Interview

Babble & Beat - How is the style of 'I See Love in the Future' different from your other releases?

Edgars - Each album we try to do something a little different. We get pinpointed as New Order-like a lot and we tried hard to distinguish ourselves on this album. I like experimenting outside the norm while still maintaining a solid melodic song.

On our last album we released songs that were recorded on cassette decks. I thought it was cool and all GBV-like but the critics smashed us for it. As to not to confuse the critics, on this album we stayed away from the cassette deck. We incorporated a lot of programmed beats with live drum beats, kind of mixing them in as to sound like one. Sometimes we purposefully panned programmed beats to the right speaker and live drums to the left so you could hear both kits at the same time.

I even play drums on this album. On 'Morning Sun', I whack a snare with a belt. We also tried to beef up the choruses on this album. Gary Stier and Jackie add the extra vocals there. They are new to the band, so stylistically naturally Plane's vocalization is different - fuller, more dynamic, layered, and textured.

We also set out to give the album a brighter, more optimistic sound. In the end, as with all my records, they take on, well, all kinds of moods and directions.

Babble & Beat - Can you explain the image used as cover art for the new album?

Edgars - Glad you noticed. That picture is from a magazine released before World War II in Latvia. It's a picture of kids waving to a plane that's landed on the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea hugs countries like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and Finland.

The picture was taken in 1937 and to me it just expressed this futuristic outlook in those kid's eyes. To those kids in 1937 a plane floating on the Baltic Sea must have been like a spaceship from Saturn roaming their shores. It actually might just have been a Communist spy plane. Soon thereafter, thanks to World War II, Latvia lost its freedom and the Communists occupied Latvia illegally until 1989.

My parents were born in Latvia and escaped the war. They were children back then, like those in the picture living in Latvia peacefully before the war, and had to go through hell to escape and find new homes, new lives, new dreams. They found each other in the U.S., half a world away.

I'm getting lost in your question; you've opened a lot of different meanings to me now in the cover art. It's interesting, there are a lot of displaced people on this planet, each nationality living among others. There are fewer wars but are we all at peace? We are molding as one. Is that good? I don't know.

I'm Latvian born in America, but to me it seems I've lost my identity. I feel a strong connection when I visit Latvia. I don't feel any connection in America. Experiments have been done on this. The results say you feel psychologically more comfortable in the environment where your ancestors came from. Anyway, the magazine was lying around my parent's home in Chicago and I leafed through it and noticed the amazing photos.

Babble & Beat - How does the city you are based in, Chicago, influence your music?

Edgars - It doesn't. Chicago is still stuck listening to Cheap Trick. It's all about Cheap Trick. I'll come off sounding bad because I'm sure Cheap Trick is great. It's just goofy to me... the guy with the hat and all. I don't know, maybe there's something wrong with me. But whenever you hear Chicagoans talk about music in interviews they always mention Cheap Trick. I thought I would too. I don't get it and don't give a fuck. So great, now we're out.

Chicago has a very diverse Chicago scene. Obviously a huge blues influence and jazz influence. Our kind of music isn't influenced by either. There are also bands that strictly sell themselves to pop in Chicago. I guess that's the Cheap Trick thing, all pop. Now pop orchestration is taking over. Pop bands adding violins to their sound.

God awful, the shriek of a violin badly miced on stage. It's like chewing on tinfoil. I was at Blues Fest this year and there too a violin on stage playing the blues. For fucks sakes, someone grab the violin and smash it! Fuckin' smash it! I love classical music... please little violin, stay there.

The Chicago music scene is very diverse, everyone's doing something else and it's cool but we're all segregated. It would be nice to have one large street where one bar is blues, the next jazz, the next some striphole, the next one whatever, you know what I'm saying. Except we wouldn't allow a heavy metal bar, they have to stay in the suburbs. With a street like that maybe we could influence one another. Once again, molding as one. Is that good? Fuck that, I've lost my identity, stop influencing me.

Babble & Beat - Currently, Plane is unsigned. What do you want from a record label?

Edgars - Cheese fries. I've had terrible experiences with labels and generally people in the music business. They're not very honest. Shit, my own bandmates aren't honest. Joey London, our bass player, aka Ray Chicago, skipped out on practice last night. He told me he was out of town. Then he told us he was in the suburbs. Then he revealed he was just partying.

He once called me before a rehearsal and told me he was in jail. He serves wine at Jewel and he told me one of the free drinking customers became unruly and London wouldn't stand for it. So, London jumps across the 4 x 5 Jewel wine table and wrestles some guy. An off duty cop was standing by and Out-of-Town-Joe tells me they were both hauled off to the station. So now, I guess Joe is wasting his one phone call on cancelling practice. Fuckin' idiot. When you can't trust your own bandmates, who can you trust?

We've been trying to bypass the whole label thing and act as our own label. We've hired our own press publicist. Unfortunately, that's been a nightmare. Just not a very diligent company, very sloppy and uncool. I've expressed my disappointment and I get attitude back, ya know, snide comments and shit. Yeah, I'm not prince charming either but for all the cash I'm spending on a press publicist I think I'm entitled to a bitch session, don't you think? I do.

We've hired Team Clermont as our radio publicist. I've worked with them in the past and they do a very diligent job. Our first album, 'Shake My Ground', landed at 42 on the CMJ charts. Hopefully, we'll get similar results with 'I See Love in The Future'.

The album's release date is set for October 9th, but you can buy it right now if you go to our website at www.planebandsite.com. You can also check out some tracks at www.myspace.com/plane.

Babble & Beat - As the Producer and Owner of Blue Room Studio, what is some other exciting music you've worked on?

Edgars - I recorded this one band called The Dirty Things. Real Gang of Four, old school kind of stuff. Really cool. Plane sometimes gets overproduced but my style is a dirtier, more old school, GBV style. So, the record came out really nice. Then the band got in a fight over a game of Scrabble, punched each other out and dismembered.

I've done cool albums for Chicago locals like Forty Piece Choir and Turnerjoy. I try to help bands and musicians realize their potential. I'll do stuff ad hoc, half price, whatever. I'm working on some dance / experimental / techno-pop thing called Pretty Good Dance Moves right now. It has some wheels. We'll see.

Babble & Beat - How do you feel about doing covers? Ever record one or perform one live?

Edgars - Oh man, you can't do justice to another band's song. It just doesn't make sense. You can't come close. There would be no reason to do a cover unless you're playing in a wedding band. We're not a wedding band. But, I'll tell you, wedding bands make a lot more money and people do like them more.

Babble & Beat - I agree. It's near impossible to justify one and no matter how great a remake is, it's rarely better, or even as good, as the original.

What do you hope audiences take with them from your live performances?

Edgars - Some kind of emotional stimulation. The words.

Babble & Beat - You are Plane's vocalist and guitarist. What kind of guitar (specifically) do you play?

Edgars - A Galanti. It's an Italian-made guitar. If I'm not mistaken, the same company that makes Farfisa's makes the Galanti. It's a heavy guitar and thick as mud. Some people who've borrowed it toss it back at me. They don't get it; they miss the high end thin of a Fender. I guess they're searching for that aluminum-on-your-teeth feel. Some who've used my Galanti go out to buy one on Ebay. And I get all pissed off 'cause theirs is in better shape than mine! Mine's been tossed around a lot.

Babble & Beat - Have you experienced any extreme highlights or lows in the music industry so far?

Edgars - Everyday. I just don't write and record songs. I live them, I live through my music. It's cliché, yeah I know. It's also not healthy. I've lost a lot of friends, good ones and bad ones, because of the nature of bands. One member who I worked very closely with for five years, co-writing songs and producing them, left Plane 'cause he started a side project that was getting more attention, tossing what we had built with Plane aside.

This is a kid I put on my back and got him started in another popular Chicago band. I was playing in that band as well and against that band's wishes I had him play three of the six instruments I was playing for the band at the time. Eventually, he got kicked out for being a dick and I continued to work with him in Plane. Total dick, great musician, terrible friend. But that's what you get in this business. Everyone scraping, no loyalty, just lo lo stuff. No manners.

Another bandmate is now playing with a cool Chicago act called the Strange Young Lovers. And for a while, he wasn't allowed by that band to play with Plane. Really strange. Humorous. So, he went about town telling others he quit Plane. And it's all ninny crap, but I take Plane to heart, I take my life to heart. No idea why I don't give Out-of-Town-Joe the papers. I guess I'm loyal or something.

Dirigeable put out Plane's 'Shake My Ground' and 'Hello, More'. They helped us out but in the end it got messy. One of Plane's songs, 'Heart and Soul', got licensed by 2K sports and was used for their 2K6 Sony PlayStation game. We never saw the money for that. Dirigeable was supposed to do this huge radio campaign for the album, 'Hello, More' with Planetary Group but they never sent them a check. So, I wound up fronting the bill. Planetary Group kept delaying the promotion date until I cancelled it, 'cause I didn't think there was any purpose of having a radio campaign during Christmas break when all the college radio stations are closed. I never got my money back. Money lost and no radio campaign. It also had a lot to do with Dennis from Future Farmer. He was helping to put the 'Hello, More' album out with Dirigeable and then, I guess the story is, he lost his girlfriend and lost his mind. He fucked a lot of bands as I understand.

Highlights have been:

- 'Shake My Ground' hitting 42 on the CMJ charts.

- The first band I ever started played overseas in Latvia. We played open, wooded amphitheaters. It was a fun experience. We were doing it for fun and it was fun.

Now shit is just depressing, trying too hard and I guess missing the point. You have to surround yourself with good and honest people, that's where it starts from. If you don't do that, well, I guess the shit just starts leaking in.

Babble & Beat - What's planned for Plane's future so far?

Edgars - Well, we're really pushing the new album. Like I said, we've hired a press team and a radio team to promote the album. We just hope people hear it, there's a message and a sound. We're ready to tour. We're looking for label support though. And overall, just being honest and burning every bridge on the way.

Juicy Tidbits Section

This is where we ask personal questions for the fans. Yeah, they're often stupid questions. We like reading the answers though!

Babble & Beat - What is the radio good for?

Edgars - Everything. Whatever you want. Noise, static, truckers on CBs, classical, jazz, ...sometimes I'll crank the Latin station to impress all the bitches.

Babble & Beat - Back in the day Morrissey and Robert Smith made their distaste for one another very public. You HAVE to choose a side. Whose?

Edgars - I don't choose sides man, I just create my own reality. I'd choose whosever side would let me carry their guitars. The Cure and The Smiths = best bands ever!

Babble & Beat - What is some of your favorite Chicago takeout or dine-in?

Edgars - I like pizza, wherever they have pizza. I also like the Howard Johnson's diner in Chicago because I'm intrigued with this South African waitress that works there.

Babble & Beat - When I was a kid I was a member of the Howard Johnson's birthday club. I have fond memories of going there every April to get a free birthday cake.

What's in your kitchen sink right now?

Edgars - I don't have a kitchen sink.

Babble & Beat - Hmm. Well, sometimes I wish I didn't have one.

Links:
MySpace - music clips!
Official website