(no subject)
In response to drawn_quartered: (this was FAR too long to be accepted as a reply)
Trust me, I feel ya. I'd been in love with the band name for six months before I'd even heard a note back in the summer of 1999. "The Past Two" on Emo Diaries 3 was my first exposure to them (comp. sold to me by Matt Traxler of Brandtson, interestingly enough) ... 'Twas an unexpected slice of heaven. Bought the split with Appleseed Cast and Race Car Riot for the two Cast songs, but instead, I wound up looping "Staggerswallowswell" on my CD player for days on end that summer. Finally ordered the S/T EP, and totally fell to pieces during the first listen of "Copper and Stars" ... Everything else on the disc was just icing on the cake. I burned the sounds of that CD in my mind in every way possible (including working entire nine-hour overnight gas station shifts with that disc playing on repeat the whole time). That band became me. Knife in the Marathon and the Fucking Fight 7" were similarly cathartic. I almost threw myself through a wall accidentally dancing around in my room to Knife the day that it showed up in my college apartment's mailbox. I continued that very same routine for about three months, easily. Finally got a chance to catch the guys live at their first gig in Detroit back in 2001 (house party - band played in the basement to a bunch of rabid kids) ... Talked to Gared and Matt on the front porch of the house all night, and actually got Gared loaded courtesy of a trip or two to the corner liquor store down the street from the gig ... This was a few days before my birthday, and the guys played "Copper and Stars" as a present (as well as Gared bestowing upon me a copy of the then-recently pressed Black Flag covers 7"). Including that night, some form of my life was dedicated to Planes every day for over two years (and, legitimately, still has been to this very day, oddly enough).
March 2002: MichiganFest, and Planes plays Saturday. Even though they play early in the afternoon with no sleep and giant hangovers, the show slays. "End Me in Richmond" garners a bunch of kids screaming and waving middle fingers, and man, it's never felt so good to yell "Fuck You" in a crowd of sweaty folks before. 'Twas amazed to find that everyone remembered the Detroit gig, with everyone offering warm hugs. At that point: Band? Amazing. Friends? Forever.
Since then, all shows in Detroit (and outwards, sometimes) have been covered. I've had the pleasure of touring the midwest for a few dates with the band on two separate occasions (with the band actually encouraging me to join them on the first run, which saw me catching six PMFS shows in 10 days, that being the incredible last run of shows that included Jaime's final stand with the band), and everyone's been amazing to be around. This band is not a band - it is far beyond that. This band is friendship, and drinks, and laughs, and smiles, and hugs, and good times, and cathartic fucking rock and roll that no one who can't FEEL it deep inside the pit of their stomach will ever understand. Man, those folks who can't feel it are really missing out on life ...
I'm 26 myself (27 in a few weeks, and SURPRISE SURPRISE, catching Planes in Toledo on my exact birthday this year), and I've been addicted to music of all forms since I was in elementary school, banging out Black Sabbath's Paranoid and the MC5's Kick Out the Jams on the turntable every morning before I left for class in 4th grade. I've been married, divorced, loved, left, suicidal (my ex-wife actually says that she still has the lyrics to "Where the Arrow Went Out" burned in her mind because of me, heh) ... I feel like I've been everywhere and felt everything, and that I've seen not only the highest emotional peaks, but the lowest emotional downfalls as well - and every step of the way, this band (these FRIENDS) gave me something to draw strength from. I can't even say that Planes makes me feel like a middle schooler again, because quite honestly, Planes makes me feel like I've never felt before in my life.
All six of these characters (Chuck and Jaime both counted, plus the fact that I've grown real attached to merch-God Zed over the years as well) are above and beyond any people I've ever met before. They're passionate, intelligent, friendly, caring and, most importantly, I lovingly consider all of them like brothers, as deep as blood if not DEEPER. My mother always told me that I'd know the definition of true love when I found something that I would be willing to die for with no questions asked. I've got six reasons right now, and there's no feeling in existance that can top that knowledge.
On top of everything, though, is the amazing emotion and honesty that the band itself brings through its music. Putting all friendships and associations aside, I still find myself thrashing around wildly to everything I've managed to wrangle up by the band. I can still put in the band's S/T EP years later and have it conjure my deepest, most honest feelings, thoughts and regrets.
Both as brothers and as a band, Planes Mistaken for Stars makes me feel fucking alive. I can honestly say that since I've experienced the band's music and since I've gotten to know them as people, that my life has been an infinitely better place for me to exist in.
Trust me, I feel ya. I'd been in love with the band name for six months before I'd even heard a note back in the summer of 1999. "The Past Two" on Emo Diaries 3 was my first exposure to them (comp. sold to me by Matt Traxler of Brandtson, interestingly enough) ... 'Twas an unexpected slice of heaven. Bought the split with Appleseed Cast and Race Car Riot for the two Cast songs, but instead, I wound up looping "Staggerswallowswell" on my CD player for days on end that summer. Finally ordered the S/T EP, and totally fell to pieces during the first listen of "Copper and Stars" ... Everything else on the disc was just icing on the cake. I burned the sounds of that CD in my mind in every way possible (including working entire nine-hour overnight gas station shifts with that disc playing on repeat the whole time). That band became me. Knife in the Marathon and the Fucking Fight 7" were similarly cathartic. I almost threw myself through a wall accidentally dancing around in my room to Knife the day that it showed up in my college apartment's mailbox. I continued that very same routine for about three months, easily. Finally got a chance to catch the guys live at their first gig in Detroit back in 2001 (house party - band played in the basement to a bunch of rabid kids) ... Talked to Gared and Matt on the front porch of the house all night, and actually got Gared loaded courtesy of a trip or two to the corner liquor store down the street from the gig ... This was a few days before my birthday, and the guys played "Copper and Stars" as a present (as well as Gared bestowing upon me a copy of the then-recently pressed Black Flag covers 7"). Including that night, some form of my life was dedicated to Planes every day for over two years (and, legitimately, still has been to this very day, oddly enough).
March 2002: MichiganFest, and Planes plays Saturday. Even though they play early in the afternoon with no sleep and giant hangovers, the show slays. "End Me in Richmond" garners a bunch of kids screaming and waving middle fingers, and man, it's never felt so good to yell "Fuck You" in a crowd of sweaty folks before. 'Twas amazed to find that everyone remembered the Detroit gig, with everyone offering warm hugs. At that point: Band? Amazing. Friends? Forever.
Since then, all shows in Detroit (and outwards, sometimes) have been covered. I've had the pleasure of touring the midwest for a few dates with the band on two separate occasions (with the band actually encouraging me to join them on the first run, which saw me catching six PMFS shows in 10 days, that being the incredible last run of shows that included Jaime's final stand with the band), and everyone's been amazing to be around. This band is not a band - it is far beyond that. This band is friendship, and drinks, and laughs, and smiles, and hugs, and good times, and cathartic fucking rock and roll that no one who can't FEEL it deep inside the pit of their stomach will ever understand. Man, those folks who can't feel it are really missing out on life ...
I'm 26 myself (27 in a few weeks, and SURPRISE SURPRISE, catching Planes in Toledo on my exact birthday this year), and I've been addicted to music of all forms since I was in elementary school, banging out Black Sabbath's Paranoid and the MC5's Kick Out the Jams on the turntable every morning before I left for class in 4th grade. I've been married, divorced, loved, left, suicidal (my ex-wife actually says that she still has the lyrics to "Where the Arrow Went Out" burned in her mind because of me, heh) ... I feel like I've been everywhere and felt everything, and that I've seen not only the highest emotional peaks, but the lowest emotional downfalls as well - and every step of the way, this band (these FRIENDS) gave me something to draw strength from. I can't even say that Planes makes me feel like a middle schooler again, because quite honestly, Planes makes me feel like I've never felt before in my life.
All six of these characters (Chuck and Jaime both counted, plus the fact that I've grown real attached to merch-God Zed over the years as well) are above and beyond any people I've ever met before. They're passionate, intelligent, friendly, caring and, most importantly, I lovingly consider all of them like brothers, as deep as blood if not DEEPER. My mother always told me that I'd know the definition of true love when I found something that I would be willing to die for with no questions asked. I've got six reasons right now, and there's no feeling in existance that can top that knowledge.
On top of everything, though, is the amazing emotion and honesty that the band itself brings through its music. Putting all friendships and associations aside, I still find myself thrashing around wildly to everything I've managed to wrangle up by the band. I can still put in the band's S/T EP years later and have it conjure my deepest, most honest feelings, thoughts and regrets.
Both as brothers and as a band, Planes Mistaken for Stars makes me feel fucking alive. I can honestly say that since I've experienced the band's music and since I've gotten to know them as people, that my life has been an infinitely better place for me to exist in.