meatPLanet
Sussex, New Jersey, United States | SELF
Music
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All I can say is holy shit. This band has some of the most focused and virulent energy that I've seen in the NJ music scene in a long time. And Cobblestone Village at Mountain Creek is a perfect place to corner these musical mutants.
Starting off with Northeast natives Unexplained Bacon was treat enough, with their fun and groovalicious melodies. Watching talents that have shared the stage with members of Moe., Keller Williams, and the blues master himself Robert Randolph bringing that energy back into the heart of rural Sussex, NJ was nothing short of amazing.
And oh my God, the ladies. Going to a meatPLanet show is tight enough as it is, but the hula girls that perform at that shows are even tighter. Unfortunately they didn't bring fire this time, which just tribalizes the whole environment, but nothing was lost as they tricked out with LED lighted hoops as Bacon soared through their set.
And then meatPLanet orbited in. Starting off with a string of spanking new originals: Welcome to to the Land, Stand and Boat the band caught the violently windy moonlit environment right on cue and each measured jam just seemed to intensify it.
Then they took on the 80's tune "You Spin Round," which I can say I've heard more times than I'd like to have. But these guys throw out this song with such a highly drum driven intensity that sometime I feel like I'm listening to the Disco Biscuits. From there the band cycled through an intense catalogue: a couple of other new ones: 1984, Paper Lightening and some older PLeeko tunes. These guys carried the glowstick and LED hoop laden audience from intensity to intensity (and one drunk guy falling into the bassists mike). Even a small glowstick war ensued. A far cry from Phish, but a great reminder nonetheless.
Overall these guys are great. Be sure to check them out this fall. - jambase.com
Discography
Live Recordings @
http://www.archive.org/details/meatPLanet
Photos
Bio
The members of MeatPLanet began their careers as boardwalk teenagers playing various venues in Asbury Park, such as the Stone Pony and the Saint opening for bands like Ekoostik Hooka, Dicky Betts and Mountain. After playing bar gigs for years in various cover bands and original acts - and one member playing a short tour alongside Patrick Droney, Seether, and Breaking Benjamin - they formed the now defunct PLeeko in 2009. PLeeko was the preamble that eventually became the meatPLanet sound - once described in Wordpress as "a fusion of Primus, Phish, Disco Biscuits, Umphrey's McGee, and other obscurities like King Crimson and Mahavishnu Orchestra." PLeeko's short run (from June 2009 - May 2010) brought stage collaborations with the Zen Tricksters, John Ginty of Citizen Cope, The McLovins, and Unexplained Bacon. Newly reformed as meatPLanet with guitarist/songwriter Ray DeLear, the band has constructed a tighter more fluid performance structure and incorporated a professional lighting system to aid in providing the audience an entrancing experience every night. Having recently completed their first set of fall shows (starting with their Hula-Vom Festival in Sussex, NJ and ending at the local Scarecrow Festival on Halloween) meatPLanet is now currently working on their first album, the songs of which will be being unveiled throughout the winter months.
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