"Sam Prekop"
"Sam Prekop"
Sam Prekop is a rock/pop musician in the band The Sea and Cake. He also has released several solo albums and earned a Ph.D. in Music. Prekop first gained notoriety in the band Shrimp Boat from 1988 to 1993. Many artists have performed in the Sam Prekop band, such as Chad Taylor, Josh Abrams, Jim O'Rourke, and Archer Prewitt. His father is the photographer, Martin Prekop.
A longtime pillar in the Chicago underground community and architect of the post-rock sound, Sam Prekop first gained notoriety at the helm of Shrimp Boat before becoming the leader of the Sea and Cake, whose fusion of styles both in and out of rock was both creative and experimental while remaining highly listenable. Prekop holds considerable stature in the Chicago scene, so it isn't surprising that when he released his self-titled debut solo LP in 1999 (on Thrill Jockey Records, themselves cornerstones in Chicago's music), it featured an impressive supporting cast, including Chad Taylor of the Chicago Underground Duo, Josh Abrams of Town and Country, Jim O'Rourke, and the Sea and Cake's Archer Prewitt. The album played like a subtler, more organic version of the Sea and Cake, blending elements of African rhythms with soul, jazz, and pop. The Sea and Cake remained an active band after its release, and his follow-up, Who's Your New Professor, didn't arrive until 2005.