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 With so many up and coming pop alternative bands sprouting up everywhere, it is hard to keep track of all of them. What's even harder is trying to listen to so many, and decipher the ones who have that certain something from the ones that don't. The Plain White Ts seem to be one of those "certain something" bands.
Tom Higgenson, the lead singer and founder of the band, and Dave Tirio,
guitarist, were most eager to play a game of 20 questions with ACED.
Friends since high school, Tom and Dave are more or less the steadies of the band. It is hard when you are first learning about a new up-and-coming band, although these guys have been around for a while. It's only recently that they have been attracting attention. We started out with some basic questions, like age, sex and location...
"We're in our mid-twenties," Tom replied. Dave was happy to add, "I'm twenty-seven." It was a surprise to hear this since both Tom and Dave look very young for their age. As far as how the band's name came about, here is what Tom had to say, "Way back in the day, we had a bunch of bad names. This one (referring to the band's current name) was the best of the worst." Dave mentioned a concert that inspired them, "We saw this band and that's all they were wearing on stage - jeans and white t-shirts. So if it's good for them, it's good for us."
One wonders how a band gets put together. Sometimes it's a major record label that cookie cuts the band by picking select players. Other times, it's just a group of friends who happen to be musically inclined. For the Plain White T's, the latter seems to apply; as Tom explains, "We met in high school, Dave and I. We got the other guys when the bands they played in broke up. When Ken left, we got Mike."
All members of today's bands have obviously been influenced by bands from yesterday and even long ago. Both Tom and Dave proudly listed some of their favorites, "The Beatles, 90s Alternative like Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer."
Musicians are human too, and there are people in their lives that have left such an impact on them that there is a tendency to write a song about those influential few. We talked with Tom and Dave about three of their songs. Tom revealed in "Hey There Delilah", a track off of the bands latest CD, Every Second Counts, "Some songs are inspired by life, but it's not a hundred percent. This song is true to life with a little bit of imagination. Delilah was about someone that I wished I kind of had something."
On the song, "Hate- I Really Don't Like You", Tom explained why he wrote it. "I wrote it at a time when I was upset. Music helps me get stuff off my chest. I write it then it doesn't bother me as much anymore. It's therapy."
When asked if Tom and Dave feared any repercussions from people listening to their music, like the song, "Friends Don't Let Friends Dial Drunk," (a song about a not-so-amicable relationship Tom once had) Tom confidently answered, "No, I'm not worried. They're probably thinking, cool, he wrote a song about me." Dave joked, "Yeah, look, I really go to him!"
Tom justified his reason by saying this, "If it was flipped around and the girl wrote a song about me... wouldn't feel guilty getting rich off of it. I keep getting involved with the wrong girls," he confessed. Dave couldn't keep from teasing Tom by contributing his experience with girls, "My relationships are very cool, because I learn from his mistakes." Both Tom and Dave laughed at Dave's jab.
We moved on to talk about their music, how they go about writing and whom their music appeals to. When asked about their approach to writing a song, more specifically, the instruments with which Tom and Dave use when first constructing a song, Tom replied, "Always the guitar. Sometimes it starts with the melody, but ninety-nine percent is put together with guitar. I'm not that good with the piano."
We delved further about their song writing methodology. Which comes first, the lyrics or the melody? Tom explained it, "It's always different. Sometimes you have lyrics going through your head. I'll be playing guitar and there will be a melody, but no lyrics for a while."
So, whom do they think their music appeals to? Both Tom and Dave collectively and humorously answered, "Ten to seventy year-olds." Dave unabashedly admitted, "My grandparents love Delilah!" Tom also added, "Grandparents have come to our concerts." Dave immediately joked, "Our parents have to come!" On that line we all laughed.
Of course the next obvious question was, what did they think made their sound so unique, compared to all the other bands out there? October Fall was mentioned as an example. Dave recalled, "I think we played with them." Then he went on to explain, "Our consistency made it happen. We've been a band through a couple of trends, from rock to rap, and while everyone else was doing that, we stayed true to form. We didn't change, so we stood out." Excellent strategy when youre trying not to be like everyone else. It takes a great deal of courage to hold true to one's form and these guys seem to be doing that extremely well.
Like some of us who were fortunate enough, Tom and Dave grew up in the kind of family environment where they had people they could look up to and trust enough to go to when they needed help. Who are some of those special people in Tom and Dave's lives? "Uh... different people," Tom began.
He was a little stuck on the question so Dave eagerly chimed in, "Your mom!" Then Tom added, in referring to his family, "Being on the road makes you appreciate them," he said. Dave confessed, "All of us are pretty ridiculously close to our families." It's great to hear this, when most of the time, one will read about how some artists struggle with their family relationships.
While we were on the subject of supportive and influential people in their lives, we moved further to discuss the influences that non-family members have had on the band over the years. Tom and Dave spoke enthusiastically about one in particular. His name is Christian Lane and he heads a band called Loud Lucy.
Dave shared his moment when he and Tom got to meet their idol, "It was inspirational!" Tom equated his admiration," I really like to be there for the fans, because that's what I wanted when I was young. He [Christian Lane] was there for his fans." Dave continued to describe his feelings that he and Tom have for Loud Lucy, "We loved that band! We looked up to them. Loud Lucy was like our role models!"
The 20 questions game continued with Tom and Dave talking about touring, award ceremonies and even doing a gig at the Gap. So, what is it that they like about touring? Tom answered this question with a huge smile, "It's awesome!" Dave also agreed and mentioned, "Traveling, and playing music every night! Connecting with people. Meeting cool people," he said. "It feels kind of comfortable going to familiar cities."
Of course there is always a down side to everything. For Tom and Dave, the down side of touring is "being away from home, but we're used to that by now."
Tom told us what he enjoyed the most about last year's Warped Tour, "It was fun for me because we were on a better stage and had bigger crowds than ever before. Plus, we knew most of the other bands, so it was a lot of fun," he said. Tom went on to say this about the Nintendo Tour, "Our new record had just come out, so we got to play a lot of the new songs for the first time ever!"
The band won a Woody Award too. This is an award sponsored by MTVu and based on the college and university students' votes. Tom and Dave were delighted about this remarkable experience. Tom said, "It was surreal just being there. Sitting there between Tom DeLonge and Jared Leto... was crazy!" he said. "Shocking," said Dave. "It hit us like a brick wall. Our award was the first one given," he recalled.
On the situation with the mini concert at the Gap, Tom explained, "They just asked us. I used to work at the Gap." Dave added, "The Gap thing...that was actually a cool thing, because it was like going full circle. It was a good turn out." Dave was referring to how Tom worked for them and now he was performing for them to attract customers.
Like all bands, the Plain White T's have not had a necessarily smooth ride up the road to fame. We asked Tom what he thought was the hardest thing they had to sort out as a band. Tom told us what he thought was emotionally difficult for him. "Over the years, we have had a couple of people quit the band. At the time, it seemed like the worst thing that could possibly happen, but we made the best of it, and found new members who were even better than the old ones. So, it all worked out in the end," he said. "It always does."
Tom's optimistic outlook on life has definitely paid off for him and the rest of the band. When asked what has been his most rewarding experience in his career so far, he was able to answer with the kind of answer that every up-and-coming band wishes they had, "I think hearing ourselves on the radio for the first time was one of the coolest, most memorable moments we've ever had as a band. It was a sign that all our hard work was finally paying off."
A while back Tom was in a serious car accident. He described how this life-changing event affected him. "I took the band not more seriously, but more sincerely. Wow, this is life!" he said. Dave shared his thoughts as well, "I think the songs you wrote were more about something," he said. So what does music mean to Tom? "Music is everything! It's the greatest love of my life," he boasts.
Since the band can't be constantly on the road, we asked Tom and Dave how they spend their leisure time. More specifically, what books they like to read. Dave said, "I like Kurt Vonnegut. I'll pick up a classic that I was too lazy to read in school, like Hemingway."
So, it's official! The Plain White T's are just like the rest of us - only different. When on tour, they're happily playing their hearts out on stage, to multitudes of die-hard fans. When not on tour, well, you just might find yourself standing in line, in front of or behind them, waiting to check out a good book.
Before leaving, we asked one last question: What is the one thing you hope all of your fans take away with them when they listen to your record, or go to one of your gigs? "I hope that our songs will stick with them and mean something to them and to their lives," Tom replied sincerely. "Maybe even inspire them to do something great," he said.
The Plain White T's have come a long way and proved themselves to be a substantially stable and consistent force on the music scene. After speaking with Tom and Dave, it was clear that their wit, humor and personal charm definitely enhance this band's success with fans. Our best wishes go out to Tom, Dave, Mike, Tim and De'Mar.
For more information, visit their new official site !
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