Does anyone else have difficulty classifying music these days? When I talk to bands, and I ask them what type of music they play, I get answers that mix rock, hip-hop, folk, melody and country all into one...something along the lines of a rocolktrymelohop sound.

Well, there isn’t any of that here - meet Planeside. They are a rock band. Pure rock and nothin’ else. “Their music appeals to audiences of many genres, and their live show will slap you in the face like a freight train conductor on acid!” As different critics have noted, while they can sound edgy, “at their core, they are as conservative as they come, playing music that’s pure, simple and straightforward.”

But who has heard of a three-person band in this day and age? My boss was just telling me of a friend’s band that she saw this weekend that consisted of ten members; tell me, isn’t there a nice happy medium ground somewhere? Planeside has found that the three piece sound works best for them because “every song has space that needs to be filled and sometimes filling up too much of it can kill the song.”

Well, it is obvious that a fewer number of performers really does work for the New York natives of Planeside. Bassist Ken Hirasaki, drummer Craig Sala, and singer/guitarist Dave Harris have been luring a following through radio airplay, a street team, website and constant touring that can’t get enough of them since they joined forces in the fall of 1999. Ken and Craig have worked together since their time in Joni’s Butterfly in ‘92. Dave joined in after briefly meeting them while he was working as a roadie.

Planeside is set to come out with their new album this month that they have been in the studio working on, “Milk”, which will feature “10 original tracks that encompass the sound of rock that we once knew”. You can check out a sneak preview of one of the songs, “Two Messages” from the album by clicking on the cover on the next page. Also, be sure to check out their website at www.planeside.com to pick up a copy of their newest Rock release!