From the Sunshine State, today we bring you Plastic Pinks. This garage rock gang from Miami is putting out some killer tunes. Later this summer they will put out their 1st album with Burger Records. I like the Band involvement on the songs, seems everyone is pitching in to make it all come across as lost gems of Back from the Grave . Surf Guitars are Dick Dale vintage, throw that in with some modern day madness , screams , and other cool sounds and you have Plastic Pinks. This is a band that I’m sure all of us will be hearing a lot more of in the months to come. It’s fun being able to read their answers, while you listen to the cool tunes, thinking that by this time next year , Plastic Pinks will be playing all the Burger Festivals, touring the country and having a blast. Take time today to discover a cool new band, give a listen to Plastic Pinks….
Hi our name is….
Plastic Pinks
People say we sound like…..
The delinquent Beach Boys, a dirty Shangri-La, The Monkees, Scott Pilgrim Music…like A Bat out of Hell!!!
We are…
June Summer (vocals)
Augie Pink (rhythm guitar/vocals)
Luigi LaRocca (lead guitar/back vocals)
Charlie De Jesus (bass/back vocals)
Nicholas Ochoa (drums/back vocals)
We are from…….
Miami FL
What’s the garage/punk scene like in Miami …
It’s really growing! You wouldn’t think it because of how Miami is portrayed, but Miami has a whole side to it where rock n roll thrives. There are a lot of bands that are popping up. There is also your usual suspects that have been here representing since day one. Yeah it’s still growing but it has a lot of potential and it’s getting noticed. A lot of acts that wouldn’t come down here are making there way and finding out that there is a scene.
Who are some bands that have an influence on you
June & Augie:
The Stooges, Davila 666, David Bowie, 60’s and 70’s rock n roll, MC5, Ty Segall, Black Lips, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles among others.
Luigi:
At the drive in, Chopin, Fania All star,
AJ Davila.
Nico:
Tool, Nirvana, Deftones, Smashing Pumpkins.
How old were all of you when you started to play and who plays what in the band
June-
Everyone started pretty early on but Augie started 3 years ago. Everyone played another instrument as their main instrument before the band except Luigi. Charlie and Nico played guitar and Augie played with himself. Haha.
Augie- yeah I pretty much learned how to play guitar because June and I were trying to make a band but things kept happening and holding us back so i told him give me a few months and I’ll play the guitar.
June- and that’s how it was, a few months later we met up with Nico who had his drums he played it sounded good and from there he became the drummer. Shortly after that, a lot of stuff happened and Plastic Pinks was formed.
Can you tell us about the process you use, from writing the songs all the way through getting the songs out.
First we have lets say a scatting contest to get a melody, then we do some mouth solos and drums, scrap all of that then we practice get caught up in a jam we scrap that, we scrap the scrap, we get a melody stuck in our heads and some lyrics come out, then we build on it, find out we just jammed that. Then we argue on where it’s going for an hour to later find out we were all saying the same thing and we make what comes out a song.
what are some of the challenges you face as musicians and how have you overcome those challenges
Augie- trying to keep our jobs and still going all out for it. and how do you solve it? quitting it.
June- i think i would say the working situation is the one that makes things harder and keeping your life together. But when you want something for yourself you have to go for it. You have to let go of what you know and go for what makes you feel alive.
Nico- the starkness of a nomadic lifestyle and keeping yourself healthy in a self destructive environment.
Luigi- Thinking. I have stopped thinking and just allow myself to be like an open faucet when I play. I never think about my parts except of course for the parts we all play together. I used to try to chase a sound but I have realized I have had it all along.
If you could pick any time to travel back to for music, where would you go and what year would it ….
Luigi- I very much enjoy early experimental sounds of Edgar Varese so somewhere in the early 1900’s or the 1950’s when Rock n Roll was just getting electric and was so NEW to people.
Nico- Probably the early nineties. On the west coast.
Augie- Oh I would be front row at Woodstock 69′ on all sorts of psychedelics ready to catch Santana, Hendrix, The Who, and Jefferson’s Airplane! We can all agree that was a beautiful year for music.
June- i love where we are at but who am i kidding being able to be part of the whole Stooges era, Glam rock and all that.
Who are all of you currently listening to ….
Nico- A random smattering of Miami and Tampa’s finest’ cassettes as well as a treasure trove Gigi and June picked up in Austin when we were there for sxsw. Two stand outs that I was recently exposed to that I love would be Curtis Harding, and Jeff The Brotherhood. Personally I’ve been falling in love with my Sam Cooke station on Pandora. And Blackmill.
Augie-Well my last 5 songs on my history say:
The Parrots- I did something Wrong
Corners- Buoy
The Stooges- Gimme Danger
Davila 666- La Ciudad
James Brown- Superbad
June- Davila 666, Night Beats, Los Vigilantes, Bass Drum of Death, Ty Segall and David Bowie
Luigi- Jeff the brotherhood
Mozes and the first born
Antemasque
Aj Davila
If you could open for any Band right now who would that be
Luigi- Le Butcherettes
June- Iggy Pop and The Stooges and if i could make it happen for Davila 666.
Augie- Though choice but… The Stooges before they die.
My youngest son is 13 and in a Band, what advice would you offer him…
Don’t listen to anyone that says you can’t make your dream come true, the way to it is hard and many times it sucks but with endless work it will all be worth it. So practice and have fun.
your thoughts on the state of rock ‘n’ roll in 2015…..
June-
It is not the dominant genre but it’s a great time for it. Bands are going back to the rawness of rock n roll and tapping to the energy of it. It is a really important time for music in general. Bands are no longer afraid of making things simpler or just playing their hearts out. At the end that’s what rock n roll is all about.
Exile on Main Street or London Calling…
Luigi-LONDONG CALLING!
Augie-
Exile on Main Street or London Calling…
Raw Power, baby!
(June claps at Augie’s answer)
Our plans for 2015…..
Our album is going to be released on cassette by Burger Records in August and there is talks of a big tour to back it. We’re going all out!
listen to some cool tunes..
Plastic Pinks, Twitter
Plastic Pinks, Facebook
Plastic Pinks, Wiener Records
