Photo by Mike Sullivan
Recently, I was lucky enough to get a minute with Jason Plahutnik and Phil Trusky of the Chicago based indie electro-rock band Battlestations, and ask them a few questions.
Battlestations | The Sweet Things
Your debut album The Unicorn just came out in February, but I hear you guys are already working on another record?
Jason: Yes, we’ve got a bunch of new songs in the works. We have a plethora of songs [laughs]
You don’t see too many rock bands with a banjo, what’s that about?
Jason: It’s awesome, it’s got a sweet toy sound. We had it in our space so we used it, pretty much everything in our space gets used.
You’ve got a lot of computers & other equipment when you play, is it rough getting to gigs with all that gear?
Phil: It’s going ok so far… it’s a work in progress. We’re looking for a better way to…
Jason: We’re always looking to streamline…
Phil: Which is not really happening, it just keeps getting bigger!
What have you guys been listening to lately?
Phil: TV On The Radio, lots of it. I just heard the new one.
Jason: Battlestations! [laughs] Um, I don’t know…everything….shuffle!
What was the last record you bought?
Phil: Radiohead. The King Of Limbs.
Jason: It’s actually been awhile since I bought anything. I just downloaded some Tyler The Creator.
Battlestations next show is May 14th at Cole’s Chicago. You can pick up their debut LP The Unicorn on limited edition white vinyl for ten bucks at Bandcamp. Their official website is here.
Battlestations:
Jason Plahutnik (Guitar, Vocals)
Mike Marcinkowski (Drums)
Bob Carey (Bass)
Dan Sullivan (Vocals, Percussion)
Francis Gilbert (Guitar)
Phil Trusky (Keyboards, Synthesizers)
