We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anthony Prater. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anthony below.

Anthony, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

In February of this year, I released my first solo recording…EL CAMARON.

At the beginning of 2020 I was getting back to performing live after recovering from injuries I sustained in a car wreck. Shortly thereafter, the pandemic hit the scene and cleared the world’s schedule, and life became an endless loop of work, home. and doom scrolling. With the present being a bit much at times, I turned to another passion…researching the past. I don’t hold a degree in any subject, but I did attend college where I learned how to research, gather, analyze, and present data. I use the title of Guerilla Historian because I firmly believe that you do not need a degree…nor do you need anyone else’s permission…to continue learning, expanding your areas of knowledge, or accessing publicly available materials/information. I do acknowledge that a degree does lend the holder a significant amount of credibility.

In my free time I started researching obscure local historical events. This led me to the case of Clemente Apolinar, the last man publicly executed in San Antonio, TX in 1923. The subject matter interested me, but the lack of available information was frustrating. So, for the next year and a half I gathered and analyzed as much information as I could on the case. During the research process, inspiration struck and produced a song. Through additional research and conversations with descendants of the people involved, by mid-2022, I had enough material for a 5 song EP.

After 2 years of doing my best to avoid it, Covid finally caught up with me in July of 2022, just as I was preparing to begin production on the album. While sick and quarantined in my rehearsal space I cut a demo for a ballad called “Two Little Boys”, Those demo tracks made it into the final recording because I thought the rasp in my voice made the song sound better. By mid-September I had recovered and was making plans to enter the studio when my grandmother, Oralia, suddenly passed away.

She and I were very close, and after losing her, I fell into a deep depression…enough to where I considered scrapping the project completely. A couple months later, with the love and support of my wife, and my parents, I was able to navigate through the fog of grief and remembered that my grandmother had always been proud of me and supported everything I did…and by giving up I would not be honoring her memory.

I began production of El Camaron with Magnifico Recording Company in November 2022. And with the help of my talented friends; Tahir Naqvi, Robert Botello, Galileo Gonzalez, Anthony Aguilar, Robert Hernandez, and Grammy Nominated artist Josh Baca, I had a finished album by mid-December.

I released El Camaron on February 23, 2023…the 100th anniversary of the execution of Clemente Apolinar. In addition to performing, I’ve had opportunities to share my research and host public discussions through partnership events with my local library system, community college, and archivist organizations.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Anthony Prater, 38 years old, born in San Antonio, TX, and raised in Somerset, TX. I have been writing songs and telling stories since forming my first music project at age 14. I spent my teens and twenties teaching myself to play guitar, bass, and drums while performing in various DIY bands, most notably ska/punk trio, ¡NADA MÁS BASURA! When I first started writing, the songs were very self-centered…what I felt, what I thought, what I was trying to figure out about myself, the world, and the people around me. As I got more experience, I branched out and tried writing more outwardly, creating stories/characters, putting myself into the experience of others, and exploring stories from our past. In addition to my solo endeavors, I front the Irish Folk-Rock/Americana band THE NAGGINS, and Indie/Alternative Rock band HOTEL TORGO.

Like the city I’m based in, I draw influence from many different sounds, sights, flavors, histories, and cultures. If something interests me, I learn as much as I can about it, and if I am inspired to include it in my creations and share it with others, I do so.

All of the projects I’m involved with share the same goals of entertaining people, sharing music that we think is good and worth listening to, reaching as many people as possible, and gaining new friends and fans.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of the most rewarding things about being a songwriter is making something from nothing. It’s a special feeling to get an idea in my head…be it a word, line, beat, or chord progression, and work it through the process of turning it into a finished song.

In addition to that, I feel a sense of pride in completing a project and putting my creations out into the world and getting feedback from listeners.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Value us.

Creative work is work…not a hobby.

It takes time, money, and sacrifice to start creating. It takes more time, money, and sacrifice to get good at creating…no matter the medium. Supplies and equipment aren’t cheap, transportation and insurance are not cheap, groceries, rent & utilities are not cheap. Don’t ask for discounts, don’t haggle, don’t ask for freebies.

Everything you enjoy from the music you listen to, the films & shows you watch, the books you read, to the photos/paintings/sculptures you decorate your space with were all created by people who deserve respect and who deserve to benefit from their hard work without being taken advantage of or exploited.

We as a society could better equip the next generation of artists by supporting the funding of the arts in education. By keeping music, art, and creativity in schools we can better nurture young minds and help them be more well-rounded individuals no matter the trade, or area of study they decide to pursue.

Contact Info:

• Website: anthonyprater.bigcartel.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/anthonyprater_music
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/anthonypratersatx
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnthonyPraterMusic
• Other: linktr.ee/anthonyprater linktr.ee/hoteltorgo linkt.ree/thenaggins

Image Credits
1: Self Portrait 2: JoJoDancer Photography 3: Self Portrait 4: Cover Art: Galileo Gonzalez 5: Brian Parrish 6: Doug Wright 7: Jacob Mena