Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Space Cadet‘s live guitarist Brian Pluta has branched out with his new solo project Left Circles and the recently released new record Nothing Is One Thing. To celebrate the incredible reception of the alt-pop amalgamation, Brian has agreed to roll the dice with TGEFM in our latest interview.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the release of the Nothing Is One Thing LP. What should TGEFM readers know about the Left Circles project and your ethos? What’s next for Left Circles?
Thanks for having me, TGEFM. Your readers should view Left Circles as a cautionary tale: the music (or whatever art you do) isn’t gonna make itself. Years will fly by if you let them. I started this solo project over a decade ago under the idea that it’d be as DIY as I could get it. Self-doubt, procrastination, wilful distractions formed a buffer between me and finishing an album. Mostly the first thing.
The DIY ethos has remained, but I eventually realized I couldn’t do everything. Kellii Scott and Travis Harrison did the incredible drumming, Matt Hock sang backup on the two singles, Travis did the mix and Jamal Ruhe mastered it. As a huge fan of Failure, Guided By Voices and all of Matt’s work, this was a personal dream team for me. That ended up giving me a big shot in the arm, not to mention some deadlines to keep me on track.
The other, broader philosophy is that Left Circles can be whatever it wants to be, and the album very much reflects that idea, right down to its title.
I’m now writing album #2. Probably just as varied in style, if not more so. And I’m hopefully releasing it much, much sooner than 11 years from now.
The “Bleed It Out” single is pretty positive in its outlook. Was that intentional? With everything going on in the world, how do you get yourself in the mindset for the positivity on the single?
I’ve never been known for positive songs. I’m more liable to bring the mood down. “Bleed It Out” just sorta happened when I was practicing for a show. Listening back to the original voice memo for the idea, the first actual lyric that sprouted up among my rhythmic nonsense babble was, “If you want it done / you’re the one to do it.” I was finishing my album at the time, and I think it was my own personal pep talk for not letting any insecurities stop me. Don’t think about it; just make it. And once it was recorded, I realized that the song would take on a broader meaning for whoever might hear it. It’s funny…I would’ve written off this song 10 years ago for being too cheesy. These days, I think a lot of us need a good affirmation now and then.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should know about?
I don’t need to mention Space Cadet as TGEFM has given them a lot of love. But the new EP, Suede Originals, is fantastic and ready for your readers’ ears, whether or not they’re fans of Matt Hock and Dave Walsh’s other band, The Explosion. (Full disclosure: I play in the live band and sing backup on the EP, but Matt and Dave are the core. I was a fanboy well before I joined.)
Blackout Transmission…Think a spacier Velvet Underground fronted by Nick Cave as a starting point. Check out Verdant Return to see what I mean. I’m eager to hear the next record, which I think is on its way.
Philly band Sold‘s latest album, A New Wind, is post-punk-y new wave-y goodness packed into just 20 minutes.
For some great fuzz rock from Finland, check out the album Free Flyin’ from Cliff Barnes. It’s fair but too easy to compare them to Dinosaur Jr.; there’s more at play there.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
Don’t miss a chance to work with the people whose work you love if you get the opportunity. Kellii Scott, for one, makes it easy and insanely affordable…he’ll gladly drum on whatever you’ve got, just DM him. Travis Harrison boosted the sound of my record exponentially, and it all happened because I asked him. Make more music, make it good and make it with good people. And try not to take 11 years to do it.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
