We Know, Plato!
Richmond, Virginia, United States
Music
Press
We Know, Plato! (complete with exclamation point) have a soft, piano-driven sound that reminds me of someone in that 60s Tin Pan Alley sort of tradition, but they make it their own, just different enough that I can never quite put my finger on who it is specifically they sound like. This Virginia-based band has recently released their debut EP, appropriately titled In Moonlit Sound. It's a collection of six songs full of strings and minor chords and melancholy that would probably be the perfect soundtrack for driving around in the snow on a quiet New England night. There's Beach Boysian harmonies and tender lyrics sung by sweet-voiced boys. "Enemy Spies" is the only place on the EP where they seem to really work for their exclamation point, rockin' the joint with a Who-inspired rhythm section, which is the perfect way to win this would-be hipster's heart. They also get brownie points for managing to work the word "palindrome" into the lyrics of "Hollow Bird", although I'm not sure there's any actual palindromes involved.... - confessions of a would-be hipster
Discography
Turn On The Outside Lights - Due out early 2009
Aerospace Museum (acoustic single) - Spring 2007
In Moonlit Sound (ep) - Fall 2007
Christmas Single (2007) - December 2007
Photos
Bio
Fingers graze along the dusted black and white ivory, simultaneously striking and filling the dusked city streets with an orange luminescence. The electricity sparks in the optimistic voice of a guitar and the lamps hum low but confidently in agreement, as the rat-a-tat-tat of drums approaches from further down the road. This is surely a dream.
It is a manifestation of the dreams of Benvolio Willson and Mark Strong- two fellows who have spent their lives trying to get it right; attempting to make their most intangible dreams tangible “for the first time in years”.
Being children of Virginia, it was rather natural for both Strong and Willson to have a deep yearning to head out for the “Great City”- whether it lie in California or NY- but both had their different initial paths towards fame.
Strong actually touched on his dream, heading out to California in 2001 as a keyboardist/backing vocalist with the Richmond-born band, The Waking Hours, to play at many big name venues along the Western coast of the US with many up and coming artists such as, Maroon 5, Rooney, Say Anything, as well as shared the stage with members of Weezer. He then left the band in 2003 to form his own project as a singer, guitarist, keyboardist and bassist with fellow keyboardist Jillinda Palmer and multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jake Gideon, entitled Edison Gower. The band hit it semi-big when they landed a song in the independent film '29 Reasons to Run', as well as in the WB show, 'Glory Days' but eventually Strong couldn’t afford California living and sadly resigned back to Richmond in 2005.
It was then that Strong browsed on Myspace.com, discovering the work and styles of local musician Benvolio’s fresh piano and lyrics quite enticing, and contacted Benvolio with a means to collaborate. Benvolio was still finishing up his “sentence” at college, recording songs semi-timidly within the concrete walls of his dorm room. His being locked away at college initially made it hard to efficiently collaborate but, by late 2006, they had shared a show together as separate musicians and the dawn of 2007 brought forth a cohesive idea as We Know, Plato!.
The duo initially enlisted the aid of a superb drummer, Richmond-newcomer Daniel Medley, fresh out of high school, to carry the rhythm with excellent discretion. WK,P! played two shows as a trio, meanwhile recruiting savvy New Zealander keyboardist and female vocalist Julia Manhire to further accommodate both Willson’s and Strong’s hallowing harmonies, and completing the WK,P! puzzle with bassist Steve Chiles, of the band Brian Bachman and the New Romancers.
In the wake of both Steve departing the band to dedicate his time to family/work, the band acquired a new bassist- Medley's brother-in-law, Todd Baker. The band are just getting back into shows, while approaching competion of their upcoming Turn On the Outside Lights EP, due to hit physical and digital stores and shows in early '09. New material and t-shirts are indubitably to be unveiled at the band's EP release concert, whenever and wherever it may be, and possibly sooner.
It’s still a goal that it won’t be long before the polaroid lyrics and hauntingly hopeful music of We Know, Plato! lights the worldly streets with orange and puts all manner of pounding hearts and aching minds at ease.
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