Essential 8 - Dominique Pruitt

Dominique Pruitt. Photo by Ron Pruitt.

Born into a musical legacy -- her father Larry Brown once played in The Association and Smothers Brothers before joining Engelbert Humperdinck in the ‘80s, where he met and forged a romantic relationship with her mother Anne Murray Brown -- Pruitt embarks on her own with new single (her first in five years) “High in the Valley.” 

“I had written down that song title a few years ago. It was such a part of me at one point to feel like I was trapped in this hopelessness of being so close to what you want in a way but so far away,” she says of the song, written with Joseph Holliday and Kenny Fleetwood. The singer, who is currently working on new music, took some time to answer her Essential 8 where she talked antique malls, Kacey Musgraves, Wanda Jackson, and more!
​
What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?
Not from a musician, but from my radio promoter Karen Durkot on my radio tour five years ago. One day she told me "ALWAYS wear the high heels". Read as deep into that as you will. 

What’s your favorite venue and why? 
Not a venue per se- but after playing a really fun show at West Virginia's Mountain Stage in 2013, the Mountain Stage house band invited us to their favorite post-show dive bar. And it was a DIVE. Their resident band was this incredible blues band of old dudes, and somehow my band and I ended up sitting in with them a playing a few tunes. We have no photos or videos from that night, but it was just the best time ever and I will never forget it.

What’s your dream venue and why? 
The floating barge at the famous and classic Tiki bar the Tonga Room in San Francisco. It's a pool in this giant room with a barge with a house band. The room has a "storm" every hour or so. It's all of my kitsch fantasies come to life. If you're not familiar--google it--it's worth checking out. 
 
Is there anyone you would love to collaborate with? 
Kacey Musgraves. Neil Sedaka. Quentin Tarantino. 

---

​Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended? 
Favorite- I saw Wanda Jackson play the Hollywood Key Club back in 2007 and she was incredible. She was like, 72-ish and she was still on fire! She inspired me SO much that I got her name tattooed- on my neck, which now in retrospect was a questionable placement choice...ha!

Favorite thing to do on a day off?  
Go to an antique mall! My favorite activity, always and forever. I will literally spend hours getting lost in an antique mall digging for treasures. In my time off I am definitely a homebody though- I love to be at home cooking, hanging with my husband and dogs and watching movies.

Is there a recent release you cannot stop listening to? 
I think Kacey Musgraves' most recent record Golden Hour is pretty brilliant. While I love the record start to finish, in particular I think the song "Space Cowboy" is basically a masterpiece. It's one of those, "I wish I wrote that" songs.  

Is there a professional “bucket list” item you would love to check off?  
As a native Angeleno, playing the Hollywood Bowl would be the ultimate. The fireworks, the atmosphere, the history. Can't wait.

​Website/Twitter/IG/YouTube