|
|
| After a decade languishing
in obscurity, registering barely a boing or a blip on the alt-country sonar,
it seems that these six Upstate New Yorkers have more pent-up passion for
the open road than the bulk of their nature-loving neighbourhood brethren.
Revelling in the combatant entanglement of urban and agrarian sounds, 'Stories
of Happiness' (the band's first release since 2000's 'The Proudest Animal'
EP) captures the sextet embracing an epic eclecticism that catapults them
far beyond the realms of comfortable rurality. An artistic remit that certainly
reaps rewards in the stylistic shape-shifting stakes, if nothing else. Thus
the vicious 'Vacuumed' mixes 'Glum'-era Giant Sand gristle with Dick Dale
surf twang and Fugazi drum clatter, highlighting the burning intent to cross
musical borders from the start. The glorious mash of strings and shimmering
guitars that is 'Helicopter' follows a little later on, owing a dual-debt
to Calexico and Eleventh Dream Day, whilst further on in the proceedings
the distended funk of 'Electricity Wire' betrays a fondness for Talking
Heads' most frenzied early albums. The record's highest musical watermark
is however reached at the monolithic mid-point - 'Diamond Mines' - a dramatic
orchestral thunderstorm that recalls Ennio Morricone at his most menacing
and macabre. But for all the group's genre-bending ingenuity, the best moments
on 'Stories of Happiness' occur within the more stripped-down and sedate
musical settings, as firmly attested by the wintery waltz of 'Flowers' (featuring
Saint Low's Mary Lorson on guest vocals) and through the spooky organ/accordion-led
strains of 'Betty Ford'. ...this wild (and wide-screen) log-cabin breakout
should, by rights, pull Plastic Nebraska away from long-suffering indifference
and into the welcoming arms of adventure-hungry Americana addicts. -Adrian Pannett, Comes with a Smile, London, England |
| Plastic Nebraska:
Innovations from the Backwoods DAZE talks to the band about their new album, Stories of Happiness The Ithaca music scene is oft praised for its diversity, and deservedly so, since our small town boasts everything from reggae to folk to jazz to rock. But Ithaca can also very reasonably be criticized at times for a homogenization of moods and of innovation. It seems the most exciting artists in I-Town are those who explore the darker nooks and crannies of consciousness -- people like Johnny Dowd, Mary Lorson, and of course, Plastic Nebraska. On their latest album, ironically titled Stories of Happiness, the boys in Plastic propel their haunting grooves to a new level. It's incredible what they pull off on one album. Gabriel Tavares reinvigorates the sort of reverb and delay-drenched guitar work reminiscent of early U2 ("House on Fire"). Instrumental passages recall the tension and texture of recent post-rockers like Godspeed You! Black Emperor without being derivative ("Vacuumed"). These moments owe a great deal to the eerie contributions of fiddler/organist/sampler Chad Crumm, who records here for the first time as a member of Plastic (his own band The Hix share Plastic's experimental side and their fascination with the more disturbing sides of life). Brian Dudla's drumming, as mixed and manipulated by producer Matt Saccurimorano, is rich and hypnotic, mixing transcendently with Rick Hansen's accordion and Jay Olsa's bouncing bass. The traditional instrumentation set beside frequent splashes of Moog and electronics give the album a truly timeless feel, something like a Radiohead from the boondocks. The enigmatic lyrics, as sung in the raspy voices of brothers Ted and Rick Hansen, complete the picture. In short, Stories of Happiness is one of the best albums of the year, local or not. Ben Kupstas, Cornell Daily Sun, Ithaca, NY |
| K |
| Most bands go into
the studio with a set of songs and a basic idea of what they want the recordings
to sound like. When Plastic Nebraska started working on their new album,
Stories of Happiness, they followed a different strategy. "We had nothing,"
says singer/guitarist Ted Hansen. "When we were in the studio we tried
to develop songs together." The result is an album that breathes adventure
and spontaneity. And soon, the band found one drawback to this approach.
"We wrote songs at 50 dollars an hour." The members of Plastic Nebraska, gathered at multi-instrumentalist Rick Hansen's house for rehearsal, laugh heartily at Ted Hansen's remark. Making money is not one of the major concerns, it seems. Every penny the band makes goes straight back into band-related projects. "We never walked away with a dime," states guitarist Gabriel Tavares. Adds Hansen: "Whenever I play with somebody else and get some money for it, I think, 'What is this?'" Tavares even embraces the band's decade-long non-profitability as an important artistic advantage. "We are not coming at it with the attitude that we need to make a living off of it, so we have a little bit of creative freedom. We can make decisions that are not mainstream decisions. It does not matter whether people accept what we do or not." In spite of the band's adventurous approach, the new record sounds remarkably mature and, if one listens carefully, radio-friendly. A song like "House on Fire" brings back memories of the eighties, when albums were vinyl and U2 was an inspiring new wave band that made it big despite the industry. Tavares, whose guitar playing sets the tone for "House on Fire" - and the entire album in general, acknowledges the influence of U2. "I am a huge fan of [U2-guitarist] The Edge," he admits. Plastic Nebraska manages to avoid a one-dimensional sound reminiscent of only new wave. "We come from very different musical backgrounds," Tavares explains. "But when we first started playing together we found that we were all admirers of the old time fiddle string bands and stuff like that. Although none of us played that kind of music, it crept into our sound. That is why [fiddler] Chad Crumm fitted right in when he started playing with us." Crumm, co-founder of The Hix and member of the Jennie Stearns Band, joined Plastic Nebraska a couple of years ago. His often sparse and subtle manner of playing adds a folksy atmosphere to many of the songs. "Sometimes, when I listen back to one of our gigs, I carefully listen to what Chad does and think, 'Wow, that is really great!'" says Ted Hansen. Other remarkable contributions to Stories of Happiness come from two of Ithaca's finest female vocalists, Saint Low's Mary Lorson, who appears on "House on Fire" and "Flowers," and Johnny Dowd's Kim Sherwood-Caso, whose harmony vocals on the suspenseful soundscape "No Reason" once more prove the unlimited potential of her voice. A successful experiment on Stories of Happiness is the band's cooperation with The 2002 Newfield High School Concert Band on Diamond Mines. This song is the only fully orchestrated track and is proof of the band's professional arrangement skills. "Betty Ford," a song that has a quiet French chanson feel, is also well-arranged. "Rick and Chad just sat down at the church organ, man," says Tavares. "It was just one take. And Chad had never even really heard it before. We thought that he really kind of captured what we wanted it to be." "Engine" is a song that in the vinyl era would have been a great kick-off to the b-side of the album. It starts off as an accordion-song in the tradition of Sixteen Horsepower with powerful performances of Brian Dudla on drums and percussion and Jay Olsa on bass and with Tavares putting up a Johnny Dowd-esque guitar show. The song develops into a five-minute jam that is an exercise in technical ability rather than in abundance. Despite the album's unquestionable qualities, though, the misfortune of a record like Stories of Happiness might be that it might take more than one careful listening session before the listener understands its beauty. It is doubtful whether people will get that message and take their time to let the album sink in. Jairo Van Luteren, Ithaca Times, Ithaca, NY |
| K |
| Plastic
Nebraska: Breaking Out of Mold Not many bands are still together after 15 years, much less still going strong. But Plastic Nebraska is a happy exception to that rule. What's more, the band's lineup --guitarist Gabriel Tavares, bassist Jay Olsa, drummer Brian Dudla, guitarist Ted Hansen and accordionist Rick Hansen -- has remained unchanged for the past decade, except for adding one new member, Chad Crumm, a few years ago. Plastic Nebraska has released five albums since 1992, honing a remarkably consistent yet distinctive sound that blends old-time and avant-rock influences. The band will mark the release of its latest CD, "Stories of Happiness," with a show at the Haunt Friday night. The CD, recorded at Electric Wilburland in Newfield with producer Matt Saccuccimorano, is the first full-length Plastic release since 1997's "His Head is a House." (A five-song EP, "The Proudest Animal," came out in 2000.) "We approached this one differently from the other two," says Dudla. "Once we started playing the GrassRoots Festival in the mid-1990s, we felt like we needed to rush the recording process to have something new to offer at the festival. "Even the EP that we recorded in 2000 was born of the same process. It was finally with 'Stories of Happiness' that we decided to really take our time and sit on the songs for a while to see how they'd grow on us. That, with a healthy sprinkling of laziness as well, to be honest." The new CD expands the band's sonic palette, with use of church organ, Moog synthesizer, Rhodes electric piano, Chamberlain, Mellotron, and a host of samples and other electronic gadgetry. Yet, the band members say the recording process was much simpler than their 2000 EP sessions. "With this record, Matt understood that we were looking for a sound that stepped back a bit from the technology and came closer to our live show," says Tavares. "'Stories of Happiness' is the first time since the self-titled 1995 'Blue' record that we recorded live. That's the most essential thing about the record, it captures the vibe of this band so well. I think with the EP, Plastic was Matt's instrument; with this record, Matt is more like a band member. Creative process All members of Plastic share writing duties, and songs frequently came together in the studio. "The intro and outro to the record were totally improvised," says Ted Hansen. "The performance we recorded is literally the first performance ever, and it's a real challenge to go back and try to recreate the energy and spark that we all hear in that recording. You can't rehearse spontaneity." Adds Tavares, "Because we write as a group, the first time we hit on something is usually the best; it's hard to ever recreate that spontaneity and excitement. This record represents the first time we paid attention to that in the recording process." Joining the band in the sessions for the new album were vocalists Mary Lorson and Kim Sherwood-Caso. "For a long, long time, we'd had these far-flung ideas to have Mary and Kim sing on some songs with us," says Ted Hansen. "Matt picked up on that, and made it all happen." The Newfield High School Concert Band also guests on one song, "Diamond Mines," another idea that Saccuccimorano made happened. "We were talking about our "Tusk" fantasy, and he offered up the possibility of calling his friend, Sharon Powell, the director for the Newfield High School Concert Band," says Rick Hansen. "The next thing you know we had some 20 kids at Wilburland with trombones, clarinets, sheet pizzas, flutes, timpani, and six liters of Coca-Cola. It was great. Matt's an engineer and a dream-maker." Now that the CD is done, the band is hoping to do more gigging. "We'd like to play out much more than we have been," says Tavares. "It would be nice to play in other parts of the country, maybe travel abroad with this music and bring it to different people. I think that's a definite goal for all of us." The new CD is on the local cooperative label I-Town Records, an associate that Tavares says has been very helpful to the band. "We love being a part of showcases and we're really grateful to everyone on I-Town for taking us in and giving our music a good home," he says. "We hope to be able to contribute more now that we are more focused as a band." Origins of Plastic While Plastic Nebraska's name has long inspired curiosity, there's actually nothing too mysterious behind it. "The name came from a list we made of possible band names on a chalkboard on the wall in my parents' garage," says Ted Hansen. "Unfortunately, the band name was made with no specific meaning in mind. Over the years we've heard many interp retations." As much as Plastic Nebraska has seemingly been part of the Ithaca music scene since the early 1990s, the band is actually from Binghamton and has lived here only since 1996. "We moved here because of the musical community," says Olsa. "They seemed to accept our sound more than what we were used to before that." Says Rick Hansen, "We were working on new songs in Binghamton, getting trashed in the press, when Gabe suggested we record with this guy Will Russell at Electric Wilburland. Will is such a pro and a nice guy-he not only recorded and mixed our 'Blue' record in two days, but he really pushed the music to many of his friends in the music scene and helped us get into the GrassRoots festival." The move made sense in other ways, especially since the band seemed to be following in the footsteps of the Horse Flies as far as mixing old-time and new-wave influences with unusual vocal harmonies. "They were a huge influence," says Tavares of the Horse Flies. "I think the most important thing we got from them was inspiration to be idiosyncratic, with melodies, with song structures. Somewhere there is a tape of that first show I played with Plastic in which there is a rather strange version of 'I Live Where It's Grey.' We didn't share a lot of influences when I first joined, but The Horseflies were common ground for us. "The summer before we recorded the Blue Record, Rick started playing the accordion with more of a pumping rhythm. We all loved it and it seemed to work with the songs we were writing. It definitely grew out of a love for the itchy rhythmic pulse that Judy Hyman created on the fiddle. Now they create it together in Boy With a Fish." Besides Boy With a Fish, which also includes Olsa and Dudla, the other band members are involved in a variety of projects. Dudla plays with Saint Low, Tavares does solo gigs and backs Jennie Stearns, the Hansen brothers also front the Moles, and Dudla and Tavares recently formed the Thins with the Sutras' A.J. Strauss. Jim Catalano, Ithaca Journal, Ithaca, NY |
| K |
| I'm in the
process of reviewing enough material here on garageband.com to finally get
some music of my own band uploaded. In the process I was just delighted
by having the pleasure of listening to and reviewing your song, "Wild
Ones". Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. There's a lot of
crap on here, ya' know? So it was certainly a pleasure to finally come across
some really good music. I liked your tune and so I checked out your band
profile and your web site, and I'm convinced that you guys are truly demented
- and that's what I respect most about you. Just wanted to say hello and good luck with everything. Bob Kimmel, the band "red", New Jersey |
| K |
| (In regards
to Stories of Happiness:) "Sort of calm, but crazy. And bouncy. It's just right for how I'm feeling now." Esmé Saccuccimorano, age 5 |
| K |
| This Ithaca,
NY-based quintet has an eclectic, groove-based sound that is bound to yield
comparisons to Phish, but its dense and adventurous textures, dubwise tendencies,
and vaguely reggae-inflected rhythms are as reminiscent of the glory days
of On-U Sound as anything an American jam band has ever produced. The whimsical
"Wild Ones" uses layers of shimmery, distorted guitars, a pretty
vocal harmony, and heavily treated drums to create something like a summit
meeting between the Byrds and Adrian Sherwood; the slow, lugubrious and
vaguely ominous "Hand" sounds a bit like Delta blues as produced
by King Tubby and voiced by a college singer/songwriter. Of thefive tracks
on this EP, the first three hit the hardest; "The Head-On" suffers
from weak vocals, and "Seven" is both overlong and underdeveloped.
But there's more than enough here to pique one's interest. Rick Anderson, All Music Guide |
| K |
| "Plastic
Nebraska followed the Fountains with an inventive and exotic sound that
truly defied categorization. Another band fronted by brothers (Ted Hansen
on guitar, Rick Hansen on accordion), the group performed as a quintet without
fiddle player Chad Crumm for this night. The band's groove-filled set was
hypnotic from the opening "This is the Story," one of the many songs that
acted like a sedative by relaxing the mind and body. Plastic Nebraska was
far from one-dimensional, however. Other songs threw in funk, reggae and
even a touch of country in a rollicking take on Johnny Cash's "Jackson."
"Spending Money" worked itself up to a jazz fusion jam. The evening's tour-de-force
was another new song known only as the "E Groove," an absolutely wild ride
that rocked with a progressive bent. It was fantastic. " Toni Ruberto, Buffalo News, Buffalo, NY |
| K |
| "Plastic
Nebraska melds their Avant-Groove musical ideas with the modern studio techniques
of Matthew Morano and rise to the next level with The Proudest Animal, a
visual, moving CD that offers striking lyrics and a fierce Accordian!" Funkyside.com |
| K |
| "...dark,
surrealistic, droning, unexpectedly explosive..." S. Stowell, Toledo, OH |
| K |
| "PN make seamless,
Camper Van Beethoven-like FolkNeo Psychedelic rock. Haunting accordion,
hesitant, edgy drums, and warm, bluesy guitars are these off-kilter gents'
weapons of choice." Listen.com |
| K |
| "I lost
my oldest boy at PN's last 'gig' - ran off with one of those front row girls
- she was poppin' pills and movin' around like she was on the t.v. - damn
it, no boy's that strong, no normal boy anyways. you go ahead and keep strummin'
your six-stringed devil, Hansen, I'm watchin' you." Johnny Belmar, Binghamton, NY |
| K |
| "Pristine,
yet organic- this 5 song EP is easy to listen 2 or 3 times in a row without
stopping. Potent imagery and subtle use of sampled sound bytes mix with
the roots sounds of accordian, drum, bass, and raw guitar to create a truly
seamless whole. Masterfully mixed by Matt S. Morano." Nate Silas Richardson, I-Town Records , Ithaca, NY |
| K |
| "...with
a corn-belt sounding accordion, a demented twist on folk and country,
and a line dancing rhythm, it is hard to categorize this band. They achieve
all these sounds while at the same time sounding dark and mischievous.
...Each song has an inner conflict in its emotion. They tease the senses,
as the underlying flow of the music is smooth and fluid-like, while cascading
above is a coarse, scratch guitar being applied by Ted Hansen and a choppy,
grainy accordion that combine to bring about the most unusual mix of sounds
I've heard which still remains pleasant to listen to. This is the kind
of music I could imagine myself dancing to at an all night rave in a barn
in the middle of the country, surrounded by nothing but corn fields, cow
pastures, and chicken pens." |
| K |
| "Plastic
Nebraskan Rick Hansen set aside his keyboards a few years ago to get a
handle on his accordion. He did --twisting it into a sound not unlike
electrified fiddle -- a fiddle that induces twitch trances and dances.
The Plastics call it as 'space-alien-trailer-park-music.' When the band,
which includes Hansen's brother Ted on guitar and the brothers' three
life-long friends, gets grooving, the accordion will drive you." |
| K |
| "Plastic
Nebraska's enigmatic, entrancing sound weaves together disparate sounds:
Scissoring accordions, blues tinged guitar, arty arrangements, low-key
vocals, cryptic lyrics. It's not jam music, it's not exactly rock and
roll, it's not folk. The best cuts on their debut have an itchy pulse,
etching out a minimalist dance groove, with low-key harmonies over the
top. The accordion adds a rustic, rural flavor but there's something vaguely
ominous and sinister at work here. This could be a soundtrack for off-kilter
folks who populate the towns in 'X-Files' or 'Twin Peaks.'" |
| K |
| "...percussive,
sequential but only slightly linear, post-folk art-groove music. There
was more than a generous streak of soulful two-step and a heaping dollop
of mordant, Celtic mysticism. There was some jamming and some atmospheric
layering, but the whole show was pretty cohesive. There was something
different about Nebraska, Plastic as it was. And yet something very close
and familiar." |
| K |
| "There
are lots of things to like about this record, and it has the best artwork
of any CD I've received. The opening track, Bank, a song about a hack
bank robbery, features the (reoccurring) accordion accompaniment of Rick
Hansen. Can the accordion be a cool instrument? I think so." |
| K |
| "...each
of the members play explicitly while still allowing breathing room for
one another. The performance is tight enough that it lathers coherently,
but loose enough to suggest spontaneity and avoid sterility. ...The very
name Plastic Nebraska could very well be a cleverly self-deprecating announcement
of false musical statehood. If so, they are being awfully modest, which
is perfectly characteristic of them. Not only is their worthwhile music
inherently humble in its simplicity and frugal sensibilities, it also
honestly strides for original musical expression - you can hear the good
intentions." |
| K |
| "...The
group brings a variety of musical styles to the table and wraps them into
a creative musical package that sweeps over you. ...The band has played
together so long that there is a structured flow to their sound which
always keeps the grooves percolating. The Hansen brothers play a major
role in forging the band's unique sound. Ted Hansen's distinctive vocal
phrasing combines with his brother Rick's choppy accordion to create an
edgy, left- of- center vibe. ...Gabe Tavares adds an element of excitement
to the band. He is a visionary player who can breathe life into the music
whether he is softly lingering in the background on a country-fried tune
or releasing an incendiary psychedelic guitar run." |
| K |
 Photo: Brendan Burns |
| Email us |