The Ballad Of The Mike Plume Band
by Mike Plume as told to Mike Plume
The first seeds of the Mike Plume Band were planted in September
of 1985 when I met Ernie Basiliadis at High School football tryouts
in Bonnyville Alberta, Canada.I had just moved to Bonnyville from
Moncton, New Brunswick in Eastern Canada.
Ernie and I formed our first band and played around town thru our
high school years. In 1989, I was teaching guitar lessons in
Bonnyville and one of my students was a 13 year old kid.
Enter future bass player Derek Mazurek.
In 1993 I put out my first album (Songs from a Northern Town) and
began to tour around Western Canada. I lost touch with Ernie.
In ’94 I was looking for a guitar player
and offered the gig to Derek.
He said “No”. Mazurek, who, oddly enough,
was playing in a band at the time with Ernie
said he would fill in until I found someone.
Derek and Ernie said they knew of a guitar
player from Fort McMurray Alberta.
Enter Dave Klym.
The gig was his by the second or third note. The band that Derek
and Ernie were playing in fell apart. Mazurek now in need of a gig
took the bass spot the second it opened up. I again lost touch
with Ernie (he does that sometimes).
Over the next year or so there were numerous lineup changes
in the M.P.B. I didn’t see the forest for the trees. I didn’t hear the
beat for the drums, if you will. Enter, finally and again, Ernie.
We did our first official gig together in May of 1996. In 1997
we put out two albums “Song And Dance, Man” and “Simplify”
Somehow we managed to play just shy of 200 one niters all across
Canada and Europe. In 1998 we made our first jump into the USA.
Toured like fools in a hurry and played 225 shows. We also
recorded a new album called “Steel Belted Radio EP”. In 1999 we
played 249 one niters. “Song And Dance, Man” was released in
the USA on Eminent Records in June of ’99. In 2000 we played
another 220 shows.
Unfortunately, in April of that year Derek Mazurek had decided
to make his exit from the band.He got married and decided to
see what living a life in one town for more than 12 hours felt like.
No harm, No foul. But it certainly rocked the band and not
“rocked” in the rock and roll sense. I, for one, was heartbroken.
We trudged on.Enter Meck Myers on bass guitar.
We recorded “Fools For The Radio” in
November of 2000. We released it on
September 11th, 2001. Once again,
the band was rocked and not “rocked”
in the rock and roll sense. We did our
last show on October 25th 2002 in
Wakefield Quebec. I was tired
and in desperate need of a break. Exhausted. Confused.
Broken hearted. So, after, give or take, 1200 shows in 8 years
we called it a day.
Dave, Meck and Ernie continued on without me. They call
themselves the Populars. Meck left the Populars in May of 2006.
Enter Ben Wilson on bass guitar.
Over the last 6 years I’ve played 100 shows, tops. I left Nashville
in May of ’03. We moved to Toronto. My wife and I had a daughter
(Ruby) in July of ’04. I found out what it was like to live in a town
for more than 12 hours. I liked it. I liked it a lot.
We did a reunion show in July of ’04 for no other reason than
the hell of it. What a blast. We did a second show in May of ’05.
Two hours long. No set list. No rehearsal. Nothin’ but net.
Like falling off a rock. Like rolling down a hill.
My family and I moved back to Tennessee in August of ’06.
Suddenly I was back in the business of writing songs for a living.
A couple of phone calls in the early part of 2008 lead to the idea
of maybe doing a new record in May.
I never thought I’d be at this point again.
I never thought I cared this much about it.
I was wrong.
Hey Ho Lets Go.
-Mike
