Prozzäk

Prozzäk is a Canadian pop music group that consists of Jay Levine (Simon) and James Bryan McCollum (Milo). The name "Prozzäk" was inspired by the drug Prozac; in an interview with the New York Times, McCollum mentioned that their music makes people feel good and happy, which is an effect of the drug Prozac.^[1] Their music tells a tale of two friends who are in search of their true love. Their music videos feature full animation of the two characters Simon and Milo.

History

Originally members of The Philosopher Kings, Levine and McCollum never got along, yet they both agreed that the direction of band was restricting the type of music they wanted to produce. While on a European tour, the two created a comedic song titled "Europa" in which they sang in a British accent.^[1] The song did not fit in with the music produced by the Philosopher Kings, but the band's record company, Sony Canada, enjoyed it so the two set aside their differences and created Prozzäk in 1998.

Their first album, Hot Show, was released in late 1998. It featured the hit songs "Sucks to Be You" and "Strange Disease". The album was certified Triple Platinum in Canada.^[2] Their second album, Saturday People, was released in 2000 by Epic Records and included the singles "www.nevergetoveryou" and "Be As". Hot Show and Saturday People were both nominated for Best Album at the Juno Awards in 2000 and 2002, respectively.

Prozzäk resurfaced onto the music scene in 2005 with a new album and a new look. In 2005, Cruel Cruel World was produced from MapleMusic. Simon and Milo appear to have gotten older and more modern and their music has taken a more adult, subdued theme.

A Prozzäk reunion concert was performed at the Atomic Lollipop Festival in Toronto on July 18, 2015, where they debuted a new single.

On September 18, 2015, Prozzak released their first single in over ten years entitled "Baby I Need Your Love (Pussy Cat Pussy Cat)" and announced that new music and a tour are both in the works for 2016.

Jay Levine

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Jay Levine is the lead singer of Prozzäk and the voice behind Simon. Simon is the skinny character with jet-black hair and no neck who is often depressed and loveless. Through the music, Simon tells stories that represent Levine's actual life. For example, the song "Anna-Lisa" makes reference to his parents' divorce. Jay mentions that, "everything that Simon goes through happened to me." He has a tendency to fall in love too quickly just to have his heart broken so Levine is bitter with regards to relationships.

Jay is currently focusing on the business side of music with his company Lefthook Entertainment that helps artists market their music. He is also currently an artist under the name Today Kid and his music can be listened to for free on YouTube.

James Bryan McCollum

A contrast to Simon, Milo is a muscular blond character that accompanies Simon to find true love. The man behind Milo is guitarist James Bryan McCollum. McCollum's creativity gives Prozzäk its unique sound.

In the song "It's Not Me It's You", McCollum incorporates a Tchaikovsky melody into the song. In an interview, McCollum once jokingly claimed that the Tchaikovsky melody was in fact of his own creation, and that Tchaikovsky had appropriated it for his own works.^[3]

McCollum is the founder of UMI Entertainment based in Toronto, Ontario. He is currently the guitarist for Canadian artist Nelly Furtado.^[4]

The story of Simon and Milo

Prozzak are two animated characters named Simon and Milo. The creation of Simon and Milo initially began with accents suggested by the other members of The Philosopher Kings during their road trips.^[5] One thing led to another and the cartoon characters became a part of Prozzäk.

The friendship of Jay and James brought together through music is referenced with the origins of Simon and Milo. The two are over 200 years old and were enemies in a previous life. Simon and Milo fought each other in a 20-year-old war called "Ochiyaki". During their battles with each other, a Great Unseen Voice projected down from the sky and told them they were to be best friends, sent through time to the 21st century, where they were given a mission. That mission was for the two to find true love through their music.

In their music videos, Simon is in constant search of his true love, believing that the perfect woman is out there. "Simon runs the full-gamut of cartoon emotions. He believes that there is a perfect girl and that's part of his problem" Jay Levine stated in an interview with Teenmusic.com. As a result, Simon ends up feeling depressed. Their introduction in their album Saturday People mentions that they visit many nightclubs and bars hoping to find their true love, but Simon gives up from his long history of failures, and lies "face down in his own banana milkshake". Just then, the Great Unseen Voice from the heavens calls out again, telling them that they have lost their way, and encourages them to remember their mission: only True Love holds the key to their destiny. Their music thus represents their social journey to find their true love.^[6]

Discography

Prozzäk released four albums between 1998–2005. Of the albums released, Hot Show and Saturday People received nominations for the Juno Awards in 2000 and 2002. Prozzäk joined with Disney to increase promotion and released the album Ready Ready Set Go, also named Simon and Milo. It is a compilation of songs from their first two albums along with a new single, "Get a Clue" which was written for the TV movie Get a Clue starring Lindsay Lohan. In their latest album, Cruel Cruel World, Simon and Milo both receive a facelift. Milo is more proportional and less bulky while Simon is older and more depressed. Cruel Cruel World was released on an independent label and did not receive as much promotion as their first two albums, and did not achieve the same success. As well two songs were released through the internet in 2006, "DJ-J-Vox" and "DJ (Calibe Remix)".^[7] In 2008 the band released a song titled "Chloe the Chicken" on a kids' album titled Roll Play.^[8]

Studio albums

• Hot Show (November 2, 1998) recorded by Sony Canada
• Saturday People (November 7, 2000) recorded by Epic Records
• Cruel Cruel World (November 29, 2005) recorded by Lefthook Entertainment and released on MapleMusic Recordings in Canada

Compilation albums

• Ready Ready Set Go (April 30, 2002) recorded by Hollywood Records

Singles

See also

• The Philosopher Kings

References

External links

• Prozzäk on Myspace
• Faze Articles -- Prozzak