The Plains

FINAL PLAINS SHOW EVER! JUNE 21ST
The Plains are breaking up. No big drama, no drug addictions, no pure hatred for one another. It's just that we haven't played for over a year, and the steam has left the engine. BUT, we are going to be playing one last show, just for you, the fan. The show is June 21st at our favorite Seattle venue - Mars Bar/Cafe Venus. 9PM, $6. Opening for us will be our longtime friends and supporters, At the Spine, and the amazing Portland/Argentinian musician Fernando, who is definitely one of the best acts in the Northwest. Arrive EARLY, because this show is sure to sell-out! The Plains will be playing last, but the Mars Bar only holds about 80 people. We are going to play an extra-long set of all your favorites, for one last time. Plus, in an attempt to rid ourselves of all our leftover merchandise, we will be handing out FREE CDs, T-shirts, and stickers all night! Take one, take 2, hell, take 5! Give 'em to your friends! We fully intend this show to be a genuine THANK YOU to all our supporters and friends who've been there through the years, and one big final party for all of us to enjoy. So, THANK YOU for everything! We hope to see you there!
**Future projects: Aaron is currently drumming and writing for an un-named project yet to debut. Jon is drumming and writing for a new project, Marmot vs. Mammoth, debut EP to be released soon. Josh is painting like an inspired madman, getting tattoos, and mastering his beer brewing skills.
CD AND T-SHIRTS NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE!! Click Here! !
Review From Seattle Sound Magazine, August 2006
The Plains: The Boy in the Mansuit
Possibly Seattle’s least apathetic songwriter, Aaron A. Semer risks the house with almost every song on The Plains’ second self-released album. His informed takes on societal ills and personal afflictions come from the same dark place; his enraged civic discourses balance with more poetic, private reflections. The real story, though, is this album’s robust roots sound: The Plains switch between Crazy Horse fury and panoramic pedal steel worthy of Uncle Tupelo. A relentless, superior album. (PAUL PEARSON)
Bio: Over three years in the making, The Plains have finally completed their much anticipated sophomore effort, The Boy in the Mansuit. This album finds them in more adventurous territory than their critically acclaimed debut, often leaving traditional song structure behind and opting instead to follow the lead of Semer's increasingly eccentric and cynical lyrics. Thematically, the album deals with growing into adulthood in a world controlled by overgrown children, and attempting to find love, honor, truth, and loyalty in the midst of this chaos. "Deep beneath our ribs and lungs, there's a beating heart that controls our tongues," Semer sings in The Heart is Stupid but the Heart is True, a song that lampoons traditional religion and relationships while championing the power of the heart.
Since forming the band over four years ago, Aaron Semer, Jonathan Kilian, and Joshua Atkins have not only grown as musicians, but become best friends. In addition to their musical bond, The Plains have gone through their mid-20s together, witnesses in one another's lives to marriage, relationships, mental break-downs, touring, family members sent to war, and death. Furthering their friendship, all three are social workers, and their passionate humanism is felt throughout the album without becoming preachy or clichéd. Their lack of line-up changes have given them the confidence and focus to eschew the trappings of genre, working in a variety of musical styles that somehow always sound like The Plains.
While their debut album was almost entirely performed by Semer, The Boy in the Mansuit is a collaborative effort. It is also a primarily home-recorded effort. Half of the basic tracks were recorded by John Randolph (The Cops, Kinski) in his living room. The rest was recorded by Semer in The Plains' practice space. The album was mixed at Seattle's Red Room by Ben Verellen (Roy, Mastodon).
~ "At A Party" Video below:
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