Gerry McWilliams, a multi-instrumentalist Philly native and Alzara Getz, west coast child of Rock and Roll pedigree, combine to form a truly unique sound. The Sugarplums are a tasty musical micro-brew with effervescent complexities that pay homage to Sesame Street, Ennio Morricone, Pink Floyd Les Paul and Mary Ford. With an obvious chemistry born from a serendipitous love affair, McWilliams and Getz take you on both a powerfully psychedelic ride and a familiar stroll down memory lane, all while keeping a handcrafted musical integrity that is hard to come by in an industry awash with largess that leans more to the side of musical malt-liquor than a more refined old world recipe.
At first listen you will be struck by the hauntingly beautiful voice of Getz. Her plaintive pipes call us back to the divine feminine that is reminiscent of Debra Harry at her brashest, Marilyn at her most seductive, Stevie Nicks at her most mysterious. She embodies the Ulyssean Siren, while McWilliams paints the landscape with licks that are both oddly familiar yet totally unique. He owns his instruments as only someone who has played for years can do, yet is not afraid to tap into a childlike joy that leaves room for jaunty improvs and impassioned ramblings. He occasionally adds his own warm tenor on lead, while both Getz and McWilliams create eccentric harmonies that combine the best of the Beatles sing-along refrains with the wide-eyed wonder of the Carpenters.
The songs are layered with lyrics that range from the complex nature of our deepest desires at odds with a modern word, to the simple and profound, tunes inspired by twilight, rivers, trains, and cats. Understanding that melody is its own language, however, the Plums know when to let the music speak for itself without weighty words or mundane references.
Each song stands alone as a flavorful auditory sip or taken by the pint as a full body of work, the Plums have a consistency that quenches the acoustical pallet time and time again.
~Keith
