 New indie band The Plastic Day talks to The Korea Times about their debut album “30 Seconds Between the Dreamer and the Realist.” / Courtesy of the artists |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
The Plastic Day, one of the rising bands in the Hongdae indie scene, jokingly refers to themselves as ``loser musicians.''
But there's nothing at all ``loser-like'' about their impressive self-produced debut album ``30 Seconds Between the Dreamer and the Realist.''
The Korea Times met with members of The Plastic Day in a cafe in Hongdae last Friday evening, where they talked about their music.
Vocalist/guitarist Sun-ho, bassist Ho-seong and drummer Yun Beom initially met when they were high school students studying at the Ahyeon Polytechnic School. A few years later, Sun-ho and Ho-seong formed a band, and were playing a gig one night when Yun Beom approached them.
``After I finished my military service (Air Force), I went to one of their gigs, where they had a different drummer. (Sun-ho) asked me what I thought of their performance. I told him they would sound better if they change the drummer,'' Yun Beom said, with a smile.
Sun-ho replied by promptly asking him to join the band as the drummer. ``(Yun Beom) was always an excellent drummer when we were in high school, so we were happy to have him,'' he said.
It was late 2006 when The Plastic Day was formed. They played various gigs, including the 2007 Ssamzie Sound Festival, where they impressed audiences with their intense performances. In December 2007, they released their first EP ``Lady,'' which they recorded in only seven hours.
Their budding music career hit a snag when Sun-ho and Ho-seong entered the military for their mandatory service. But somehow the band still managed to meet once or twice a week to practice, and to play gigs in clubs around Hongdae.
The Plastic Day also found time to record, produce and release their promising debut album ``30 Seconds Between the Dreamer and the Realist.'' The album contains post-grunge, punk rock songs, such as ``It's A Government's Land'' which reflect the band's critical views against the government; and ``The Cocore and The Mustangs,'' an homage to their favorite Korean rock bands.
Interestingly enough, The Plastic Day's songs are all written in English. Sun-ho says he writes the songs in English because he feels he can express his thoughts and emotions more easily in that language. ``When I write in English, I can convey the meaning more simply than in Korean. English is simpler, and comes out smoother when I sing the songs,'' he said.
The Plastic Day cites various musical influences including The Beatles, Nirvana, The Doors, Bob Marley and Jeff Buckley. ``I think it's a lie when people say they're not influenced by anything. When I write and play, I never think of playing like The Doors or Nirvana. But I like to think of it as a goal, we want to be artists like them,'' Ho-seong said.
When asked about their plans for the future, The Plastic Day dream of making it big in the music industry, but they know it's going to be hard. The members, who are all 26 years old, appear uncertain about their future as musicians.
``We have no plans. We just want to play our gigs, smoke and get drunk,'' Sun-ho laughingly said.
But these self-described ``loser musicians'' are serious and dedicated to their music. Whatever happens with their rock career, whether they become successful or not, music will always be a part of their lives.
``I'm not a good talker. I communicate through music. If I don't play music, I can't say anything. Music is like words for me,'' Yun Beom said.
The Plastic Day performs at Club FF, Hongdae, at 11 p.m., Friday.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr
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