Assistant Professor of Music Mark Snyder’s original composition, Our House on the Hill, was released by Fuzzy Panda Records on the compilation Thirsty and Miserable in memory of Jeff Prosser on April 3, 2016. The recording was done at the University of Mary Washington Department of Music’s recording studio featuring Becky Brown ’15 on harp and assistant engineer Paige Naylor ’14 soprano and assistant engineer and Mark Snyder on bass, guitar, piano, synth, organ, producer, composer and engineer.
Jeffrey Prosser, a D.C. graphic designer and integral part of the Washington, D.C., experimental music scene as both musician and promoter, passed away on April 3, 2015. He was an exceedingly sweet and generous man with many friends across D.C.’s various music and arts scenes and beyond. Shortly after his death, two memorial concerts were organized in Adams Morgan and Fredericksburg, Va. Now, some of his musician friends have put together a compilation in his honor, titled Thirsty and Miserable, a phrase Jeffrey was particularly fond of.
The compilation features 21 artists who knew and loved Jeffrey, featuring both locals and musicians from farther afield. The artwork includes designs by Jeffrey, including art for fliers he designed to promote shows around the D.C. area. Proceeds from sales of the compilation go to Bread for the City, a charity selected by the Prosser family.
Mark and Jeff were friends in high school and played music together in the basement of their mutual friend, Holmes Ives, and later in Richmond where Jeff worked at Peaches Record and Tapes and would make sure Mark always got the music he needed and at a discount. “I am so honored to be a part of this compilation,” said Snyder. “Jeff was always so generous and kind and a lot of fun to make art with. He will be missed greatly.”
