{"id":19998,"date":"2020-11-02T20:44:01","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T03:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=19998"},"modified":"2020-11-02T20:44:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T03:44:01","slug":"video-web-interview-tom-prasada-rao","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2020\/11\/video-web-interview-tom-prasada-rao\/","title":{"rendered":"Video &#038; Web Interview TOM PRASADA-RAO"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_20005\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20005\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20005\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-02-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-02-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-02-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20005\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Rodney Bursiel<\/p><\/div>\n<h1><strong>Video Feature &amp; Web-Exclusive Interview<\/strong><br \/>\nArtist: \u00a0<strong>TOM PRASADA-RAO<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h3>Video:\u00a0 \u201c<strong>$20 Bill<\/strong>\u201d\u2014for George Floyd<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DXYsv7SHhbk\" width=\"660\" height=\"420\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>TOM PRASADA-RAO SPEAKS TRUTH WITH SIMPLICITY IN HIS SONG \u201c$20 BILL\u201d<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201c$20 Bill,\u201d an instant classic for 2020, is a powerful song for George Floyd. It is a modern-day hymn of justice for the oppressed. Musician Dan Navarro said it best: \u201cTom has written the song of a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tom Prasada-Rao has been a musician\u2019s musician\u2014a songwriter known among musicians. But now with \u201c$20 Bill\u201d more of the world is finding out about his insightful songwriting and his soul-searching music that makes us think beyond ourselves. His three versions of the song have been viewed on YouTube and Facebook over 200,000 times, while other musicians\u2019 versions of \u201c$20 Bill\u201d total over 100,000 views.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this summer, The Immediate Family\u2019s Steve Postell shared his version of the song and wrote on his social media: \u201c50 years ago this month, CSNY released \u201cOhio,\u201d a perfect musical protest over the Kent State murders. A few days ago, Tom Prasada-Rao wrote a song to honor George Floyd, and it is equally as perfect a statement. I want to introduce you to one of our finest living songwriters.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20004\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20004\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20004\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-03-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"990\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-03-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-03-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-03-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20004\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Rodney Bursiel<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This song feels like an unintentional protest song. It doesn\u2019t seem like he was trying to make it a protest song, yet it has the power to galvanize us for the greater good. With a voice of strength and tenderness, Prasada-Rao speaks for every one of us who, in an utter state of helplessness, has ever experienced the dark side of humanity. While he sings, \u201cSome get to tell their own story and write their own epitaph,\u201d Tom gives a voice to the persecuted and suppressed, those who will never again have the chance to shine the beauty of their lives into a dark world that desperately needs what they have to offer.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h1><strong><em>Tom Prasada-Rao\u2019s \u201c$20 Bill\u201d is <\/em><\/strong><strong><em>a modern-day hymn of justice for the oppressed and those who choose to see beyond themselves.<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Like the voices of Mahatma Gandhi, Viktor Frankl and other beacons of wisdom, hope and love who have gone before us, \u201c$20 Bill\u201d shines a light on the truth that we are not completely helpless. There is something that you and I <em>can<\/em> do. Prasada-Rao sings, \u201cSo now let this be our communion, it\u2019s time to break the bread. Do this in remembrance just like the Good Book said.\u201d Through these words we are reminded of one freedom that can never be taken away\u2014<em>choice<\/em>. We can choose to remember we are <em>all<\/em> God\u2019s children. We are <em>one<\/em>. So let us live this truth with hope and true love in this age of uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you, Tom Prasada-Rao, for this timeless reminder and for channeling the gift of this modern-day hymn of justice for the oppressed and those who choose to see beyond themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Prasada-Rao is known for being the winner of the prestigious Kerrville New Folk, WAMMIE (Washington Area Music Association) award for \u201cBest Male Vocalist,\u201d his soulful vocals, well-crafted lyrics and rhythmic approach to music. <em>Billboard<\/em> praised him as \u201cthe most compelling presence to emerge in the singer-songwriter genre.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We talked with Tom Prasada-Rao about his passion for songwriting, the unique way he weaves stories into songs, how he continues to remain hopeful, his constant search for truth and justice and how he unintentionally challenges us to seek the better angels of our nature.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20003\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20003\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20003\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-04-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"990\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-04-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-04-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-04-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20003\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Rodney Bursiel<\/p><\/div>\n<h2><strong>TOM PRASADA-RAO<\/strong> Interview with\u00a0<strong><br \/>\n<em>M Music &amp; Musicians<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>magazine publisher,<strong> Merlin David<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How did the idea for the song \u201c$20 Bill\u201d come to you?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt was a few days after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis. I was watching CNN. I was recovering from a Chemo fog. These lines came to me and I thought: I don\u2019t have the energy to work on this. But the lines kept tumbling out of my head, it felt like an avalanche. It\u2019s all I could do to write them down and try to remember the other lines rushing behind them. It was all so quick\u2014in the horror of seeing all the grief expressed in the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul. I didn\u2019t think about it too much. It just came out. It was like I stuck my hand in the water and pulled out a fish.<\/p>\n<p><strong>On May 25, George Floyd was murdered. By May 28, you had written this song. Why do you think this song came so easily?<\/strong><br \/>\nI really don\u2019t know. I felt the song wasn\u2019t about me. It wasn\u2019t connected to my ego or anything. I wasn\u2019t trying to project anything. I was just trying to express my incredulity of this man\u2019s life being taken away for a supposed counterfeit $20 bill. This is so wrapped up in racial issues and policing issues\u2014and those are really big issues. But the song doesn\u2019t actually say anything about that. It doesn\u2019t even say he was a black man killed by white police. It just keeps it simple. How stupid and ridiculous is this\u2014that this man\u2019s life is taken for a $20 bill. It was a crystalizing moment that changed the world. Sometimes those things tend to be so immediate\u2014so visceral. You can\u2019t explain it. You just feel it. It felt like the whole world felt it together.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20002\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20002\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20002\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-05-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"990\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-05-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-05-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-05-Photo-credit-Rodney-Bursiel-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20002\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Rodney Bursiel<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Over 160 musicians globally have done their versions of this song. Did you ever think this song could be done in so many different ways?<\/strong><br \/>\nNever in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would reach so many people\u2014give voice to a cry that people need to utter out to the universe. It\u2019s amazing to see the diversity of artists who\u2019ve sung their version on Facebook. There\u2019s an amazing spoken word piece by Ronny Cox, the great Hollywood actor, blues versions, a lot of folky versions. I\u2019m overwhelmed and humbled. I don\u2019t even have the words to express how I feel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why do you think this song has resonated so deep and wide?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy friend Dan Navarro called me the other day. He said: \u2018this song is like Bob Beamon.\u2019 I said \u2018what do you mean Bob Beamon\u2014you mean the long jumper in the Olympics?\u2019 Dan said: \u2018he tried jumping jump after jump, and then one time, he jumped two feet longer than any jump he\u2019d done before. That\u2019s what this is, Tom. You\u2019ve written a song that people really want to hear. You\u2019ve written the song of a lifetime.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>What insight have you gained?<\/strong><br \/>\nThere\u2019s that old acronym: KISS\u2014keep it simple stupid. As a writer, I repeat it to myself quite often, theoretically. I\u2019ve learned the truth is best heard in simple ways. If there\u2019s anything I\u2019ve learned from this\u2014it\u2019s to get my ego, as a writer, out of the way\u2014and say what needs to be said. This is the craziest thing I\u2019ve ever seen\u2014someone losing their life for 20 bucks. I just wanted to express that without trying to be Dylan Thomas or the next Leonard Cohen. I wanted to just say it.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20001\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20001\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20001\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-06-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-06-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-06-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-06-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20001\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Dee Hill<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>How has your approach to songwriting changed after your diagnosis with cancer?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt\u2019s changed quite a bit. I\u2019m not physically able to do a lot of things that I used to do\u2014especially instrumentally\u2014on guitar or whatever instrument I may be playing. My voice is not able to do some of the things it was capable of doing before. It has helped in streamlining my approach\u2014I understand better now that it\u2019s really not about perfection or technical wizardry on your instrument\u2014or even proficiency. It\u2019s about the truth\u2014playing the things that need to be played in order to convey the song you want to convey. I\u2019ve found it liberating. I don\u2019t mourn the things I\u2019m no longer capable of because I know there\u2019s a tradeoff. I\u2019ve gained insight\u2014going with the truth and leaving all the other things behind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you stay hopeful in this unique socio-political climate, especially with your health situation?<\/strong><br \/>\nWe\u2019re in some unprecedented times. The moment in time that really turned my head around was maybe three or four weeks ago. President Obama had a little talk online. It was post-George Floyd and he was talking about the demonstrations. He said, \u2018The difference between now and the 60s is the diversity. Now, there are more white kids, than black kids, on the streets protesting the death of a black man. Just that right there should give you pause and give you hope. This now is different than back then. I\u2019ve looked at it in that light since then. Even though the story was about the protest and violence the first few days, it\u2019s now turned into this movement. It\u2019s the new civil rights movement. It\u2019s Martin Luther King Jr. all over again. That\u2019s what\u2019s happening right now.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20000\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20000\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20000\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-07-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-07-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-07-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-07-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill-300x301.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20000\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Dee Hill<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>What is the best advice someone has given you?<\/strong><br \/>\nThere\u2019s something that sticks in my head from 25 years ago. It was from Murray Krugman, a guy I didn\u2019t know too well. He produced a few Blue Oyster Cult albums and wrote some songs. He put together a compilation album I was on a long time ago and he came to see me perform live. He said something that frustrated me to no end at that time. He said, \u2018Can I have a minute?\u2019 I said \u2018Sure.\u2019 He said, \u2018Tom, it was really great to hear you. I still feel like I haven\u2019t heard you.\u2019 I feel like it has taken 40 years to find it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is there a new album anytime soon?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019ve been working for a couple of years now on an album called <em>The Complete History of Love, Volume 1<\/em>. I hope to have it out in a few months.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the best advice you\u2019d like to give upcoming musicians\u2014or your teenage self?<\/strong><br \/>\nDon\u2019t let anything get in the way of your dream. Don\u2019t let the expectations surrounding you put out the fire.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tomprasadarao.com\/\">www.TomPrasadaRao.com<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCK39y-XivTkdDINRAvBmv6A\/\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCK39y-XivTkdDINRAvBmv6A\/<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19999\" style=\"width: 670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19999\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-19999\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-08-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"661\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-08-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-08-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Tom-Prasada-Rao-08-Photo-credit-Dee-Hill-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-19999\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo credit Dee Hill<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Video Feature &amp; Web-Exclusive Interview Artist: \u00a0TOM PRASADA-RAO Video:\u00a0 \u201c$20 Bill\u201d\u2014for George Floyd \ufeff TOM PRASADA-RAO SPEAKS TRUTH WITH SIMPLICITY IN HIS SONG \u201c$20 BILL\u201d \u201c$20 Bill,\u201d an instant classic for 2020, is a powerful song for George Floyd. It is a modern-day hymn of justice for the oppressed. Musician Dan Navarro said it best: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20007,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[12347,12344,12345,12346,8495,8500,12348,12349,9888,9889,12350,12351,12352,730,12353,12354,12355,12134,12356,141,10385,3117,7566,12357,12358,3010,12359,7978,12360,12361,8540,12362,12363,12364,12365,12366,12367,12368,7730,7727,12369,12371,12372,12370],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19998"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19998"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20006,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19998\/revisions\/20006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}