Tommy Prine bringing new music to Iowa City concert

It’s great to start at the top of the music industry. Tommy Prine’s first gig was at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

However, he wasn’t performing. He was working in the gift shop. At the time, Prine was majoring in music business at Nashville’s Belmont University. While in Music City, it appeared that Prine was headed for a career behind the scenes, like his mother, music manager and managing partner of Oh Boy Records, Fiona Whelan Prine.

However, Prine, 29, is following in the footsteps of his iconic father, John Prine, one of the most revered singer/songwriters of all time. Tommy Prine will showcase his own music when he plays a sold-out concert Saturday at the Wildwood Saloon in Iowa City.

It wasn’t a given that Tommy Prine would become a singer/songwriter, but the deep and dark tunesmith took the plunge after his father died from COVID in 2020.

“I’ve been writing and playing music my whole life,” Prine said while calling from Cleveland. “As far as a career in music, I had to think about things, about where I was in my life. I started processing and documenting experiences, and things started to happen.”

After recording a few demos, Nashville producers Ruston Kelly and Gena Johnson heard some tracks and encouraged Prine to take a chance as a singer/songwriter.

“They’re dear friends and they called me and told me to quit my job and just go full throttle” as a singer/songwriter, Prine said. “I went for it and I have no regrets.”

Jumping into a van and touring the country isn’t for the faint of heart. Prine’s mother, who has seen it all in a mercurial business, couldn’t help but be concerned.

“I think she was scared to death when I first told her what I was going to do — and she was right to feel that way,” Prine said. “She said, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ But after my album came out and I’ve been touring, my mother has been nothing but supportive. I knew this business wasn’t easy. My father told me that, and the same with my mother, but so far, so good.”

Prine’s 2023 debut release, “This Far South” contains introspective, provocative rootsy songs. Prine is traveling a different path than his lionized father, but he’s also his own person.

While growing up, Prine genre-hopped as a music fan. Outkast’s seminal 2003 album, “Speakerboxxx: The Love Below,” was the first album Prine purchased. While coming of age, Prine loved Gorillaz and Iron Maiden.

“I was into metal, alternative, Southern rock and classic rock,” he said. “I was into all kinds of music.”

New directions

Americana eventually appealed to Prine, who started writing songs when he was 16 years old. Some of those teenage tunes appear on “This Far South.” Prine has more new tracks he’ll record when he returns to the studio in October.

Count on Prine to preview some of the fresh material when he performs Saturday at the Wildwood. He also will showcase much of “This Far South.”

“Half of my set list is new stuff,” he said. “But I’ll also be playing most of my record, as well.”

Prine will record an EP, which currently is untitled. The songs are taking shape while they’re being previewed.

“I think that’s the way to go with it,” he said. “It’s good to get the reaction of the crowd when you play new songs. I like seeing how the crowd reacts to the (unreleased) songs. There are two different vibes on this next release.”

The one side is folk and the other is alternative rock.

“I like to mix it up,” he said. “I’m figuring it out as I go along.”