Prisoners Like Sand

“Prisoners Like Sand is not just a band, it’s a project”. That’s the official line from founder and main protagonist Carl Jackson, in an effort to describe what sets his band apart. Every project needs a goal, and right now Prisoners Like Sand’s goal is pretty simple: Make people happy.

Carl is no stranger to the live music scene. After five years of chasing punk rock dreams in Melbourne band Wishful Thinking, the band called it a day. But not before landing a record deal with Indie label Boomtown Records, and building a strong fanbase, who responded to their straight-laced punk sound. This gave Carl plenty of experience, and friends, in the music industry.

Now free from the guitar/bass/drums formula that defined his pervious band, Carl wanted to take his fans on a different journey. “I started PLS with the hope that not just ex-Wishful Thinking fans would enjoy it,” he says, “but that a whole multitude of others could enjoy it as well”. This meant a shift away from is pure punk influences, and gave him a chance to try something very different.

Carl may still prefer the traditional rock pose with guitar in hand for his photo shoots, but he’s indicative of a generation who’ve stepped out of the garage and into cyberspace. The so-called Bedroom Bands, who use their home computer to produce, package and promote their music.

Wishful Thinking understood the power of the Internet, and networking sites like MySpace, to connect with their fans. Prisoners takes it one step further. Without a record deal, and armed only with a MySpace profile, Carl is free to distribute the music exactly how we wants. “At present the goal is to make music and let people download it for free” says Carl, who follows a simple mandate. “It’s fun, it’s free and it’s for everyone”.