With original music they want to see "go everywhere" and an audience that "is everyone," four talented and ambitious Modesto sisters are making a bid for teen pop stardom. They take a step toward that goal Tuesday with the release of their independently produced CD, "Gossip."
The PreZcotts, who have worked with "Hannah Montana" co-creator Rich Correll, will perform their wholesome tunes for free today at 6 p.m. at a CD-release concert at Modesto High School. That's the campus attended by three of the Prescott sisters: AnaLeyna, 17, ChaLyn, 15, and RaNelle, 14. Youngest sister MaRiah, 12, attends Hart-Ransom School.
The girls got an enthusiastic response when they performed with backup dancers Thursday for children at Dennis Earl Elementary School in Turlock. The kids stood up, danced, cheered and clapped to the beat.
"I want to see our music go everywhere," said AnaLeyna, who writes most of the songs and serves as the group's spokesgirl. "It's so fun to see the impact of our songs on other kids."
The siblings have come a long way in the two years since their father, Craig Prescott, died in the Stanislaus County Jail. Suffering from mental illness, he died of a heart attack after deputies subdued him. Prescott was a sheriff's deputy for nine years until 2006.
The girls dedicated their CD to their father and included a big photo of him on the poster inside. AnaLeyna said he was their biggest fan and always bragged about their musical talent. The songs "Strength," "Free" and "Press On" were inspired by him. AnaLeyna said she wrote "Strength" for a funeral of a friend but thought about her father when writing the emotional lyrics.
"That's the one song that has brought people to tears," she said.
The sisters were taught to sing by their mother, Rachel, and perform often at church and local talent shows. AnaLeyna started playing piano at age 4 and could play Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" by age 6, said the girls' grandmother Marilyn Prescott. All the sisters easily learned to harmonize, both musically and personally.
"They respect and love each other," Marilyn Prescott said. "You don't see sibling rivalry with them."
The girls caught the attention of Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, who featured their cover video of the hard-rock group's song "Nothing Else Matters" on his YouTube page. On Twitter, sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson of the classic rock group Heart also complimented the PreZcotts' cover of their hit "These Dreams."
The girls changed the spelling of their last name for their album so as not to conflict with a group in England known as The Prescotts. They recorded their album at Creation Lab studio in Turlock, adding a fun touch to the CD by making the cover smell like strawberries. The producers were Frank Munoz, who worked on Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley's solo album "Anomaly," and Aaron Accetta, who has collaborated with singers Aaron Carter and Jordan Knight. Accetta co-wrote the catchy song "Gossip."
The connections the girls made at the studio led them to Correll, who directed the video for "Gossip." The video, which features the girls walking down a red carpet with cameras flashing, was filmed this summer at the Fat Cat Music House & Lounge in Modesto.
Lindsey Curry, the choreographer for the video and the owner of Footnotes Dance Studio in Ceres, said she was impressed with the girls' professionalism.
"These girls can sing," she said. "They don't AutoTune and they write their own music."
The PreZcotts are devout Christians and pride themselves on their positive, family-friendly message.
"You are all special in your own way and you are important to this world," AnaLeyna told the Dennis Earl elementary students. "You're so awesome!"
Tami Truax, principal of the school, said she booked the group because the sisters promote good character, sharing and respect.
The busy PreZcotts will perform Sunday at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco and Thursday at Walnut Elementary School in Turlock. AnaLeyna said she's looking forward to seeing how far the group can go with its music. The CD can be purchased at several Web sites, including Amazon, iTunes and Overstock.
"Our audience is everyone," she said. "Our music, it goes deep, it goes to the core."
Bee staff writer Lisa Millegan Renner can be reached at lrenner@modbee.com or (209) 578-2313.
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