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PLUNJA
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*Plunja Interview
*Plunja Discography (available on Whammo)
*Plunja Australian Tour dates


PLUNJA- THE WHAMMO INTERVIEW - March 18, 2004

The generation that revere bands like Tool and Deftones are growing up fast and surfacing with tight-riffin’ bands that are quickly constructing a scene, much to the relief of fans who were begging for a local alternative to the American superpowers of heavy rock and new metal. You can gauge the demand for blistering local sets by noting the quick rise of bands like Cog and Butterfly Effect; acts that constantly add new dates to their tours and jostle for their deserved spots on radio playlists. Plunja are yet another step forward in that evolution. Built on the musical sibling partnership of Marc and Stephanie Collis, the 4-piece Geelong debutantes are hardly ‘new’. In fact, the band was formed when Stephanie (drums) was still in primary school. Roadrunner Records, the global home of metal, was understandably impressed by the depth of songwriting, powered by frontman Marc Collis who began his long education in music as an infant. The international label saw an opportunity to make one of their well-considered local signings and it seems the risk was well warranted with recent reviews of Plunja lauding their live and recorded performances. When the Three Colours EP landed on my desk, the music spoke volumes. This is a band with a harder edge than a rusty nail, but also capable of chart-seducing melody and subtle acoustics. But there’s a lot more to the Plunja story, as you’ll realise when you read the dialogue from my recent chat with their charming frontman, Marc Collis…

Whammo: So, you're spreading the word about the debut EP.
Marc: Finally (laughs). It's taken a while.
Whammo: How long have you been together?
Marc: 1998, we got together.
Whammo: So, you were like...
Marc: 16 and Steph would have been in primary school...real young.
Whammo: Obviously, you've been in training from...well, almost from birth.
Marc: Pretty much. Well, I started piano when I was 5 and Steph started ballet when she was 3. She did that for 10 years and quit ballet for drums. We've been doing 'the arts' for our whole lives.
Whammo: So there was never any other option?
Marc: For me? No way. I've been doing music forever. It's all I've ever wanted to do.
Whammo: Obviously there's an influence from your parents as well.
Marc: Yeah, my mum started me on the piano because she knows how to play organ and piano accordion; stuff like that. Eventually, she started showing me singing because she sang as well. It was my parents' help and influence that got me started. Even now, they still come to our gigs.
Whammo: Roadrunner Records have been talking you up for a while.
Marc: It's great when you get this kind of support from your record label; when they're genuinely excited it really helps the process. When they're excited and happy it makes them work harder as well, which is exactly what we want. Roadrunner is that type of label. They've got the power to do things, but they're really relaxed and allow you freedom. The team there is fantastic and we get along with all of them. We don't feel overpowered.
Whammo: I guess your music is a slight departure for the label because it has pop sensibilities.
Marc: It was your review that said that and I think we use that sensibility: writing a catchy hook and incorporating that into a heavier style. That's the Plunja sound; what we're going after. Hopefully it's making people sit up and listen.
Whammo: I know you guys have been playing for a long time but it must be great to be able to hold your first CD in your hands.
Marc: Yeah, we needed that time to mature as a band. With the way we were, three years ago, we may have thought we could do it (release a CD) but looking back, we needed that time to grow and become more professional.
Whammo: At least you haven't released music prematurely like every other young act in Australia at the moment. The songs on the Three Colours EP prove that. I haven't heard anything from your forthcoming album yet...
Marc: Well, the material from the album is more like the first track, Three Colours Black. That track will be on the album because we like it that much. The album showcases Plunja's songwriting ability pretty well.
Whammo: Are you keeping the ego under control considering everyone's saying that you're such a good singer?
Marc: The thing is, this is news to me, because I've really had a problem with the way I sing. I don't think I'm the greatest singer. All these other bands have the maddest singers, Like Zeek (Ezekiel Ox) from Full Scale has the maddest voice I've ever heard and there's Butterfly Effect; all these dudes have got crazy voices live. I think I'm alright but I don't think I'm at that point yet.
Whammo: It's good to hear that you've got the right attitude. I talk to many bands and a lot of the musicians don't understand that art is endless; that you'll probably die thinking that you could have been better. You can always improve.
Marc: Exactly. The people who have big egos are the one's who think they can't get any better than they are, which is impossible because you can always get better.
Whammo: Let’s talk about the sound. That's probably the best guitar sound I've heard since Prong were in their prime.
Marc: You're kidding.
Whammo: Na, it's beautiful: crunchy, a lovely edge, but there's still a bit of warmth.
Marc: Seriously, we sat there for probably a day and a half in the studio, trying to get the right sound out of the amp. The sound that you're hearing on the EP is a cross between a Marshall 800 and a Mesa Duel Rectifier. You've got the nice big fat warm tones of the Marshall and then you've got the big crunch that the Mesa has. The 800 brings in the mids.
Whammo: Bands always improve when they record because they get to fine-tune the sound and work out what amps and effects to use.
Marc: Exactly. For us, recording was one of the biggest things for the band's maturity, that happened over the last 3 or 4 years and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. It refined the songs so much.
Whammo: Take me through the normal procedure for writing songs.
Marc: Well, I come up with an idea and then go to the guys. We work on it together; just play it and play it until we get sick of it. If we play the song for a month and we're still not sick of it, we'll keep it. If we're 'over it' we don't play it anymore. When you play live, if you get sick of a song and it becomes monotonous, the audience can tell.
Whammo: This must be the best time for Plunja to emerge, with all these harder rock bands getting some exposure. It looks like we're starting to form a good heavy rock scene in Australia. With bands like Butterfly Effect, Cog, Full Scale and Plunja, you can actually get some strong live line-ups in Australia.
Marc: I'm actually quite happy that it's been going like that. A few years ago I was expecting pop to take over the world. Here in Geelong the live scene was just f**ked. You'd get a gig and play to 2 people. I was thinking 'is it worth it anymore?'. It's coming back. We had a show with Full Scale two weeks ago at The Nash here in Geelong and it was absolutely packed. You couldn't move and it was the first time I've seen a show packed out in Geelong.
Whammo: It's almost like the penny has dropped and people have suddenly said 'we'd like to hear humans making music'.
Marc: Exactly. They're sick of having pre-fabricated shit in their ears.
Whammo: I had no idea that you were performing in a wheelchair.
Marc: You didn't know that (laughs)?
Whammo: Na. I've been judging you on the merit of the music. I guess that's flattering.
Marc: Well, that's f**king great. That makes me even happier. We do have that difference in our live performance and it makes people's ears prick up and eyes open. It gets people interested. We've also got Steph on the drums and she's only 18. That's another point, but it's great to hear someone say (good things) on the merit of the music.
Whammo: To be blunt, there's an edge there as far as publicity is concerned.
Marc: The one thing with me though, is that I'm pretty cool with the situation I'm in. It's me and I don't care. You know what I mean? I probably should explain that I've got a brittle bone disorder. Like, you know that Quinton dude?
Whammo: That's the first person I thought of.
Marc: Yeah, it's the same as him, so I can move around but I can't stand up because my legs are too fragile. I've got to be careful because it's bound to happen one day: I'm going to break on stage, probably. I can't go too mental. I've got to relax a bit (laughs).
Whammo: You can probably get from A to B pretty fast, so just make sure 'B' isn't the drum riser.
Marc: (laughs) Yeah.
Whammo: So, on a purely technical angle, how are you moving on stage? Like, you sing and play guitar?
Marc: I can move my legs. I don't have pedals or footplates. I take them off the wheelchair and sort of just walk around. It looks weird but it's the easiest way for me to move around.
Whammo: It sounds pretty inventive. I know what it's like to get possessed by heavy music when you're playing live. Once you get enough distortion up your arse, you feel like you can fly.
Marc: You can't help it. You've just got to move.

THREE COLOURS EP (5 TRX)
PLUNJAPLUNJA
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90% of Australian pop acts should listen to Plunja and, in particular, Three Colours Black. They might actually identify something alien and immensely likeable in this Geelong act's repertoire. It's called a 'chorus' and if the all-important climaxes in music are rare where you'd expect to see them - Pop - then you'd have to say that heavier guitar music is completely bereft of a decent hook. The youngsters in Plunja are bringing pop sensibilities to heavy guitar without watering down the sentiment and Three Colours Black contains the most infectious chorus I've heard this year. Add to that- a little bit of metal anger/anguish, slick arrangement and tasty riffs; and what you get is another slight departure from Nu-metal; but one that still contains the crunching guitars, yearning vocals and attitude. You can see why Roadrunner Records - home of most of the decent metal in existence - decided to add Plunja to their impressive roster of talent. With the success of bands like the Butterfly Effect and Cog, Plunja are entering the mainstream rock market at exactly the right time.
PLUNJA: AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES

March
19....Evolution Niteclub – Melb, Vic
27....The Palace (with Sevendust) Melb

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