Spit" by Broken Social Scene
After hearing this song live in 2006 when it was my favorite song, and they were my favorite act; it made me want to make music. Broken Social Scene comes up as a similar artist to Prison Escapee more than any other artist or band.
"Passenger Seat" by Death Cab for Cutie
One of my favorite indie-rock songs, and in my opinion, their best live song. I always wanted to create a similar song, and to me, that is what my song "Westside Christian" is exactly.
"I Know You Are But What Am I?" by Mogwai
My favorite Post-Rock band and my productions owe a lot to this song. I have a favorite memory while listening to this track. It was while driving by a river in an NYC cab with the windows down.
"Welcome Home, Son" by Radical Face
Between Radical Face and Ben Cooper's other band Electric President, his work's layering is unmatched and a massive influence on my music.
"Streets of Philadelphia” (Bruce Springsteen Cover) by Casiotone For The Painfully Alone
This is a two in one because I've seen Casiotone perform more than any other musician between this project and Advance Base. His lo-fi production and storytelling songwriting is a major influence. Bruce Springsteen is also one of my fave musicians and probably the best lyricist ever who also uses storytelling in his lyrics.
"Hearing Damage" by Thom Yorke
Between Radiohead and Thom Yorke's solo music, which are a significant influence in my music, this solo track happens to be why some of my songs sound the way they do.
"Hard to Find" by The National
The National is the band I have the most similarities with. I can't tell you the number of times someone has said my latest music sounds like them, and I smile every time I hear it. The lead singer, Matt is my favorite current lyricist, and his vocal style is one I identify with wholeheartedly.
- I hope you enjoy the playlist!
Written by Erik David Hidde (Prison Escapee)
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You can also listen to the playlist on Apple Music.