Planetary Nights
New York City, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2009 | INDIE
Music
Press
PLANETARY NIGHTS, “Elliptical Motion”
“Road Trip,” the rip-roaring first single from Planetary Nights’ 14-track
“Elliptical Motion,” is an ideal showcase for the musical vision of
singer/songwriter R.J. McSweeney, the namesake behind the band. Licensed by ESPN for
its “Sports Center,” the song beckons, “We’re taking a trip, we’re going together/To
the hills or the shore, it don’t matter/Your love and your laughter, are all I’m
after.” Good times, huh? Equally robust “N.Y.C.” offers a shout-out to McSweeney’s
home base, displaying his obvious penchant for classic rock, blues and soul. The
more restrained “Starting Over,” “If Ever,” “Ebony Eyes” and “Hide Away” reveal the
musician’s more soulful side with equal skill—but it’s truly the get-down jams—like
“Luck Runnin’ Out” and “Countin’ On You”—that define the free spirit of Planetary
Nights. With its live, garage-band template, all that’s missing here is a bottle of
Jack and two tickets for the band’s next live outing. - Billboard Discoveries
Leading off with the jaw-dropping, adrenaline-charged rocker, “Road Trip,” Planetary Nights sets the bar pretty high on their debut CD, “Elliptical Motion.” What follows is a further 14-track exploration of rock styles fused by spot-on instincts. “Elliptical Motion” is a cohesive and sparkling CD that succeeds because it blazes its own path of genuine fire and passion; a trail that starts and ends at the heart of rock ‘n’ roll.
- B. Rice and RadioIndy Review Team
- RadioIndy
Planetary Nights and Elliptical Motion are ever-flowing with raw energy
and blend together different styles such as: rock, blues and alternative
that comes across as rock solid ... Planetary Nights bring you their own
form of earthy, Americana Rock. R.J.’s singing/songwriting ability comes
through loud & clear on this new album.
- Jimmy Rae @skopemag.com - Scope Magazine
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Planetary Nights is the banner for the Americana music written and
recorded by New York City based songwriter R.J. (Bob) McSweeney.
Over thirty original PN songs have been released on several records:
Elliptical Motion in 2009; Live ‘n’ Untethered in 2010; Today Ain’t Too Late
in 2012; Shimmer in 2013; and Silken Sky in 2015. PN songs reflect a wide
range of rock, pop and roots influences with each song having its own
unique personality in terms of melody, arrangement and dramatic lyrics.
A wide range of musicians have contributed to those recording sessions,
including Eric “Roscoe” Ambel (Steve Earle, Joan Jett), who produced the
Today Ain’t Too Late and Silken Sky albums; Rob Arthur (Peter Frampton);
Kelly Looney (Steve Earle); and Mark Spencer (Son Volt, Blood Oranges),
Mark Hermann (Five for Fighting), who produced Elliptical Motion; Rob
Clores (Black Crowes); Phil Cimino (Chris Barron); Graham Hawthorne
(David Byrne, Paul Simon).
The catalogue of Planetary Nights music has received critical praise and
has attracted an extensive fan base from Internet and radio airplay. Bob’s
songs have been accepted and represented by a number of prominent
music libraries used by music supervisors working with the film and
television industries. Several PN songs have been licensed for television
(e.g. CBS, A&E, ESPN) as well as various commercial advertising.
Here are excerpts from some reviews:
“Road Trip, the rip-roaring first single from Planetary Nights’ 14-track
Elliptical Motion is an ideal showcase for the musical vision of singer/
songwriter R.J. McSweeney, the namesake behind the band. Licensed by
ESPN for its “Sports Center”, the song beckons, “We’re taking a trip, we’re
going together/To the hills or the shore, it don’t really matter/Your love and
laughter are all I’m after. Good times, huh? Equally robust N.Y.C. offers a
shout-out to McSweeney’s home base, displaying his obvious penchant for
classic rock, blues and soul. The more restrained Starting Over, If Ever,
Ebony Eyes and Hide Away reveal the musician’s more soulful side with
equal skill.” (Billboard)
“Planetary Nights is back and better than ever with their second studio
album. R.J. & company have one hot record on their hands of raw energy
and a rootsy, rockin’ sound.” (Scope Magazine)
“Today Ain’t Too Late” is straightforward Americana the band imbues with
surprises . . . maintaining the variation that they are adept at.” (Billboard)
“Today Ain’t Too Late is a winner with rocking roots as infectious as any
you’re likely to hear from better known bands. McSweeney does it all—lead
vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter—and he does it all with dynamic
originality. The album features a collection of gritty rockers that will have
audiences up on their feet mixed with a couple of tender ballads that will
keep them up and swaying.” (Blogcritics, Jack Goodstein)
“On their new album, Planetary Nights is a rock band that brings their
sound back to basics, still keeping an eye out for fresh and original
melodies, somewhere in between the primal kick of The Ramones, the pop-
rock oriented twist of The Replacements and the Americana rock a la Tom
Petty, fiercely showcasing rock ‘n’ roll swagger.” (I Still Sing Along Blog)
Band Members
Links
