A lot of bands focus their time on releasing and promoting new songs and albums. But Milwaukee-based band Vanity Plates has a different approach.
Vocalist and guitarist Alex Shah says writing, crafting and playing songs has always come first for the band — with release and promotion as more of an afterthought.
"It's really hard to promote an album. And the music landscape has changed so much," he says. "So I think right now the focus is really just honing the songs and recording them and kind of figuring out how we want to release them — whenever."
Ahead of Vanity Plates' tour kicking off at X-Ray Arcade on May 13, Shah joined Lake Effect's Joy Powers in-studio — along with bassist Peter Ciolino and drummer Shane Timm. The band kicked of their set with unreleased song, Fingers Numb.
Shah and Timm started Vanity Plates in 2017, with Ciolino joining the band during the pandemic. As Milwaukee music veterans, the band has witnessed the scene grow and change over the years.
"Just hearing a new generation of kids pick up instruments and seeing more diversity in rock n' roll has been really cool," Shah says. "It's been a weird time for a long time, and that usually bring about some pretty cool music."
From basements to Cactus Club to Linneman's Riverwest Inn, Shah says small venues have helped independent music thrive.
Lately, the band has been preparing for tour and honing in new songs at Shah's newly-built home studio in Enderis Park. Although they have a "backlog" of songs ready to record, the band is in no rush to put out new material.
"You're supposed to write something and work on it and record it and play it and be like 'This is the first song for our new album,'" Shah says. "We just kind of write and then play it — because there aren't really any rules. And we get excited about the new songs and just want to play them."
The band closed their set with "I Know I'm Not Responsible For Your Feelings, But..." — a song Shah wrote about the highs and lows of his relationship with his wife and partner of 10 years.
_
