JUNE 2, 2010

iNTERViEWED BY BRiAN LUSH
PHOTOGRAPH BY LARRY PRiCE
The Tohajiilee Navajo Reservation ain’t exactly ground zero when it comes to the latest thing in music but for eighteen year old singer and guitar slinger LEVI PLATERO, it is home ad the source of inspiration behind the music that he performed with his band THE PLATEROS. Tohajiilee may be a curious launching ground for a rock band but when one takes a gander at how far THE PLATEROS have come in a reasonable amount of time, one is left wondering what is in the water besides uranium. I’ve interviewed some personalities in my time n I’ve also interviewed some low-key individuals. LEVI PLATERO has got to be one of the most unassuming front men that I’ve ever come across. Even though our interview was conducted over the phone, I could sense that my interviewee was nervously looking to the ground as he quietly recounted the genesis of his band and the projected course of his musical evolution. Hell, I was the one that had to point out the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that his band received when they took part in the NATIVE MUSIC ROCK tour across the country. The band earned invaluable touring experience while sharing the stage with the likes of DEREK MILLER, KEITH SECOLA, MICKI FREE and MARTHA REDBONE on a nightly basis. If that wasn’t enough, LEVI and his band have stormed the Millenium Stage at the KENNEDY CENTER – not the sort of gig you see listed on any New Mexico band’s MYSPACE page. Young LEVI’s modesty is indeed puzzling but maybe that just stems from putting the music first.

ROCKWIRED spoke with LEVI PLATERO of THE PLATEROS over the phone. Here is how it went.

How do you think that your latest CD ‘HANG ON’ is different form your previous release?
This album has a sound that we as a group invented. Our sound is blues rock with a positive message. It’s very different from everything that we’ve done up to this point because we put a lot of effort into it. I don’t think we’ve ever been as perfection-driven as we were on this album. The sound on this album is ‘us’. There is no other way to describe it.

Since you all started the band, what has been the biggest surprise for you?
How far we’ve come as musicians has been the biggest surprise. The entire band and I have really progressed without even knowing it. Our sound and our stage presence have totally been enhanced. There is a lot of emotion that goes into our playing- especially live.

How did music begin for you?
To be honest with you, I’ve always been around music. My dad had a band when he was younger. He was a drummer and when I was little I would listen in on his band’s jam sessions. I started messing around with a little piano when I was like five or six, then I started playing drums when I was seven years old. From then on, I was completely into music. I was hooked. I started playing guitar when my dad brought home a ‘how-to’ book on guitar playing by STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN. I was hooked on that thing and spent my whole fifth grade year getting the notes right and playing note for note. It was a really good experience.

So it was essentially your dad’s music that reeled you in.
Of course! Of course! It’ll always be my dad that inspired me. My dad has done so much for the band and he’s inspired me to do different things and to push myself creatively.

How did this whole thing come together? How was it decided that you were going to pick up thee instrument, play this music and go on the road?
I don’t even think that we knew that it was going to start. At first, I was just learning how to play guitar and jamming out with my dad and his friends here and there. I spent most of my time in this music room that we have next door to our house and I would crank my amp up to ‘ten’ and just go. My cousin DOUGLAS PLATERO (the band’s drummer would hear what I was doing and we would just jam. We did that for about a month then my dad came in and picked up the bass and it all started from there. We did a live recording in a studio. Recently, I found that CD that we recorded and when I listened to my guitar playing back then, and I thought I sucked. It was cool listening to it knowing how much I have progressed as a guitarist.

What do you think that your band mates BRONSON and DOUGLAS bring to the table that make this whole thing work?
BRONSON BEGAY is a really good friend of mine. I first met him in Kayenta, Arizona. He had to play for me one time and I was so nervous just because I wasn’t used to that but it turned out that he was a great bass player. It kind of shocked me. He’s also a great keyboard player and a great guitar player as well. Ever since, we’ve kept in touch and he sort of became like my older brother.  DOUGLAS is a like an older brother to me also

How does songwriting work within this band?
My dad MURPHY PLATERO actually wrote all of the songs on HANG ON but DOUG and I composed all of the music. Now, I’ve written a few songs since that album had come out so I’m hoping to have a new album out by the end of this year.

What songs from HANG ON resonate for you the most and why?
I think I would have to say that the song CHANGES does. It’s got that E Minor shuffle and it’s about the changes that happen throughout life. It’s all about coming to the realization that a change has to be made within your self.

How are live shows going for the band at the moment.
They’re going pretty good. We’ve only done about three shows with BRONSON now and things are going great. I’m having so much fun and there are more shows coming up. We did a show at the GATHERING OF NATIONS POW WOW in Albuquerque. That was a great show! I had so much fun even though it was kind of nerve wracking to play in front of all of those people.

You still get stage fright? Weren’t you on the NATIVE MUSIC ROCKS tour?
Yeah, we were! That was pretty cool! It was great hanging out with some of the other bands like CASPER and DEREK MILLER. It was a great experience. Everyone was so kind. It’s the Seminole Tribe that put that whole NATIVE MUSIC ROCKS thing together and every year they outdo themselves. They’re doing a lot to try to get contemporary native music out there.

What would you like someone to come away with after they’ve listened to the bands music?
I’d like for them to walk away with a good feeling. I never expect people to be knocked out by the musicianship but if they are that would be fine with me.

BRIAN LUSH holds a BA in Creative Writing from  the UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO. He established ROCKWIRED on New Years of 2004 and hasn’t looked back since. From January 2005 to March 2009, LUSH was the host of the weekly internet radio show ROCKWIRED LIVE. He produced the program for the AMERICAN RADIO NETWORK. As the editor-in-chief for ROCKWiRED MAGAZiNE, LUSH is hands-on when it comes to interviewing and building a lasting rapport with the artists that come ROCKWiRED’s way. As a youngster, BRIAN LUSH had no idea what kind of seed was being planted by reading magazines such as HIT PARADE, HIGH TIMES, SPIN, REQUEST (remember that one?) and even ROLLING STONE (but to a significantly lesser degree). “Those were the days before the internet and being a rock journalist looked like the coolest job imaginable.” says LUSH “But reading these magazines had me imagining that one day I’d be the artist giving all of the clever answers to some poor guy with a tape recorder. Well, life has a way of surprising you. Now, I’m the poor guy with the tape recorder and asking all of the questions.”