Material: Stefan Pruett is a music voyager exploring the unknown, venturing from genre to genre in a quest to create a brand new category of contemporary music for himself. It is a style that he has termed “Future Grunge” and “Deep Metal House” and this adventurous method is a fitting philosophy for a young solo musician who goes by the stage moniker The Guidance. Technically, this Arizona native is an electronic rock artist whose skills are transferrable to hip-hop. Hence, the manner in which he is attempting to bridge these genres together is reminiscent of artists such as 3OH!3 and Lil Peep during their formative years. Innovativeness aside, Pruett is going to have to manage and constantly improve upon the usage of every genre that he dabbles in if he hopes to achieve a successful follow-up to his debut EP, This Time.
Musicianship: Live music by The Guidance is like a series of musical riddles. And the only clues that he gives his listeners are elements of Trap, New Wave and Dance Rock. While most fans may prefer a consistent sound from their favorite bands, the live audience at The Mint seemed to enjoy his unique brand of unpredictability. TheGuidance sings in a vocal tonality comparable to David Bowie. The majority of his synthesized chord progressions are quite remindful of several electronic productions that were created by Depeche Mode during the 1980’s. As The Guidance goes deeper into his experimentation with southern hip-hop, it may become beneficial for him add some rap verses to his repertoire, in order to compliment the trap music that he has already begun to implement into his songs.
Performance: The Guidance unveiled a live show as if he were the director of a suspense thriller. Between each of the five songs he sang were a multitude of interesting plot twists that no one in the audience saw coming. His random leaps on and off the stage where enhanced by vigorous runs throughout the restaurant area, humorous banter with the crowd and a high jump atop the venue’s bar.
Summary: As his show was coming to an end, The Guidance dramatically walked off stage, exited the building and slowly made his way into the middle of the street—all while the band was still playing his music. With his flair for dramatics, Stefan Pruett has potential to attract a loyal cult following. Nevertheless, his ability to add more diversity to his vocal melodies may be the decisive factor as to whether or not his new brand of music will prove substantial.
Venue: The Mint; Los Angeles, CA
Contact: [email protected]
Web: theguidance.com
The Players: Stefan Pruett, vocals,
production, programming.
