By Glen Ess (Contributor) – Email
The Sylvia Platters, a Langley-based pop-rock band with punk-rock length songs, played their first show here in Abbotsford in over a year on Saturday. The Sylvia Platters played at the Basement downtown alongside Frankie, Alea Rae, and Kin — one of the most exciting line-ups Red Tape Productions has put together for the Basement. I was glad to have the chance to talk to the Platters before the show.
As we stood outside in a slightly chilly breeze, we covered a lot of ground in just over 15 minutes, from the origin of their name to their hobbies outside of music.
According to guitarist and lead singer Nick Ubels, the band members “love Sylvia Plath, and it sounds a little bit like Silver Platter,” which was a refreshingly concise reason, especially when compared to more out-there band names that just make you sit back and go, “Wait … what?”
Originally a three-piece consisting of Nick Ubels, Tim Ubels on drums, and Simon Tressel on bass (they’ve since also had Jeffrey Trainor on guitar, but Luke Agawin was playing with them that night), the Platters have been together for two and half years and recorded their debut album over the last year.
“Simon’s parents own a cabin near Mt. Baker, so we went down there for about a week,” Nick said as we covered the long process behind bringing an album to completion, having had the recording mastered way back in May and the release still to come. The band also took the time to walk me through their creative process, which is a collaborative effort.
“Rhyming dictionaries are a huge help,” said Tim, following it up with a tongue-in-cheek, “I’m not ashamed to admit it … I think our music comes first and our lyrics come second.”
As we got closer to the start of the gig, I decided that perhaps it’d be nice to switch back to a more relaxed topic, and choose to ask the band what they do outside of their jobs and outside of the Sylvia Platters. To my surprise the band all agreed that playing board games, organized by Tim, is a fun way to hang out with friends. Nick quickly darted in with, “Tim has a blog!” to which Tim responded with a deadpan, “Don’t mention the blog.”
The digital release date for the Sylvia Platters’ debut album, Make Glad The Day, is November 27, and the band will be playing their release show at Brother’s Billiards. Tim Ubels’ board game blog at www.cardboardevangelist.wordpress.com deserves much love.
Glen Ess hosts Rhythm & Rhyme on CIVL 101.7 every Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.
Nick Ubels is a former editor-in-chief of The Cascade. Jeffrey Trainor is a current employee of The Cascade.
For a concert review of Sylvia Platters, Alea Rae, Frankie, and Kim, check out page 17 in Arts in Review.
