www.fictionplane.net

By Anny Slama
Photos by Lana Theo

Pete fills me in on life as a threesome, touring with Snoop Dogg, and family ties, all while the band puts the finishing touches on their new album.

AS: Okay, well, Hello Pete and Happy New Year, for starters!

PW: Happy New Year!

AS: So I guess let's get right into it. The band has been pretty busy. You’re working on your third full-length album and I read you wanted to make this album “uniquely Fiction Plane.” Can you define that for me? Who or what is Fiction Plane?

PW: Well, it's changed over the years. The band has been a band I think for about ten years now, and I've been in the band seven years. For me, that phrase for me means that the trio, the existing trio that's been the lineup for the past three years, I think has really come into our own because of all the touring we've done in the last three years and just kind of growing closer as friends and bandmates. So because of all the touring and all the live playing I think that contributed to what I feel is uniquely Fiction Plane, which is kind of capturing the live sound of our live shows on an album type thing.

AS: I see.

PW: So that's why I feel like the band has progressed and really come into our own and I think that we captured that for the latest album.

AS: Do we have a name for this album yet?

PW: We don't. Actually, we've been discussing it today. We don't have a name. We've got a few kicking around, but I don't know. You know, this album happened pretty quickly because we kind of wanted to. We finished the touring cycle and then we took a bit of a break and then we, the beginning of 2009 we said, “We'd better start doing some writing.” So we did writing sessions; three in New York and three in London. And then immediately went into the studio and started recording and did like about 14 tracks in London. And then did another writing session and did five more tunes in Bath, England. And the combination of all those, it's probably going to be an eleven-song album, which does not have a name yet, but …

AS: Oh, it'll just come to you!

PW: Yeah.

AS: And so can you tell us a little bit about the sound of this new album?

PW: Yeah, you know, because we did it in two separate parts, it did have… not super distinct different sounds, but I think it was kind of the full range of what Fiction Plane is. Because we're a trio, live we are somewhat limited to three separate instruments, although we throw in a couple samples every now and then.

But the first approach we took when we went in to the studio in London was, “Let's take the songs that we've written and let's explore different soundscapes in the studio.” So the first batch of songs, we went in and we kind of threw everything and the kitchen sink, everything from, like, harmonium to a tiny little music box to djembe and all these percussion things, just to see what it would sound like. And I think that we're all really excited with the sound fabric that we kind of weaved in the studio, and those were really exciting. And then you take a few months to listen to it and let it sink in, and then we had another writing session and we did an immediate live gig after that writing session, so it was more imperative that we come up with songs that we could play immediately. So then the second recording session was more the pared down, live sound. Just more, like, “Let's go in and play like we would live.”

AS: More raw sounding?

PW: Yeah, it was a lot more raw, but a big sound.
So I think this album will have kind of a very small-to-large type feel. There are very delicate parts on the album and then there are very big, bombastic, live, raw sounds on the album. Overall, I think the album is really energetic and very exciting.

AS: Is there a tentative release date yet?

PW: Tentatively it would be late spring of this year. We're all hustling to try and get it all done; we're actually finishing the mix, but hopefully going to get it out by, I guess, late April or something.


















AS: Awesome! Okay, well, I guess everyone has songs that they either like to work out to or take with them on long road trips. What do you envision people doing when listening to the new Fiction Plane CD?

PW: I envision them working out on a long road trip. No, just joking….

Both: (laughter)

PW: I don't know. You know, the songs have got a lot of dance-y, rock-y, groovy type things. I mean, there were a few songs that we even kind of wove together in the studio because we felt like it sounded good playing them live back-to-back.
So we kind of took that approach to make it more of a show, you know? Like, it is an album but …

AS: It's like we’re hearing you live.

PW: Yeah, it's almost like you're at one of our shows. So I think it's pretty high energy and it's exciting. And there are moments that are really delicate, but overall, I think when you listen to this album it makes you want to move, you know? It really energizes you to …

AS: Jump around and dance!

PW: Yeah! You know, to slamdance!

AS: Well, with Left Side of the Brain, which was your first album as a threesome, did the band initially try to replicate the sound of the original foursome? Was there ever any talk of replacing Dan?

PW: There was talk of replacing Dan. Originally when he left, we all talked about auditioning bass players and we kind of went through our heads, and then I think simultaneously we all had the idea of, “Well, Joe's a great bass player even though it's not his first instrument. So why don't we try it as a trio and see how it sounds and see if we're lacking anything?” And, you know, we did a couple just going into the studio and playing and recording, and it was great. And our chemistry more than anything was something that we all said it's very difficult to achieve this kind of chemistry - it takes time and it takes the right personality. So we were all really happy with the trio aspect. It makes things easier, to be honest with you. Not only sonically and melodically for us it makes things easier and bigger, but it was just personality, making decisions. Everything was just easier.
So when we did Left Side of the Brain, that was kind of a unique thing too because we had this deadline. We got offered the Police tour and then there was a bit of hesitation and then we decided to do it because we didn't want to—well, I didn't want to end up in therapy the rest of my life! (laughter). And so then we had this deadline of “If we're going to go on the Police tour, we've got to have this album done.”

AS: And a year after that tour, you went on tour with Snoop!

PW: Yeah.

AS: That's intriguing. Was it intentional to blend the genres of music like that? And how were you received by Snoop's fans?

PW: You know, it was a really fun tour. It was a lot smaller and totally different tour than the Police tour, which was just a unique experience. But the Snoop tour was all about having fun. Everyone, 311, Snoop, they were really, really exciting bands and they were all about having fun. So I think it was really good for us to continue playing big stages and to connect with a different type of audience. It was more of a younger audience than the Police tour, which was exciting to us.
And there were a lot of hip-hop fans there but there were also a lot of reggae/rock fans there too, so I think we were pretty well received. I mean, the only downside of that tour is because it's three bands, you're the first on and you're usually on in the afternoon or early evening and people are just trickling in.

AS: Yeah true…

PW: So it's truly a warm-up type situation where you're having to really introduce yourself to a crowd and capture them immediately and win them over. So we're used to that because we've been doing that a lot in our careers.
But it was still a bit of a challenge, and I think Joe really rose to the occasion more than any of us. I mean, we all got used to playing on big stages, but for him, connecting with a new audience was … It was something he's really gotten good at, and he continued to progress.

AS: So you mentioned your tour with Sting and with the Police. What would you say the band learned from being on the road with such revered performers?

PW: It's an amazing thing. It's such a unique experience to be on a tour like that. It's just a tour that I never thought would ever happen, let alone see, let alone be a part of! So it was a giant military circus, I guess I could say, where there were so many people and so many things going on, but it was run with brutal efficiency. And I guess it was a very professionally run thing, and that was interesting to see, such a big production and how it all happens and, you know?

AS: And it goes off without a hitch night after night.

PW: As far as the crowd knows, yes!

AS: Right!

PW: Even though there were hitches and times where Sting was losing his voice and Joe was losing his voice and whatever, people were sick and people were hurt, myself included. It was all about being as professional as you could and going out there for your however long you got, and putting on a great show. And you know, even though the Police played pretty much the same set list—they changed it up a little bit—and Sting would say some of the same jokes and say some of the same things, it was still very professional and it was a really good show. And I think that taught us that even though you can get into a certain monotony, you can still be professional and put on a good show and people will love it.

AS: That’s a good lesson to take from it.

PW: Yes, the whole thing was inspiring. I'm really glad that we got a chance to do it, and it really helped break us into other markets. I mean, especially—we were starting to get something in Europe, but it really helped push that.





















AS: Great! Well, I guess public curiosity is aroused whenever a well-known, successful artist's offspring decides to join the family business. (Joe Sumner, lead singer of Fiction Plane calls Sting “Dad”). And of course the media pounces on inevitable comparisons and scrutiny. Did you ever find any of that in the band's early years? And is it something that you continue to see?

PW: You know, it's a strange thing being just a regular guy from Indiana who kind of gets into this weird circus, because I've never been like that. I've never been like, you know, in awe of quote “famous people” or whatever.
I just know they're people and it's what they do and whatever. So to me, an outsider suddenly on the inside, is quite strange because all these weird comparisons and the stress and shadows and all this stuff, it becomes your problem too, in a way. Because you're now a part of it, and I can deal with it a lot differently than Joe can deal with it because it's not necessarily directed at me.
It's indirectly directed at me, so it is … The focus and the stress has changed over the years, and it used to be something that Joe would really push away. And he's a smart guy, probably the smartest guy I know, and he knows that eventually they're going to get to you and if that's what you're going to do, if you're going to do what your dad does, then you're going to be compared to him. So he's taken a real walk through the ring of fire there and kind of faced it head on by going on tours with his dad and with the Police. It's always the question that you know is going to come and …that gets boring for him.
He's dealing with it a lot better and the band's dealing with it a lot better, purely because it's just time, you know? We are a band, we're our own band. Even though we've taken certain gifts like the Police tour, we still have to prove ourselves as a band.

AS: Certainly.

PW: And get your own fans and do all that, so the comparisons will always be there and we'll never be the Police. We'll never be Sting. But it's nice to know that Joe's so talented that he's doing the right thing. I mean, this is not something he's doing on a whim. This is really who he is and the band is its own band.

AS: I think it's probably just more audience curiosity sometimes, right?

PW: Sure.

AS: It's something to talk about and then it passes …

PW: It's human nature.

AS: Well, I think you yourself have definitely built up quite a fan base as evidenced by you being voted Modem Drummer Magazines 3rd Up and Coming Drummer by your fans! So you are one to watch! Growing up who were your music idols?

PW: Oh, I had so many. I mean … You know, first and foremost, as cliché as it sounds, I think the Beatles were the first band that really caught my ear and made me want to play music. Because I started playing in the fourth grade, me and another friend had a band, and we started basically writing our own tunes kind of modeled after Beatles songs. And so it was music first and drumming second, and then I realized that I love to play the drums, and then I started getting into all these drummers. You know, like Tony Williams, Buddy Rich, Vinnie Colaiuta, Neal Peart, John Bonham, all these drummers.

AS: Mm-hm.

PW: So those drummers led me to those bands and Stewart Copeland was definitely one of those guys, the Police. They were a huge influence on me. I loved everything about them. I loved the feel, the looseness, the energy, the kind of punk attitude. So I guess I definitely came from a rock/jazz background where I learned a lot about drums as an instrument and how they fit into each genre, how the drummer works within this certain framework. So I have a wide range of musical tastes and musical loves, for sure. I mean, I grew up playing in the jazz bands and I got a jazz degree from Indiana University, but I was always playing in rock bands and fusion and all that stuff, so.

AS: You mentioned earlier in describing the new album, that it was kind a two-parter, where there are some more melodic and mellow, so to speak, tunes and then the more heavy rock songs, so that should make for an interesting live show when you take it on the road.
For those who have not seen the Paradiso DVD or even had the chance to catch a show, what can we expect to see at a Fiction Plane concert?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjzpSULRsqE

PW: Oh, you can expect to see Joe probably jumping off everything that's available to jump off. Seton with roaring, huge guitar solos coming from such a small guy—I always say “small.” He's actually of average size, you know, but since I'm 6'4” and Joe's 6'1” or 6'2”, he seems smaller. So he's really coming into his own as far as a guitar player and playing bigger solos. I'm playing, you know, big, loud rock drums. So I would say you can expect a wall of sound with as much energy as three guys can provide. And we like to get the crowd involved too, and make it a big party. So there are moments where it's a lot of improvising and we kind of go on a little journey and hopefully the crowd goes with us and everybody enjoys it!

AS: And is a tour in the works?

PW: Yeah! Yeah, we're working on it right now. We're going to hit as many summer festivals as we can.

AS: In North America or worldwide?

PW: Well, we're going to try everywhere that the album's going to be released, we're going to try and do some touring. So that may include North America. Hopefully we can fit them all in. We'll definitely do Europe and hopefully North America, and then maybe even Japan and Australia. So we'll see.

AS: Hopefully you'll make it back to Toronto. I know you were here a couple of years ago playing at the Elmo.

PW: Yeah. We really enjoyed Toronto. We can't wait to come back.

AS: Okay then. Well, hope to catch you when you're back on tour! And thank you so much for taking the time out to chat with FAZER!

PW: It was my pleasure.

AS: Good luck with the rest of the album. Thanks, Pete. Have a great day.

PW: Thank you.