Prefontaine was born in an apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2009. Dan Genung, lead vocalist, and Nathan Simmons, lead guitarist, began writing and recording songs in their spare time while attending classes at North Carolina State University. Not long after, vocalist Matt Bowman and bassist Jay Yuan joined the group. They shared their talent with friends and soon began to develop a following. Their songs were well written and catchy, but they were rough around the edges and in need of someone to refine them. Prefontaine received their first big break in early 2010 when they were introduced to producer/drummer Brett Scott. Scott was so impressed by the songwriting skills of Genung, Simmons, Bowman and Yuan that he agreed not only to produce the band, but to come on board as their drummer. Scott took Prefontaine to the next level. Their first demo, recorded in Scott’s Chapel Hill studio, was released in April, 2010. On April 21, 2010 they played their first show at the Brickhouse in Raleigh. At that point the incredibly talented Mario Neville agreed to join the band, giving them an interesting counter to Genung’s clever delivery. Fueled by these successes Prefontaine began to chase the dream in earnest by starting work on their first album, scheduled to be released later this year. Genung writes, “So the dreams come true…tell me that it’s possible…it must be cause right now I’m feeling unstoppable.” If their rapid emergence on the music scene in Raleigh is any prediction of the future, Prefontaine truly will be unstoppable.
- Brett Scott, Drums, Production
- Daniel Genung, Vocals
- Jay Yuan, Bass
- Slawdog Kratzer, Guitar