UPDATE
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Friday, August 9, 2013
There is something captivating about Plastic Section. It's rare I meet anyone whose soul is so completely embodied in art. In the business, there are rock stars, entrepreneurs, performers ... and then there are artists and madmen driven by their passions, consumed by the sounds and visions. They dance with the muse and we mere mortals can only hope to understand. To be honest, it has been quite difficult figuring out a way to adequately describe Plastic Section - sometimes words fall short. Imagine seeing the universe in a dream and then trying to describe it to the blind.
Plastic Section is the Ben Edwards solo project. You might have heard of Ben's other band, Basement Tape. I first met Ben last year at Fatty's. He was sitting quietly at a table with his friend and my mate whispered to me, "That's the guy from Basement Tape...." I stopped dead in my tracks and quickly removed a business card from my wallet: DAVE CRIMALDI, unemployee of the month for 6 straight years." It's hard to describe what happens in my mind when I am handing business cards to complete strangers – like a shark I am constantly in search of talent.... When you are down and out, the best thing to do is to find someone living their dream and try to figure out what they are doing right. And there I was, standing before a bonafide indie rock star! I had the feeling he thought I was fucking insane that first meeting.
And here we are now... almost a year later... there's a new Plastic Section album... the release party is tonight at WTF. I wouldn't miss it for the world and neither should you. The music stands on its own: rock n' roll infused with soul and a modern edge. Plastic Section has given birth to some of the most inspired creations coming out of this city. These are professional musicians... but what I am constantly in awe of is the humility and authenticity of Ben Edwards. I've never heard him say a bad word about anyone, any band, etc... His life is a perfect embodiment of his soul and it's all expressed in the music. The multi-instrumentalist has been playing the same guitar he bought as a teen growing up in Australia. He uses few effects and follows a Do-It -Yourself, punk rock ethic. This is not one seduced by the normal trappings of rock n' roll. I have lived vicariously through many a rock star via their memoirs – there are those who want play music because they want to be famous... they need an audience to validate their lives... they seek love and adoration and when their careers head south their mental health declines. What Plastic Section is to me is a return to art for its own sake... because the journey is the entire point and the destination is just the icing. This is rebirth... a renaissance... a return to the old days, and an antiquated way of doing things.
As I sit here, listening to Plastic Section in my school's library, I am teleported back to the early days of rock n roll. We have found a time machine... out of a cloud of dust and smoke appears, a red Mustang racing, trailblazing through Route 66, wind-blown hair, empty cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon lining the floor. The barren desert awakens the muse and she's listening to Plastic Section. Jack Kerouac, you'd love this album!
I can't exist without artists inspiring me to reflect on what happens when I experience art and creativity. For so long I have felt no passion, so it is not a literary device to talk about a renaissance in my own life. You can stop doing things for the money and start doing things that fulfill you on that deep cosmic level that we have heard of yet few ever really experience. Part of my rebirth has been the dive into the underground music of the city – it's been a baptism of sorts. And I truly believed the city has spawned a least one stellar artist. You can see and hear Plastic Section perform at WTF tonight, August 9, 2013 for the record release and contact them here.
Thanks for sharing and caring. You can find my interview with Ben Edwards in the youtube link below.
DC