Planes Mistaken For Stars

Peoria, Illinois is two and a half hours away from the sophistication of Chicago. The small town, with its factory-filled skyline, is the birthplace and former home of Planes Mistaken for Stars.

This post hard-core band has its humble lessons in life from the rust belt, Joe six-pack region of the United States. Desperately needing an escape from the drudgery of a life-time of factory work, and rust belt depression, PMS has traded it all in for a tour van, and a new home base, Denver, Col.

Denver has given this, workhorse of a band, new energy. The move was a wise choice for PMS, giving them national attention and a very loyal following, but they have not forgotten home.

Singer/guitarist Garred O’Donnell, “What I’ve noticed a lot in bigger cities, in places that are Mecca’s of culture, Mecca’s of subculture or whatever, the kids have everything handed to them, for the most part,” he says. “It shows a lot in some of the bands, too. They don’t have the same kind of fire. When a touring band comes through a city like that, the kids aren’t as hungry. When we got bands coming on tour to Peoria, we were hungry for it.”

PMS has most definitely not lost their fire. They explode with energy from the get go on their new album “Fuck With Fire.” You can feel the bands history and what they stand for in this new album. Sentimental lyrics combined with ground shaking guitar lines and unbridled, raw emotion, have given the band “cred” with the “thinking man’s” hard-core scene, and with “emo kids” alike, around the nation.

When it came time to record Fuck With Fire, the band signed on with Florida’s No Idea Records, a punk and indie stalwart that also claims Hot Water Music, Small Brown Bike and Christie Front Drive. Speaking of Hot Water Music, if you a fan of them you must check out Planes Mistaken For Stars.

I don’t know, maybe it’s the grass is greener on the other side of the fence thing, but these bands from the mid-west always pull on my heartstrings. For the most part, I believe what they are selling.