36-47 Vibes
3/10/08
9:33 AM
Page 41
DEE PLAKAS
The Sister Swing D
BY ANDREW LENTZ
ee Plakas is one lucky lady. As the drummer for Donita Sparks + The Stellar Moments, she has achieved a comfy working relationship with her old L7 bandmate that would be the envy of most groups. These two grrrls’ rapport is so snug, in fact, they finish each other’s sentences – or as the case may be – come up with drum parts together. “I’m not that precious about it. If she comes up with a great beat that she wrote and it really matches the song and I really dig it, I’m like, ‘Wow, less work for me,” Plakas explains in a vestigial Chicago accent, still getting through her first cup of coffee. “I don’t have to come up with the latest, greatest, newest neverbeen-invented drumbeat.” No worries there: Plakas is the queen of less-is-more. And she’s playing with the consistency of a click in every tune on the addictive new album, Transmiticate, where she takes that ol’ chestnut, “serve the music,” to heart. “When I first started playing the drums, I was self taught and I really wanted to be this busy, Keith Moon-type drummer, I wanted to be this explosion, just crazy. It’s funny because
VITALS Donita Sparks + The Stellar Moments AGE 46 (per Wikipedia – she was unwilling to divulge) BIRTHPLACE Chicago, IL INFLUENCES Keith Moon, John Bonham, Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts CURRENT RELEASE Transmiticate BAND
PHOTO BY ROBERT DOWNS
ALL GEARED UP DW Zildjian STICKS Pro-Mark HEADS Remo DRUMS
CYMBALS
MAY 2008
DRUM!
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