Electronic (Im)Press Kit

RIIIIIIIIIIIII(or however your alarm clock beats you awake)IIIIIIING!!

Wake up, sleepyheads – it’s time to make moves and Soul Plane is kicking doors down and busting in guns blazing. Didn’t see it comin’, did ya? TOO BAD. That’s right, this is gonna be the swiftest kick to the crotch the music industry has ever had to deal with since Eminem’s “My Name Is” became mainstream.

With the recording of the demo CD well underway, it’s only natural that we start thinking about the other aspects to include in our official Electronic Press Kit, our ultimate battle weapon when assaulting record labels and show promoters. According to Wikipedia, a music industry EPK should consist of:

• biographical & contact information
• monochromatic, high resolution, press photos (for easy reproduction)
• music clips (with accompanying lyrics)
• stage plot
• performance requirements
• tour dates
• press reviews and interviews, etc.
• promotional videos
• contract and/or technical rider
• "RIYL" or "Recommended If You Like" list: a listing of artists of similar styles or genres

Taking care of business as usual, I drew up a band bio for our EPK:

Band: Soul Plane

Manager: Conor Stief

Members: Yui (Emcee), Blythe Hubbard/Nickie Minshall (Vocals), Gideon Litvin (Lead Guitar), Kevin Nanni (Rhythm Guitar), Patrick Tardif (Bass), Aaron Mellet (Drums)

The stage started buzzing with a faint medley of sounds of instruments being tuned, pedals being tested, vocals being warmed up and tempers being flared. Last minute panic before jumping into a set – perfectly understandable. Everyone’s nerves stood on end – deep breath, deep breath – it’s going to go great. Let’s focus, guys, because we can do this. This is everything we’ve been practicing for… let’s get lost in the music. After much fluctuation, the twangs of Kevin’s and Gideon’s guitars finally converged onto one note. I turned to them. Apparently, they were ready. Thumbs up from both Patrick and Aaron. Ready. Smiling nods from the beautiful vocalists on either side of me. They were all good to go, too. Was I? Deep breath, Yui. I turned my attention to the crowd, and greeted them resoundingly through the microphone in my hand. Lights… camera… ACTION. Suddenly, it was showtime.

Soul Plane has always been accustomed to taking off from short runways. Several weeks after coming together in the Mellet basement up in Thornhill, ON, Canada mid-April ’07, we played our first show, a seven-song set, at the El Mocambo downtown Toronto. Since then, we’ve touched down at venues such as The Reverb, The Smiling Buddah, Rancho Relaxo, The Docks (where we played at Supernova.ca’s Band On The Run Series Finals), as well as Lee’s Palace (where we played at the official Wakestock Afterparty of ’07, opening for BrassMunk and Chad Muska). We even got commissioned to play at the Toronto Night Market over the summer, a huge festival at Metro Square in Scarborough, ON, celebrating Chinese culture – truly proving that music has no language barrier attached to its communicative qualities.

The sound we produce can be described using no other adjective than “fresh.” Picture Linkin Park meets The Roots meets S Club 7 meets Gym Class Heroes. We’re certainly different from what’s being dealt with in the music industry these days, but it’s not a “weird” or “bizarre” difference – call it a “uniqueness” – it would be tough to put a finger on a genre in particular when referring to our music. The instruments are all live; there is nothing computerized or programmed about any of what we do. The riffs are rock and blues oriented – pour in a splash of jazz, a teaspoon of funk, and some droplets of metal. Then, overtop of all that, soufflé it with some smooth hip hop vocals and some angelic R&B female singing. Garnish it with some hard basslines, some steady, banging drumming, and it’s ready for the oven. Serves crowds of hundreds and thousands – bon appétit.

At this point, our band objective is to get our music out to anyone who will listen. Monetary figures are secondary – the important thing is to realize that we are here to make good music and be heard. Money is always welcome, but it will never be the primary focus of this band. Any label showing interest in us should understand first and foremost that what we seek from them would mainly be promotion, marketing, and distribution in the form of media interviews, shows, tours, music videos and/or album releases. Essentially, if the label were to guarantee providing us in full colour with these mediums of exposure, Soul Plane would be happy to sign on. We’re not picky – we just want people to know about us and what we have to offer.

All that having been said, Soul Plane is ready for launch. Allow me to extend you a personal invitation on behalf of the band to join us onboard this ride of a lifetime… strap yourself in, and enjoy the ride!

Those labels better love us; we got signed to get.