Local Band Breezing Through Talent Competitions
“We have plans to record an EP after all these contests,” says Josh Jacoby, guitarist for the band Plaxton and the Void – winners of the recently held Kosciusko’s Got Talent competition hosted by StaceyPageOnline.com. (See winning entry here)
The band, comprised of Jacoby, Joel Squires (vocals, acoustic guitar), Dave McCall (bass, melodica) and Tom Wagoner (drums), produced a video for their song “It’s You.” Fans voted on StaceyPageOnline.com, and Plaxton and the Void beat the Guy Franklin band by a mere 15 votes. The band won a $1,000 prize and a spot in the Jay County Chamber of Commerce “Stars in the Park” contest.
Plaxton and the Void have also made it to the quarterfinals of the Whatzup Battle of the Bands, held at Columbia Street West in Fort Wayne. On Aug. 1 they will be performing for a chance to progress in that competition.
Indeed the guys have been very busy lately. They released their debut album, Ides, in Dec. 2012. Plaxton and the Void recorded and mixed it by themselves in McCall’s basement, a place they call their “dungeon.” Tim Bushong mastered it, and “Matt McClure did the album art – graciously – on a ‘pay me if you can’ basis,” Jacoby says.
Though the band is not yet getting rich and quitting their day jobs, Plaxton and the Void is getting a good amount of work. Since dropping Ides last year, the band has played a healthy number of shows in Kosciusko County and the Fort Wayne area. They’ve come a long way since the guys started playing together.
“[Plaxton and the Void] started with Joel and I,” says Jacoby. He and Squires were in the band Bellwether together in the early 2000s. Bellwether disbanded, and Squires, who was playing drums, picked up an acoustic guitar and started writing original songs.
“He wrote some songs. I said, ‘those are good, let me put some electric to it,” Jacoby explains. They quickly put together an ample amount of original material. When the two decided to put a proper band together they knew exactly who to call.
“Dave and Tom have been playing together for a long, long time,” says Jacoby. “Since 2003,” McCall interjects. With a super tight rhythm section in place, the band’s current lineup was established. “It’s been the four of us for almost three years,” says Jacoby.
“Everything’s shaped around Joel’s songs,” says Jacoby. Squires works out skeletons of songs with his acoustic guitar. Once he settles on lyrics and melodies, the rest of the band starts adding accompaniment. They say they strive to be as dynamic as possible.
“Going from really loud to almost a whisper,” says Squires. “I feel like a lot of bands have lost that. A lot can be spoken through dynamics.”
While the band is certainly dynamic – hear “Siren Song” from Ides – it’s hard to define Plaxton and the Void’s sound. Squires, whose voice is almost impossible to compare to any other contemporary artist, cites Wilco and the Decemberists as influences. Jacoby mentions My Morning Jacket. “We all have varying tastes,” he says.
“We played the Downtown [in Warsaw] one time, and this guy came up and says, ‘this is going to sound weird, but you guys remind me of Nine Inch Nails.’ I was just like, ‘thanks man,’” recounts Squires.
NIN is a far cry from Plaxton and the Void, but the guys are always interested to hear comparisons because nobody seems to be able to nail down their sound.
Sometimes it’s poppy. Sometimes it’s folky. It gets a little psychadelic or atmospheric at times. Often it rocks, and most of the time its highly enjoyable.
If you haven’t heard Plaxton and the Void yet, it’s worth the haul to Fort Wayne to see them next week. Plus, it’s important to support the local talent. However, if you can’t spare the gas, they’re sure to be playing in Warsaw very soon.
“We want to do a ‘thank you’ show for winning the contest,” says McCall. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for upcoming events. If you want to download a copy of Ides, visit plaxtonandthevoid.bandcamp.com.