MUZU.TV Exclusive Interview With The Plea
The Plea are they type of band that deserve the big time. They’ve been slogging it out on the music scene for years, from their native land of Ballyliffin, Co Donegal, then relocated to chase the dream in London, playing the pub scene. They moved to Boston, where they worked as labourers by day and played the city’s bustling Irish pubs by night. They spent a year in Minnesota after an American major label funded an album recorded in a big budget studio, but it never came out. So in 2009 disillusioned but far from defeated Denny and Dermot return to Ireland and the brothers Doherty soon set about recruiting childhood friend Paul Toland on bass and nicked drummer Gerry Strawbridge from another local band, setting about to make music with as much ambition and as little fuss as possible.
The Band have been honing their craft for years, so are now very much a finished article. The Plea are set to release their debut single ‘Oh Ah Yay’ on 23rd April. We caught up with the just before they did so, to catch the lowdown on their album and the long hard road they took to get there.
MUZU: You’ve about to release your debut single “Oh Ay Yay”, which seems like it’s been a bit of a long and arduous journey, tell us a bit about what it took to get you here?
The Plea: Well this will be our first single from our album ‘The Dreamers Stadium’. We’ve released a single/ep in Ireland about a year or so ago called ‘Nothin But Touble’ but this will be the first single we get to push on a much bigger scale. It’s great to have the album finished and to get out and start playing it. As far as it being a long and arduous journey, well it’s probably the same for most bands these days, even though it’s mostly an online thing now this is what we enjoy doing. From the studio to gig’s to travelling, the journey’s been rough ‘n’ smooth, it just depends what you focus on. Either way it’s all relevant.
MUZU: You’ve live in Ireland, London and Boston, which has been the most fruitful is assisting and developing your musical careers?
The Plea: I suppose that’s part of the journey too. Those places are all stepping stones when you look back but to be honest we don’t really look back, might go crazy if you did. All those places changed us for the better in music though.
MUZU: What’s the music scene like in Boston, did you find it easy to crack?
The Plea: Well there’s not a music scene in Boston as there is say in London. There was no real trend in Boston, just a lot of bands and musicians doing their own thing and we seemed to fit in ok with it. Everything there at that time seemed to spread by word of mouth, people used their ears as well as their eyes.
MUZU: What was it like to be creating music in the bright lights of America, was it all rock n roll & glamour?
The Plea: When we first went there it was fairly mad. We’d play five or six nights a week so it was constant. We soaked it up but it was never glamorous.
MUZU: Your new album Dreamers Stadium is out on Planet Function Records, what made you choose to release on this label?
The Plea: That came through R&S Records. Renaat is the label owner and Ren and his partner, Sabine, found us online. From that Renaat became the band manager and set up the label ‘Planet Function ‘ to release us on. Ren’s a bit of a dance man and must have decided to mix it up with some guitars and see where that takes it.
MUZU: The MD of Planet Function Records has previously signed Smashing Pumpkins, The Verve, David Gray, Embrace, Gomez and Placebo. How does it feel to be picked up by someone with such legendary notches in his belt?
The Plea: David’s sound. Renaat wanted him on board from very early on and we get on like a house on fire, even with the impending drought. We’ve been working pretty close with him and he gets the music. That’s what it’s all about.
MUZU: What are your plans for the rest of 2012, are you touring to support the single/album release?
The Plea: Yeah, we will be out there for sure doing gig’s, as many as we can. This album is best listened to live I think. It’s really that type of album.
MUZU: If you could work with any other artists, who would you most like to work with/collaborate with?
The Plea: Wow, that’s not an easy one for us as most of the bands we listen to are either broken up or deceased but Bob Dylan’s still out there. I can’t really speak for the rest of them but I’m pretty sure Den would have a go with the remaining members of ‘The Doors’ or McCartney. For me I could sit here all day talking about who I’d like to jam with but I’d say Keith Richard would be great but then so would ‘Sea Sick Steve‘ and his crazy drummer. We could probably write with a lot of bands though, I think that’s also what it’s all about.
MUZU: Who are your tips for 2012 in music?
The Plea: The Stone Roses.
MUZU: The industry today is notoriously tough, do you guys all have day jobs, and if so what do you do?
The Plea: Shine shoes, fill ice cream trucks, split atoms.
Thanks guys. Check out Oh Ay Yay below, we think you’ll enjoy it.