August 2008

Plain White T’s

http://www.myspace.com/plainwhitets

9/27 Novato, CA - Rock'n Blues By The Lake
10/5 San Diego, CA - San Diego Sports Arena
10/8 Glendale, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
10/9 Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock Outdoor
10/10 LA, CA - Staples Center
10/11 San Jose, CA - San Jose Events Center
10/12 Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
10/14 Everett, WA - Comcast Arena
10/16 West Valley City, UT - The E-Center

For almost a decade, the Plain White T’s have been playing to packed audiences craving for that perfect pop-punk punch. Their journey, which began in a small suburban basement playing covers, has taken the band to Warped Tour three times, landed them opening slots for bands like Jimmy Eat World and AFI. The Plain White T’s are road warriors in the truest sense and with their first major label album, Every Second Counts, the band is ready to rock in a big way. Call it hard work or call it destiny, one thing’s for sure — the Plain White T’s were put on this earth to entertain you.

PWT’s story started back in high school, when front man Tom Higgenson first stepped into Chicago’s famed rock club, the Metro, and saw his future on the stage. With the local music scene exploding nationally courtesy of bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Veruca Salt, he decided the time was ripe for his own dreams to be realized. Armed with paper, pen and guitar, Tom went to task, experimenting with lyrics and melodies on a four-track in his parents’ Villa Park, Illinois home. Once he’d reached a level of comfort with his songwriting, he worked up the courage to hand off a tape to Christian Lane, singer of 90s buzz band Loud Lucy, and to his surprise, Christian actually listened to it. “I saw him at a show and he remembered me,” Tom recounts. “He told me, ‘You should lock yourself in a room with a guitar for a year and you’ll be there.’ It was very inspirational.”

Once he’d recruited a group of school pals — including guitarist Dave Tirio—it was only a matter of a couple years before the Plain White T’s, who’d attracted a loyal following thanks to Tom’s ridiculously melodic tales of teen angst and loveless nights, were playing the Metro themselves. “Anytime we could get in front of a bunch of kids who’d never heard of us, we saw that as a huge opportunity,” he says. “Winning over fans, that’s what it’s all about. And even from when we were 16, we always wanted to be successful and have a wide audience.”

The music industry took notice of that success and after selling thousands of copies of their self-released 2002 debut, Stop, PWT’s were picked up by Fearless Records (home to Sugarcult, At The Drive-In and The Aquabats) who re-issued the album along with 2005’s All That We Needed. But it was their heartfelt, acoustic-tinged “Hey There Delilah” that cemented their status as potential hit makers. “We knew “…Delilah” was going to be something people would like,” says Tom, “and it’s turned out to be our biggest song yet.”

Check back here soon for the unveiling of the band’s Rockstar Menu item!