Josh Plemon

I like sad, sad songs. I got the best musicians around playing for me, I appreciate them more than they will ever know. I've got lots of new songs, hope to record them soon. Heres an article from arkatipe.com if you want to know everything else. Thanks.Josh Plemon's two very different sidesCarbondale-based musician croons country one minute, death metal the nextStory by Brandon WeisenbergerJosh Plemon and the Lonesome Drifters Photo by Joseph Midkiff The billboard spells out the night’s entertainment — The Near Death Experience and Josh Plemon and the Lonesome Drifters. Two very different bands with two very different sounds. One, The Near Death Experience, is an in-your-face, ear-rattling scream fest that spews such songs as “The Dead Still Speak.” The other is a more laid back, heel-thumping act with tunes akin to the class country era of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. Despite these two bands’ differences, there’s one crucial common thread. They have the same front man. Josh Plemon, a 34-year-old Anna native, has ample love for both of his ventures as he lives out a love for music that spans nearly three decades. He says the music bug first bit him at age 5. Then he picked up the guitar, bass, drums and tuned his vocal chords in high school. After a poor first outing at a battle of the bands -— where Plemon and Co. ambitiously tried their hands at the classics “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” — the Carbondale-based music man seems to have found his place. The Arkatipe recently got the versatile local performer to talk about how he manages his split onstage personalities.Near Death Experience Photo by Joseph Midkiff Brandon Weisenberger: How did The Near Death Experience come about? Josh Plemon: I had mentioned the idea to Adam Fletcher and Zach Kemp. They both said they were very interested and to let them know when I wanted to make it happen. So anyway, long story short I got Adam Fletcher, Zach, Ken Clifford and Luke Moloko together and we started recording some demo songs under the name Tomorrow Never Comes. We had two drummers, it was fun. The lineup evolved into just having one drummer and we changed the name to The Near Death Experience. We put out a 10 song CD titled “When the Venom Sets In.” We played for a couple years and had some serious talks with Metal Blade Records but nothing ever came out of it. I then got the crazy idea to try some country music. The original country lineup included all of Near Death. For the record, country music is way harder to play than the metal. BW: Explain how the Lonesome Drifters and you got together. JP: Long story short, I decided to put The Near Death Experience on hold and try to play and write some country. The Lonesome Drifters ended up being the name for the country band. I’ve had so many musicians come and go I’m going to drop that name all together. BW: What’s going through your mind when you’re performing country and when you’re performing metal? JP: Playing country I really have to concentrate, I’m trying to remember lyrics or make sure people are hitting their cues. For anyone that has seen The Near Death Experience live, they understand it’s pretty chaotic. A live NDE show is supposed to be a fun time for the band and the audience. That’s what we try to do. It’s a lot different than the country stuff for me. It’s all pretty much a fun blur when it’s all said and done. BW: If you had to give one up — either country or metal — which would it be? JP: That’s a tough question. I guess I would say the metal because I can’t see myself at 50 doing that, but I could definitely see myself sitting down with an acoustic picking some country. BW: What’s the biggest thrill of performing live? JP: Having the audience enjoy and appreciate what you are doing, hopefully taking them away from the normal routine of everyday life for just a little while. BW: What are your goals ultimately with your music? JP: Write some good songs and have fun. BW: Do you have a particular process or routine for songwriting? JP: Usually the chorus will come to me, then everything else follows. BW: Is stage fright a problem? JP: If I have ever been nervous, it all goes away as soon as I hit that first note. BW: What got you into heavy metal? JP: I have always been into “rebellious” music in one way or another. Whether it’s punk, hardcore, metal or country, it’s all connected. It all goes back to someone going out and doing something different, something that might make someone uncomfortable. It’s that attitude that I can relate to, doing what I believe is right no matter what anyone else says. BW: Who are some of your biggest influences — both in your musical career and your life? JP: Johnny Cash is one of my favorites. His life and music are a major influence on me. I was lucky enough to have parents that encouraged me to do what I want no matter what anyone else says or thinks. Johnny lived his life the same way. He had to balance his life as a father, husband, Christian and sinner, all things in which I can relate to. He was always honest about his shortcomings and wasn’t afraid to tell people how it is. BW: Your brother, Jeremy, has helped you out a lot in terms of artwork and photography. How important is he and the rest of your family and friends in pursuing your goals as a performer? JP: Jeremy has been a tremendous help with the band. I definitely owe him! Friends and family are very important. It takes a lot of time and money to do this crazy musician thing, and if you don’t have the people closest to you giving support, it would be easy to give up. BW: Any plans to record a follow-up album to the one that came out earlier this year? JP: Yes, I have all the songs for the next two records. All I have to do now is round up the musicians so we can record them — a very difficult task. The next record is going to be a very minimal, most likely all-acoustic record. Lots of sad songs. BW: Is there anything you would change about popular country music today? JP: The only thing I would wish is that people wouldn’t call it country. I dont want to criticize music that people like. If you want to listen to that stuff, fine, just don’t call it country.