Having been praised by none other than the great Steve Vai as "the future of exceptional guitar playing," Plini explained in an interview with Guitar Stories how he tries to make his music, even if it's instrumental, much more interesting.
However it seems that Plini hasn't practiced seriously in a long time, since he gets bored practicing scales. "I haven't practiced seriously for a really long time because I don't enjoy it that much but when I'm writing music I'll try to do something that I haven't done before and then as I'm trying to record it I'll spend like hours or days or however long it takes to build up that certain technique and then when we're doing a tour I'll practice a lot just playing the songs before the tour but it's rare that I just sit down and just practice a scale or something like that because I just get bored."
Whether one likes prog or not, this Australian guitarist appeals to young people who are creatively driven and independent as well as older audiences desiring the precision of guitar heroes but the accessibility of modern rock. That's what he likes the most about progressive music, "…Prog music feels very free, like you can do anything, take things from other genres and you shouldn't have to worry that it doesn't sound like pop. or R&B or jazz, you can follow what interests you and I make fun of it. That's why I like it…" and maybe that's precisely why, in one way or another, his fans get hooked, either on one part of or the entire song.
"When I'm listening to something for the first time I try to listen to it just as overall as possible and if I like something, like if it makes me feel something then I'll listen to it over and over again because I like and then I start to think like why do I like this what's happening like there is a sound that's really cool is there a chord that's really cool and then I'll start to get more analytical because that's when I want to steal something from it basically but when I first listen I'm trying to just appreciate it on the whole and see how it makes me feel."
Something that makes Plini stand out is that there is something refreshing in his music, he tries to change but solidify, in turn, the sound of the band. Plini has established a new standard with his music, which at times veers from powerful, progressive rhythms to jazzier interludes and soaring solos. He constantly tries to find ways to surprise people with different sounds, melodies, chords, creating a complete harmonious harmony: "I would say that probably my main goal in writing music is to put together things that I like that haven't been put together before and when people listen to it, maybe they'll recognize things, but I hope it's surprising and a nice thing to hear."
Perhaps that's what Plini likes about Jakub's playing: "My favorite like modern guitarist is Jakub because he constantly does that to me, I'm like how the f… did you come up with any of this…One of the things I love about my band is they're all way better than me at the instruments. So, a lot of the time I'll just be playing something very simple, and they'll be going crazy. So I imagined the audience will spend as much time looking at everyone else as they will at me."
At every concert the true extent of Plini and his band's talent is on display to great acclaim, the more you see them the more you realize the different melodies they are constantly improvising. If you want to go see them and convince yourself check out one of the dates below and buy your tickets here.
10/28 Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver, Canada
10/30 The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
10/31 Star Theater, Portland, OR
11/02 Goldfield Trading Post Roseville, Roseville, CA
11/03 Ventura Music Hall, Ventura, CA
11/04 House of Blues Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
11/05 191 Toole, Tucson, AZ
11/07 The Rock Box, San Antonio, TX
11/08 White Oak Music Hall (Down), Houston, TX
11/10 Underbelly, Jacksonville, FL
11/11 CREDO Conduit, Orlando, FL
11/12 Culture Room,Fort Lauderdale, FL
11/14 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
11/15 Lincoln Theater, Raleigh, NC
11/16 Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA
11/17 XL Live, Harrisburg, PA
11/18 Palladium, Worcester, MA
11/19 Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY
