The alter ego of
Interpol's
Paul Banks,
Julian Plenti's musical career is actually slightly longer than that of
Banks' other project:
Banks conceived of
Plenti in 1996 and began performing as an acoustic solo artist in 1998, playing venues including the Knitting Factory and Tobacco Road. He continued writing and performing as
Plenti while
Interpol's fame grew, but
Plenti took a sabbatical around 2003. In 2006,
Banks revived the
Plenti work when he began experimenting with the recording software Logic Pro and demoed new and old songs. In 2008,
Banks recorded final versions of the
Plenti songs with string and brass sections, as well as friends like
Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino,
Ratatat's Mike Stroud, Stiff Jesus' Striker Manley, and
the Occasion's
Charles Burst. The results,
Julian Plenti Is Skyscraper, arrived in summer 2009. ~ Heather Phares