The Prefab Messiahs

The Prefab Messiahs originated in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1981 as proponents of cheerful garage rock revivalism. While enrolled at Clark University, core members "Xerox" Feinberg, "Doc" Michaud, and bassist Kris Thompson recruited a rotating cast of local players to perform their loose art-punk sets at regional venues. Billy Brahm, Egg Al, and Tony Serrato each held official status within the group at various points. Their sole release during this period was the 1983 cassette Flex Your Mind, after which they disbanded for a time.

Fifteen years passed before Desperately Happy issued a compilation of live tracks and demos. The 1998 collection Devolver assembled more than an hour of previously unheard early-'80s recordings. Occasional reunions followed for local occasions such as the Wormtown Anniversary Bash in 1998, 2003, and 2008. Almost Ready Records issued a 7" single in early 2011 containing the Devolver cuts "Frank Kafka/Prefab Sun," while Fixed Identity later that year put out the eight-song set Peace Love & Alienation after Jay Rajeck (TRS-80) handled the remastering.

In June 2012 the Prefab Messiahs joined Bobb Trimble for a four-date 30th-anniversary tour through Massachusetts and New York. Motivated to resume activity, the original trio brought Ned Egg into the fold and entered the studio with fresh material for the first time in thirty years during 2013. Burger Records first reissued Devolver on cassette and subsequently teamed with Kylam Records to deliver 2015's Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive, whose eight garage/psych-pop tracks aligned with the prevailing sound of acts such as Thee Oh Sees and Ariel Pink.