Beirut, Arcade Fire Musician Calls the Shots With Team B

Posted on Feb 5th 2009 12:00PM by David Chiu
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In his own words, Brooklyn-based trumpet player Kelly Pratt says he likes to stay busy. He has every reason to: Pratt is a member of the indie rock band Beirut and has also performed live with Arcade Fire. But when he was on tour with those bands in the last two years, Pratt squeezed in whatever time he had to compose his own music as the leader of Team B.

"I had a little keyboard, flute and ukulele," Pratt, 30, tells Spinner. "I started writing songs on GarageBand. Most of the record was done on tour like in hotel rooms. Then once I got finished with Arcade Fire, and Beirut was on a break, I finished them up properly mostly at home, but also [a little bit] in the studio."

The result was Team B's self-titled album, for which Pratt performed nearly all of the tracks, with several songs including guest musicians from Beirut, LCD Soundsystem and Arcade Fire. Onstage, the band members alternate on different instruments with Pratt singing lead vocals in addition to playing the trumpet. "We switch around and it's kind of necessary because the songs don't have a common thread," he explains. "It's not guitar-based rock."

A similarity that Team B's music shares with Beirut's is the use of many instruments that are not usually part of rock, says Pratt. Otherwise, the music from Team B is very eclectic. "There's some synth pop, doo-wop and electronic type of stuff," he says. "It's pretty diverse. It's hard to pinpoint one style."

Asked if the name Team B was meant to be self-deprecating, Pratt says he wasn't being ironic. "Everybody in the band is used to playing in many different projects. We're so used to being just the horn players. We always referred to ourselves as Team B because [the other bands] could play shows without us, and we were also not involved in the process of songwriting. It's just a little bit of a joke."

The first part of 2009 looks to be a busy year for both Pratt and Beirut: The group is scheduled to play this Friday and Saturday at the Brooklyn Academy Music, and then Europe starting in May. Beirut is also releasing a double EP, 'March of the Zapotec,' although Pratt says there are no plans for a full-length album at the moment. As for Arcade Fire, he says: "They're writing songs right now. They'll probably begin recording soon. I know they're writing songs, [but] that's about it."

Pratt hints that Team B might do some shows in March. While the band isn't a full-time commitment because the members are constantly busy, Pratt also notes that Beirut is not a full-time commitment either. "We'll go on tour for a couple of weeks, then we'll have a month off," he explains. "What do you do in that month off? Sit at home and watch TV? You can work time around it. I think 'side project' is the wrong word. We just want to be a band and play shows."