Chuck Prophet stands out as one of American rock’s most inventive and resilient artists, crafting music that bridges tradition and innovation. Over the course of his expansive career, Prophet has consistently demonstrated a commitment to artistic evolution, drawing from a variety of influences while maintaining a singular voice. At the heart of his work is the dynamic collaboration with his band, the Mission Express, and, most notably, his wife and musical partner, Stephanie Finch.
The musical synergy between Prophet and Finch is central to his creative output. Finch, a multi-talented vocalist and instrumentalist, is not merely a supporting player in Prophet’s world but a full-fledged collaborator. Their partnership exemplifies the unique power of creative couples in music—akin to how John Doe and Exene Cervenka (of X) or Richard and Linda Thompson combined their distinct talents to craft something more substantial than the sum of its parts. Finch’s delicate vocal harmonies, rich keyboard tones, and occasional lead guitar work complement Prophet’s raw, storytelling-focused songwriting, creating a textured sound that reflects their shared artistic vision.
Prophet’s work with the Mission Express showcases his belief in the power of a band as a collective unit. Like the best musical groups, the Mission Express operates as a cohesive whole, where each member’s contribution serves the greater artistic goal. Kevin White’s steady bass lines ground the songs with precision, while Vicente Rodriguez’s drumming provides a rhythmic backbone that complements Prophet’s guitar-driven sound. James DePrato’s guitar and lap steel work introduce a wide array of sonic colors, adding depth and atmosphere to the songs without overshadowing Prophet’s often narrative-rich lyrics. This seamless interplay between musicians allows Prophet to experiment with different musical textures, from the grittiness of desert rock to more expansive, orchestral arrangements, all while retaining a clear and cohesive artistic identity.
One of the most powerful expressions of Prophet and Finch’s collaborative spirit can be seen in the live performances of their band. The Mission Express thrives on stage, where the band’s chemistry is most palpable. Finch’s presence, whether taking the lead or harmonizing with Prophet, adds a level of intimacy to the performances. A standout moment in their career was the “Strings in the Temple” concert at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall, a performance that was later captured in a documentary. This live show, featuring an octet orchestra, showcased Prophet and Finch’s ability to blend their core band’s raw energy with sweeping arrangements, expanding the possibilities of rock without losing its edge.
Prophet’s songwriting, often steeped in wit, wry observation, and emotional depth, has drawn comparisons to other great American songwriters like Warren Zevon. There is a sharpness to his lyrics—a keen sense of the absurd mixed with a genuine empathy for the characters and stories he creates. This sardonic yet sincere approach allows his songs to resonate on multiple levels, offering listeners both intellectual and emotional rewards. His work is deeply rooted in the American musical tradition, but Prophet is never content to merely replicate what’s come before; he is always searching for new ways to push his sound forward, making each album a fresh exploration.
The collaborative spirit between Prophet and Finch extends beyond just their own performances and recordings. Over the years, Prophet has worked closely with a wide range of artists, most notably co-writing and producing with the equally dynamic Kelly Willis. Their work together, particularly on Willis’s Translated From Love, shows Prophet’s ability to transcend his own sound and elevate other artists, further cementing his role as a key figure in the world of Americana and beyond.
Ultimately, Chuck Prophet’s music is a testament to the power of collaboration, reinvention, and enduring creative partnership. His long-running relationship with Finch, both personal and musical, infuses his work with a richness that few other artists achieve. Together, they continue to push the boundaries of what rock can be, blending their individual strengths into a shared vision that remains vibrant, innovative, and deeply authentic.
Chuck Prophet – “Wake The Dead” (Official Music Video) Jul 16, 2024
Director/Videographer: Daniel Strickland Video Editor: Gooby Herms Title Card: Gooby Herms Street footage filmed in San Francisco, California’s Mission District
We have Guitartown on Twitter to thank for Chuck Prophet today. Circling above and below Chuck Prophet for years, largely due to the alluring name, we now find ourselves indebted to KEXP for an excellent in-studio live session. KEXP, like NPR’s tiny desk, knows how to mix live music. Chuck Prophet may already be known to you. Something about Chuck suggests Warren Zevon to this writer. Could it be a natural sarcasm and his love of the absurd? Give good self-copious time to enjoy all members and their individual and group contributions to the whole within Mission Express. Start with Chuck’s musical and spousal counterpart, Stephanie Finch. We include a solo early release by Stephanie Finch to taste what she can do as a singer/musician. Spend time watching the entire band coalesce around the supremely creative live effort with an octet (8-string) orchestra, Strings in the Temple (documentary) filmed before a live audience at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco. You will leave this article with considerable respect for Chuck Prophet (band leader, singer-songwriter, producer, co-lead, and rhythm guitarist), Stephanie Finch (singer, songwriter, keyboardist, guitarist), Kevin White (bass guitar), Vincente Rodriguez (drums, vocals), James DePrato (stoic, subtle humorist, guitarist, lap steel). You will begin to notice the Charlie Sexton (guitarist, vocalist) factor creeping into the onstage club shows with Chuck Prophet. This is no accident for musicians like Chuck Prophet to include guest musicians of Charlie Sexton’s star magnitude. Charlie Sexton is the connective tissue between so many artists that we admire including, Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams and so many more. Charlie Sexton is just that influential and admired by most sane humans for the virtues of Adonis good looks, natural comfort within his body frame, humility, guitar and vocal skills.
Charles William Prophet (born June 28, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. A Californian, Prophet first achieved notice in the American psychedelic/desert rock group Green on Red, with whom he toured and recorded in the 1980s. He has also recorded several solo records and gained prominence as a musician and songwriter. Prophet has contributed to several Kelly Willis records and produced 2007’s Translated From Love for Rykodisc. Willis and Prophet co-wrote six of the album’s tracks, and Prophet played guitar throughout. We knew there was a Kelly Willis connection to Chuck Prophet, which is how we were drawn to a similar musical soul.
Stephanie Finch: (singing, Vox organ, piano, guitar)
Kevin White: (bass guitar)
Vicente Rodriguez: (drums, vocals)
James DePrato: (guitar, lap steel)
Former members:
Kyle Caprista: (drums, vocals) 2012–2013
Paul Taylor: (drums, vocals) -2012
Chuck Prophet – Full Performance (Live on KEXP)
http://KEXP.ORG presents Chuck Prophet performing live in the KEXP studio.
Recorded August 8, 2014.
Songs:
Wish Me Luck
Ford Econoline
Tell Me Anything (Turn To Gold)
Always A Friend
Host: Stevie Zoom
Audio Engineer: Kevin Suggs
Cameras: Jim Beckmann, Shelly Corbett & Andrew Franks
Editor: Jim Beckmann
Stephanie Finch is the wife of the solo artist and former Green On Red guitarist Chuck Prophet.
Finch has, since the 1990s, played keyboards in Prophet’s backing band, the Mission Express. She is also a singer-songwriter and has recorded two albums of her material. The first of these, ‘Hotel San Jose’, which was recorded as the Go-Go Market, came out in 2000. The second, ‘Cry Tomorrow’, which was released under her name, came out at the end of last year and also features Prophet on guitar and singer-songwriter Kelley Stoltz on drums.
Pennyblackmusic spoke to Stephanie Finch at a gig to promote ‘Cry Tomorrow’ at the Borderline in London.
PB: Where were you brought up?
SF: I grew up in California in L.A. My first public performance was with my dad in church doing duets, and then I was in a folk group with my boyfriend’s sister based around the L.A. area. During that time, I met Chuck, my boyfriend’s best friend, and I always fantasized that it would be nice to be in a group with him. Then I moved up to San Francisco not long after that.
CR’s Take
Recommended
Score 77
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Headphone
This wireless Bluetooth model from Bose delivers very good sound quality and active noise reduction, combining elements of in-ear and earbud earphones. These earphones have an isolating design and an ambient sound monitoring feature; they will provide some muffling and electronic canceling of external noises and reduce the amount of sound that escapes from the earpieces. As such, they are best for those who want highly portable earphones that reduce the noise they hear from their surroundings or don’t want the sound from the earpieces to disturb others.
About this item
INTRODUCING QuietComfort EARBUDS II: These new wireless, Bluetooth, noise-canceling earbuds from Bose weren’t designed with a one-size-fits-all approach. These next-generation wireless earbuds are engineered to fit you. They intelligently personalize the noise cancellation and sound performance for uninterrupted, immersive listening wherever you are. To ensure all-day comfort and a secure fit, they come with three pairs of ear tips and three pairs of custom stability bands to find the best fit for your ears. Own your uniqueness with sound and fit shaped to you.
BOSE World’s Best NOISE CANCELLING EARBUDS: QuietComfort Earbuds II intelligently personalize the noise cancellation and sound performance to your ears to enjoy deep, immersive sound and the world’s best noise cancellation. August 2022. Conclusions derived by Bose Corp., based on ANC measurements made by Michael & Assoc., Inc. per ANSI/ASA S12.42-2010
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BOSE MUSIC APP: The Bose Music app guides you through setup. Use the app to access your preferences, including noise cancellation levels, Bluetooth connections, shortcuts, and more.
Transmission – Stephanie Finch & The Company Men
From the release “Cry Tomorrow” out now on Belle Sound Music.
http://www.bellesound.com/music.html
Video by Thaddeus Homan
The Company Men: Chuck Prophet, Kelley Stoltz, and Rusty Miller
Music
SONG
Transmission
ARTIST
Stephanie Finch And The Company Men
ALBUM
Cry Tomorrow
WRITERS
Stephen Morris
+3 more
LICENSES
The Orchard Music (on behalf of (((belle sound)))); ARESA, BMI – Broadcast Music Inc., BMG Rights Management (US), LLC, LatinAutor – UMPG, MINT_BMG, UNIAO BRASILEIRA DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA – UBEM, UMPG Publishing, LatinAutorPerf, and 2 Music Rights Societies
WHERE DID I LEAVE OFF?
Folks,
Where did I leave off? I hope everyone had a swinging holiday.
Last time out, The Mission Express was about to embark on a trek out to Texas and back, swinging up to Flagstaff and Tucson and Pappy and Harriets on the way home. This time, we are embarking on a three-person folk rock rampage through the Wild East. [No fighting on the dance floor. But there might be some fighting on the stage]. We’re psyched. People are nuts out there. Honking and yelling and drinking Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. It’s wild. We love it.
It’s the Acoustic Trio lineup we’ve got in store for you. Yours truly, Stephie and Vicente.
I have been writing away, too. Listening to nothing but Cumbia jams. Soon we’ll be praying to the record gods. Out loud. More on that later. For now, it’s gigsville, USA. Dates here and below. Dig in with both hands.
Onwards,
-C
Chuck Prophet: Strings In The Temple (Documentary)
Buy Chuck Prophet Strings in the Temple: Live with Orchestra at the Great American Music Hall https://found.ee/uO1W. If you’re to believe what you read, today’s San Francisco is under siege by predatory tech nerds and drones, plutocrats, wiz kids, and opportunistic real estate developers. People have reacted differently to this onslaught—the Occupy Movement, for one. You may have heard of people lying in front of google buses in protest or smashing google glasses on the sidewalk. There’s also the path of art. In 2012, I released Temple Beautiful – an open love letter to San Francisco and its history and characters. After two years of performing the songs across the U.S. and the globe, in late 2013, my band and I delivered the 12-song cycle Temple Beautiful with a string octet (scored and conducted by Brad Jones) in our hometown of San Francisco. We had one chance to get it right. And this film is a document of the twists and turns in the road that brought us to that one-night-only sold-out performance at the Great American Music Hall (Itself a former bordello and a deco SF institution). The songs performed that night include characters like Willie Mays, martyred supervisor Harvey Milk, Cain & Abel porn kings Jim & Artie Mitchell, mythic oddball “Red Man,” preacher/Svengali Jim Jones, politician-turned assassin Dan White, and Emperor Norton, with cameos by Laffing Sal, Carol Doda, Bill Graham, and Fatty Arbuckle. Locations also play a key role, including the Castro and Mission Districts. One song is devoted to the White Night Riots, sparked by the light sentence received by the assassination of Milk and Mayor Moscone. Some will have you believe that technology is a new culture. Then again, how can technology equate to culture? Can Rock and Roll build community? Can songs connect people to the world? These are the questions explored in Strings In The Temple. -Chuck Prophet
(Yep, Roc)
Reflecting on an earlier time is nothing new for Chuck Prophet. From paying tribute to clubs he frequented in his formative years on 2012’s Temple Beautiful to ruminating about Bobby Fuller, Jesus, Alan Vega, and even actress Connie Britton on his previous album, the veteran singing songwriter typically cocks his askew gaze and organic rockers on some of history’s more offbeat stories and people.
That remains the title on Prophet’s first album in three years. This time he explores his childhood during the Nixon administration (“Nixonland”), the hopelessness of the Great Depression’s dance marathons (“Marathon”), the New York Dolls (“High as Johnny Thunders” with lyrics that give this disc its title) and even John the Baptist (“Fast Kid”) on a typically unpredictable, thematically diverse set.
But while there are a few upbeat tracks like the opening Tom Petty/Flamin’ Groovies-styled mid-tempo strummer “Best Shirt On” and the muscular riff of “Fast Kid” (with cool electric sitar coloring), Prophet predominantly sticks to ballads. That’s a big change, not just for his studio recordings but for anyone who has experienced one of the many sweat-soaked, high-energy gigs with his longtime Mission Express musicians. Prophet has never shied away from slower songs; his hit “You Did” was a ballad. But there is a clear change in direction to keep this collection far more reserved than most others in his extensive catalog.
That doesn’t affect his clever wordplay; it might enhance it. Lines like “If Joan of Arc just took her meds/She’d be a movie star.” Or in “Womankind,” his tribute to women, “Man made this, and man-made that/He made the parking lot/He made the pork pie hat,” is classic Prophet. The less aggressive music that accompanies them spotlights his voice and dry wit.
Two years ago (edited)
Chuck could sing and play anything, and it would still sound coolio. He deserves every single penny he earns. The alternative orchestral arrangements worked great, especially on “He Came So Far Way (Red Man Speaks), Museum of Broken Hearts, Left Hand Right Hand (I thought it was going to turn into ‘Reggae’ at one point with dat bass!) ‘I felt LIke Jesus’ ‘Who Shot John? and ‘No Other Love’. But I enjoyed it a whole lot. Anyways, I’m off to Bandcamp to download this, which will give Chuck a few more pennies while he’s in enforced isolation (with some dodgy apples) due to the obvious. Every fan of his should do the same if they can. This pandemic will cost Chuck, and his record label, Yep Roc, a shit load of lost revenue, and I would hate a musical world where Chuck isn’t part of it anymore. We all need to help one of the most talented guitar players there has ever been to keep those six strings of his ….r i n g i n g
Luck and Southwest Present: “High as Johnny Thunders” – Chuck Prophet ft. Aaron Lee Tasjan Live
During our trip to San Francisco for the filming of Episode 3 of our series, Sites and Sounds, with Southwest Airlines, we also squeezed in a live video of host Chuck Prophet’s new single, “High as Johnny Thunders”, featuring his episode guest Aaron Lee Tasjan. Watch Chuck and Aaron perform the new song alongside a full-string section at the mystical Make-Out Room here.
Music
SONG
High as Johnny Thunders
ARTIST
Chuck Prophet
ALBUM
High as Johnny Thunders
LICENSES
[Merlin] Redeye Distribution (on behalf of Yep Roc Records); MINT_BMG, CMRRA, BMG Rights Management (US), LLC, ARESA, and 2 Music Rights Societies
Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express 2018-07-11 Hadden Lake Park NJ **Complete Show**
Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express
2018-07-11 Sundown Music Series
Haddon Lake Park
Haddon Heights, NJ, USA
*Complete Show*
audio – Schoeps mk4v
video – lumix dmc-zs100
00:00 Intro – Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins 05:39 Coming Out in Code 09:14 Rider or the Train 13:49 Bad Year for Rock and Roll 17:45 Storm Across the Sea 23:11 The Left Hand and the Right Hand 28:38 Run Primo Run 33:34 Killing Machine 37:11 You and Me Baby (Holding On) 45:28 Tell Me Anything 49:50 Different Drum 53:37 Summertime Thing 01:03:26 In the Mausoleum 01:08:47 Wish Me Luck (Lodi tease) 01:13:46 Willie Mays Is Up At Bat 01:25:09 You Did (Bomp Shooby Dooby Bomp)
Chuck Prophet – Full Session – 1/11/2017 – Paste Studios – New York, NY
Chuck Prophet – Full Session
Recorded Live – Paste Studios – New York, NY
More Chuck Prophet: https://www.pastemagazine.com/search?…
Visit Paste Magazine: https://www.pastemagazine.com
Charlie Sexton Interview
Jan 15, 2016
We met up with the legendary Charlie Sexton at 4Sound in Malmö and talked about his life and career as a musician and what it’s like working with the icon Bob Dylan.
YETI Drifting Podcast: Charlie Sexton
