I was having drinks with some old friends on the Tattershall
Castle (a boat docked on the Thames near Embankment) a few months
ago, and got to talking with a friend of a friend, Joe Plampin,
who’s band had just gotten signed by a big record label. Finding
out more about how he got into music, it didn’t take me long
before I asked him: would you mind being interviewed for my
newsletter? I’m sure you’ll see why...
How would you describe yourself? Who is Joe?
I’m someone who definitely believes that you should do what you
want to do. Not to say I haven’t done stuff I haven’t liked. But
I’m now focusing on doing what I really want to do. Yes, it feels
like I have to fight for it sometimes, but I believe in what I’m
doing and am ready to make the sacrifices this might require from
me.
But on another front, I’m friendly and sociable, a real people
person. I love talking to people, and my previous work was
customer-oriented, because I can pretty much talk to anyone.
I have dreams, and I believe that I have no other choice but to
try and make those dreams come true. But I’d say I’m a grounded
realist. I’m not one of those dreamers, with my head in the
clouds, I’m very much about making things happen in the here and
now.
What are you working on now?
At the moment I’m working with my band (no name yet). I’m a bass
guitarist and backing singer. Right now, we’re reworking some of
our songs to fit in with our management company’s requests. We
retain artistic control over our work, but they share with us what
will sell – so we are adapting our lyrics accordingly.
This isn’t making us any money yet, so I’m playing in a few
different bands on a variety of gigs to get the money to do the
other stuff. It’s invaluable experience of performing in front of
different audiences. The bands I work actually consist of the same
people as the main band, but we play these gigs under various
different names, as we sometimes have to play covers on gigs that
we don’t want our brand to be necessarily known for.
What has been your journey to what you are doing now?
I started playing the trumpet when I was really young. My twin
sister started playing piano when we were five or six. I was
jealous, and chose to play the trumpet. I was classically trained
up until about the age of 16.
As time went on, I was less and less interested in it though.
At the age of 11 I picked up a guitar and fell in love. I taught
myself all the way until I was about 23, and then did my
professional development certificate in the guitar.
I finished my A-levels (high school diploma) when I was 18. I
wanted to go to music school, but my parents didn’t think it was a
good idea. So I went to study law. I did this for a while, but
didn’t enjoy it, so I left before I finished, and persuaded my
parents that music school was the right place for me. They were
supportive, but I had to get the money myself to go. So I got a
job to save up for music school, and started playing in bands on
the side.
The job I started with was working for a clothes company. I did
well, and got promoted often. Everyone thought I’d give up music
at some point. About a year ago, when the band was getting a lot
of interest from the industry heads, I decided that I had to make
a choice – as neither path was really going to succeed when I had
to devote time to the other. Music won. I took a massive pay cut,
moved out of London, and away from my girlfriend to Essex, where
the band is based. It’s turned out to be more than a full-time
job, but I love it.
When I first started playing in bands, I was a lead singer, but
eventually decided that what I really liked was being a bass
player. A few years ago I put my details up on loads of
band-related websites. I got over 100 responses from bands
interested in hearing me play. I chose a few I liked, and
auditioned for them. I really liked this one, and took the job
when it was offered to me. I travelled back and forth from London
every day (after working a full day at my clothing job) for over a
year before going into it full time.
Did you have any insecurities, questions, doubts when you
made your choice?
Massive and still do. I’m working at this to achieve security,
towards someone actually paying us to do this. I’ve spent many a
sleepless night wondering about what I’m doing, and especially
wondering if it’s worth the social sacrifices – most gigs are on
Friday and Saturday nights, so I don’t see my friends that often.
But I know many people who work 9 to 5 – and basically live for
the weekend. I did that and hated it. I guess I’m a rebel in my
own way. I can’t stand that way of thinking or living, I just want
to do what I want.
A big turning point for me in all this was losing my father and
loads of relatives in a short space of time. My father’s death
especially got me thinking that something could happen to me at
any point, I’ve got to do what I want now or I’ll regret it.
Even to this day, when someone asks me what I do, I still feel
weird saying “I’m a musician”. Some people even ask: “No, what do
you really do?”
How are you feeling now? How do you see the future?
I feel great, but tired (we’re putting in a lot of hours right
now). And I’m nervous, as it’s never a sure thing. This is one of
the toughest industries we’re trying to crack, and only very few
people actually succeed.
But I feel proud of what I’ve achieved so far, would love to go
all the way and will put everything I have into trying to make
that happen. I’m being optimistic, and it helps that there are a
lot of positive people around us supporting us, but at the same
time I’m mentally prepared for any eventuality.
Would you do anything differently?
Yes, I would have started music at 18 – it took me to my mid 20s
before I really got into it. I’m 28 now.
What advice would you give to other people in similar
situations as you were in?
* Be realistic, not for everyone, but you owe it to yourself to
try.
* There’s always a way if you really want it.
* Don’t get into financial trouble – find a way to get paid doing
what you want to do and put everything into it
* You can’t be precious – you get criticised a lot - so it’s
definitely not for the faint hearted!
As a kid - what did you want to be when you grew up? What
was work for you?
I think I wanted to be a policeman. I never wanted to be a shining
rock start, that’s for sure. Bass guitarists don’t really have the
glamour role – we’re usually the most sensible and grounded ones.
I mean how many bass guitarists can you name?
I wanted to be a professional musician, to play music as a
career and make money from when I was about 18.
Both of my parents were very hard-working – my mom is a
self-employed lawyer, and my dad was a self-employed engineer.
They worked all hours and incredibly hard. We used to work for
them during our school holidays. We had a little farm, so we also
had to take care of horses and feed the other animals. So we had a
strong work ethic from a very young age.
It hasn’t been easy – and I often wonder if this is the right
thing to do. But then we get on stage, and it’s fabulous. And the
record company likes what we’re doing – so it’s really feeling
like it’s all worth it.
