Flying High With People In Planes

People In Planes are having a pretty good year so far. The five piece rock unit (Gareth Jones on vocals, Peter Roberts on guitar, Ian Russel on keys, Kris Blight on bass & John Maloney behind the kit) from Wales, UK have just released their second LP, Beyond The Horizon, to critical acclaim and rapidly widening audiences. Their debut, 2006’s As Far As The Eye Can See, was actually not their first album; they’d been developing their unique sound for years prior, recording and releasing music under the names Tetra Splendour and Robots In The Sky.

But that’s neither here nor there. The point is that, through raw talent and determination, these guys have come to possess the right kind of sound, style and blistering, brooding rock delivery that’s currently winning over American audiences as the band tours the country over the next two months with revived rock heroes the Toadies.

The theme behind the recording of Beyond The Horizon was diversity, as PIP wound up working with a total of four different producers and recording in seven different studios from Wales to America for the album. One leg of that journey found them pulling some crucial influence in working with Queens Of The Stone Age and Eleven members Alan Johannes and the late Natasha Schneider, who died shortly after following a battle with cancer. Horizon is dedicated to her, and the influence of such seasoned rock veterans can be heard clearly on the album.

We tracked down PIP singer Gareth Jones to talk a bit about Neil Young, American politics and the sputtering state of the music industry today.

Antiquiet: Hey, you’re out on tour with the Toadies now, right?

Gareth Jones: Yeah, we just started what’s going to end up almost two months of touring, which will tie up around the end of November. The Toadies just seem to like to go at it hard and relentless.

Antiquiet: They’ve been around for a while, too.

Gareth Jones: Yeah, they’re hammerin’ it large. We saw em for the first time the other night and it was amazing. We’ve got total respect for them and we’re really excited to be out with em for two months. It’s gonna be a good tour, I think.

Antiquiet: Album’s been out about a month now… how has the reaction been at shows?

Gareth Jones: It’s weird, really, because there was such a gap between tours with the previous album to this one, so there’s a bunch of people who have the albums but haven’t actually seen us before. Being from the UK, by nature it’s hard to get out as much as we’d like. But it’s good though, cause we’ve got a huge repertoire of songs to pull from, and we’re really struggling in trying to pick the right set every night, something we all agree on. There’s just so many corkers that we all wanna play.

Antiquiet: I read somewhere that one of your heroes was Neil Young?

Gareth Jones: Yeah, he’s definitely one of the major influences. He’s been a big part.

Antiquiet: I’ve gotten into a few bands solely based on the recommendations of bands that I loved. A lifetime ago I got into The Who and Neil Young through Pearl Jam by digging up the originals of some amazing covers they did. My parents listened to different shit when I was little, and that was my first real exposure. 

Gareth Jones: When you tour, you play with various bands and you’re bound to come across something amazing once in a while. There’s a band out of Canada, they’re out of Halifax, called Wintersleep. We try to promote them as much as we can wherever we go. Their record is just amazing- their first couple records are just phenomenal. A real good listen from start to finish. They’ve got a little bit of that Pearl Jam and Neil Young thing in them, which I think is immense. 

Antiquiet: How does it feel to be traveling around America right now, in the mist of our cartoonish political climate and collapsing economy?

Gareth Jones: It’s funny, cause we’ve all sort of gotten into it, we’ve immersed ourselves into the climate of it all. It’s great, great fun. We’ve been watching the debates, and our tour manager is a fan of McCain, so it makes for good debate ’round the table. We’ve never been too politically aware, really, but… I don’t know, maybe we’ve just started to become that age where you realize how much it all really matters. Bush has really made a mess of his opportunities, and the world outside the U.S. is hoping that people make the right choice this time.

But you know, I hope Obama wins, as I’m sure most European people feel. It’s weird. The fact that the economy is so close to collapsing seems to really work in Obama’s favor, as sad as that is. They’re both saying so many things, but I hope America can see that Obama’s saying the right things.

Antiquiet: Yeah, he’s saying all the right things, I completely agree. But the argument is being made that he’s just saying them, that he can’t accomplish it all. And that’s a valid argument that requires attention. But the thing is, you know exactly what you’re getting with McCain, and it’s scary as hell to the average American. And it’s showing in the polls- his campaign is hemorrhaging votes in states that have been Republican locks for decades. The old “better the devil you know…” line doesn’t fly anymore. Not after eight years of Bush. And Obama’s gaining ground left and right. 

Gareth Jones: McCain’s too much of a warhorse. And Obama seems ready to back off the entire war agenda, which is really good. But Obama has to put up a strong front and insist on diplomacy above action.

Antiquiet: Right. Well, America gets the celebrities we deserve. Whatever we get, we’ll have more than asked for it. Anyway moving on, as a band, you seem to be upbeat people, but a lot of your writing seems to be in minor keys, a little more pensive. Was that intentional?

Gareth Jones: Yeah, we like it that way. We get the fun out in real life, so when it’s time for music we can dig into the grit.

Antiquiet: When there’s such a wealth of new music out there, how do you stand out?

Gareth Jones: One of the hardest things is to try and recreate the record live. And to do it well, to bring up everything you’ve put yourself there in the first place for, is the most important thing. It’s hard, with so many bands out there at the moment. The key is to focus on trying to get better, to push it that way and be a better live band. It’s a work in progress.

Antiquiet: Given that you’re an up-and-coming band in the industry, how do you perceive the current state of the music industry?

Gareth Jones: CD sales are over now. You can’t sell records anymore. On the scale, Metallica will only sell like two million records, whereas before they would sell like ten million or something crazy like that. A lot of bands are just becoming touring machines now, just stay on the road, build up a live following, cause it’s not something that can be replicated. And honestly now, I don’t see what else you can focus on to be sustainable. It’s horrible for them, they’ve lost control of it and there’s no way to get it back. There’s all sorts of new ways that the record companies are trying to make a buck now, to keep that faucet on, their steady cash flow. The reality is, it’s all over. I think they’d be lying to say anything different.

Antiquiet: That’s exactly it though. They’re not a bunch of retarded monkeys in executive suites. They may still be trying to hang on to that inflated illusion, but they know the score. They’re trying to adapt, but there’s no room for the old structure and scheme.

Gareth Jones: The illusion is gone. They’re not turning out the smash profits anymore. But you’ve got those 360° deals now where bands are signing away chunks of their publishing and touring and what have you. There are steps being taken, but maybe it’s too little too late. Any band that can do it independently, more power to them. You may as well give your stuff away, because noone’s paying for it. If they’ve got the option, they’ll go with it. People have more vital things to spend their money on. 

Antiquiet: Try to get them to come to the show. Make quality shit if you’re going to sell t-shirts and vinyl and such. 

Gareth Jones: That’s the key, consider your options and do what will allow you to be self sufficient. If you’re good enough, and if you’ve got something people want, at the end of the day you can become self-sufficient if you’re resourceful. Of course you need some assistance, such as a manager once you’re really ready to tour properly. But it’s not necessary to put your name on a park bench.