Outside of 19^th century historians, Prussia may be a name that many people aren’t familiar with. However, by the end of 2011, the band Prussia could be on the radar of every music listener.

The group formed on the first day of 2007, practicing in the A. C. Rich, a DIY venue in Pontiac, Michigan.  Prussia later became connected with the legendary Scrummage University, a DIY space in Detroit that is interconnected with other underground venues across the country.

Fiery Furnaces, Quasi, Dr. Dog, Black Heart Procession, Beach House and Dent May are among the many well-known bands that Prussia has played with.

The band is currently finishing their first full-length album, Poor English.  Recently, Bestnewbands.com caught with singer Ryan Spencer to rap about the group’s musical influences, the state of Poor English and why a Russian DJ threatened to sue them.

DK: With all your eclectic tastes, how have you managed to blend together and make them your own?

RS: With the Internet we have any music we want at our fingertips, so naturally we have a wide range of music taste individually and collectively.  Since we’re all listening to everything, it isn’t absurd when one of us suggests a trip hop drumbeat for a song that was originally an acoustic ballad.  But in the end, we try our best to make something that sounds interesting and unique to us. Of course we do use our influences to create something that is referential of the things that inspire us. At the same time though, I feel like our music isn’t similar to what other bands are putting out. We want to make something fresh and new.

DK: How has recording gone so far? What’s it like to finally record your proper debut album?

RS: We just finished recording our first studio album, Poor English, and look forward to releasing it ASAP.

Working in a proper studio was far different from the 4-track home recordings we’ve done in the past.  Obviously there are pros and cons to both recording scenarios- home recording allows comfort and an endless amount of ‘studio time’, whereas in an actual recording studio you have to have everything you want to do prepared before you go in.  There’s a lot more of a time crunch in a recording studio.  Which can be nice for a band because by nature bands are lazy procrastinators.

We’re proud of our new music.  The EP that came out today showcases a couple of the songs from our full length and Prussia Goes to the Disco, an album we recorded at home while mixing Poor English.

DK: What’s the typical songwriting process like?

RS: I usually come up with the melody or initial song idea, and then it’s worked and reworded by the other members of the band until it basically has very little resemblance to the initial idea. It’s very smooth; we’re constantly creating new songs.

DK: How did you come up with the name Prussia? Are you a fan of the ancient country or simply put, are paying tribute to one of the countries largest malls in King of Prussia, Pa?

RS: The name Prussia came because we used to call ourselves ‘Russian’ as an outlet to release four-track recordings to our friends. We never thought we’d actually play shows or anything. After a while, a DJ from Russia, (DJ Russian) threatened to sue us. So we changed the name to Prussia. After doing so, we realized that there is a metal band in Germany called Prussia.  We are still awaiting that lawsuit. Then maybe we’ll call ourselves Steely Dan or something.

DK: What are you expectations and goals for 2011?

RS: Our ultimate goal for 2011 is to release our two new albums, Poor English and Prussia Goes to the Disco. We also want to tour as much as possible. Meet as many people as possible, and show our music to as many people as possible.

DK: When can we expect the album to be completed and released?

RS: We just completed the album and plan on releasing it very soon. Not exactly sure when, but it’d be nice to get it out in time for summer. Most albums sound best in specific seasons, and Poor English would make a good summer album.

Prussia is going to be touring this winter and spring, so be on the lookout to see when they are coming to your town.