April 2006 Featured User

Plstrcast

Chelle: Where were you born/raised?

Plstrcast: Born in Queens , NY . Raised in northern NJ.

Chelle: How many different cities have you lived in? What's the best thing about where you live in now?

Plstrcast: Queens , NY
Montvale , NJ
Garden City, Long Island
NYC, NY
Westwood , NJ ; this is where I live now & I love its suburban location, yet it's a stone's throw away from good 'ol NYC.

Chelle: Do you have any brothers/sisters?

Plstrcast: 2 older brothers, 1 younger sister.

Chelle: What is your earliest memory?

Plstrcast: I think my first memory is my father's friends, who had a band & would play all the hippie music of the times. Lots of CCR, Who, Grateful Dead… I know the guitar sounds had an influence on me.

Chelle: When did you first get into music?

Plstrcast: See above, I've been around music & musicians all of my life.

Chelle: Did you play any instruments as a child that you don't play any more?

Plstrcast: My first instrument was clarinet… not exactly the instrument that gets you the girl.

Chelle: When did you start playing bass?

Plstrcast: I'm actually a guitar player who plays bass just because NO ONE ELSE WILL! LOL. That started back in grade school. We had our very first band, where I was one of 2 guitarists. The bass player kind of sucked (not his fault, he had only just started playing). So we got rid of him & I just picked up a friend's bass (He was NEVER going to play it anyway) and I just took to it really fast.

Chelle: Talk about the bands you've been in.

Plstrcast: My very first band was Zodiac, we were all 12-13 years old and all we could play was Help (The Beatles), Just What I Needed (The Cars), and Freebird! LMAO, I know we had a bunch more songs that we played, but those three stand out.

From Zodiac came my first REAL band, Rapid Fire. This band was the drummer, guitarist & myself from Zodiac who decided it was time to throw down the jams. We were the youngest band to perform at the High School battle of the bands & WIN while none of us were high school age! We played War Pigs, Eruption, and YYZ and just rocked the house. We were the big party band all through High School & everyone swore we would be the next Van Halen. So, anyway...

Then came college; Body Art. Body Art was an interesting band, another trio with me on bass, even though I could play circles around the guitarist… again, bass out of the need for one. What was so interesting about this band, for me, was the style of music that we played. New Wave was starting to get old in 1982-83 and "Alternative" was just starting. We were all into such different kinds of music; I was very into Van Halen, Crue, some new band from Cali called Metalli--something… and my drummer was into Zappa, Utopia, and Missing Persons. The guitarist was in to Joy Division, The Jam, even Grateful Dead & The Violent Femmes. We sort of threw everything into a blender and came up with some very cool music. Too bad the guitarist & I couldn't get along.. I ended up quitting that band, soon after, the drummer, Tabor quit too, leaving just Gregg… He went and found 3 other guys to play with shortly after that... THAT band became DOGSTAR - Keanu Reeves band (after the record company suggested they get rid of Greg)… true story

After that, I was in several cover bands here in Jersey , playing mostly metal, hard rock, & FINALLY lead guitar!.. Then came a call from an old friend ... and the start of what would become Mordus;

Mordus is;
Taber - Guitars, Vocals....
Eric - Bass, Backup Vocals....
Carlo - Percussion....

The true roots of Mordus go back to Tabor & Eric's college band, Body Art. Some years later, Tabor formed his own band, Smudge NYC, with whom he recorded the CD "Up & Running" (available on sites such as www.towerrecords.com and www.cdbaby.com ). After a few lineup changes, Carlo became the drummer, shortly after that, Eric rejoined Tabor on bass.

Smudge NYC played the club scene in New York City from 2000 through 2004 and when the new lineup started writing new material, they found that these new songs were coming from a very different place from where Smudge NYC's sound was. A decision was made that a change was needed across the board. The trio renamed the band "Mordus" and proceeded to follow their own path musically.

The end results are an eclectic blend of hard rock, Goth, and even metal influences that gel together to form a style that the trio put into their 4 song demo "Mordus; The Bitten."

Chelle: What is your most memorable music moment?

Plstrcast: The first time I ever played in front of more then 4 people. It was that battle of the bands I had mentioned earlier. 700 people! I was just blown away at the reaction we got. We where really the first hard rock/metal band to ever play one of these shows in my town.

Chelle: 1st concert you ever attended?

Plstrcast: VERY first concert was Leon Russell & Joe Cocker, my older brothers took me, I was 12 or 13… the first concert I WANTED to see was VH & Sabbath... ahh sweet memories.

Chelle: Favorite concert of all time?

Plstrcast: Van Halen's Monsters of Rock.

Chelle: When would you say you became a VH fan? What turned you on to VH?

Plstrcast: I know EXACTLY when I got in to VH… I was at my friend (& guitarist's) house one Saturday and his older brother was cranking VH 1 on his stereo… I walked into his room and asked him to play the cool sounding guitar solo again... & again ... and again… He finally made me a tape just to get rid of me.

Chelle: What is your day job?

Plstrcast: I work in online advertising for industrial web sites.

Chelle: Are you married/involved? Any kids?

Plstrcast: Was married. Divorced since '99. No kids, but would love some one day.

Chelle: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?

Plstrcast: No tatts, but have piercings.

Chelle: What do you have pierced?

Plstrcast: Ears

Chelle: What is your favorite movie of all time, and why?

Plstrcast: My #1 favorite movie of all time has to be A Clockwork Orange… It's the ultimate story of rebellion, Government screw ups, and it just keeps getting funnier & funnier every time I see it!… plus, I LOVE Kubrik!

Chelle: Which single store would you choose to max out your credit card in?

Plstrcast: GUITAR CENTER, BABY!

Chelle: What is your comfort food?

Plstrcast: White Castle

Chelle: Finish this statement: If I won a million dollars I'd...

Plstrcast: Never be heard from again.

Chelle: What is your biggest pet peeve?

Plstrcast: Phonies

Chelle: What would most people be surprised to learn about you?

Plstrcast: That I'm an avid reader & that I am an earthchild.

Chelle: Who is your favorite author?

Plstrcast: Koontz

Chelle: What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

Plstrcast: Got married… What the hell was I thinking!!!??

Chelle: If you were another person, would you be friends with you?

Plstrcast: Absolutely!

Chelle: Why are you called Plstrcast?

Plstrcast: Well, after trying a billion other screen names on good 'ol AOL, THIS was the only one I could think of that wasn't taken! It's short for "Plaster Caster"… a Kiss song

Chelle: Do you have a general philosophy on life?

Plstrcast: Yes, and it's not short… ;

Bide ye Wiccan laws ye must,
in perfect love and perfect trust.
Live and let live, fairly take and fairly give.
Form the circle thrice about, to keep all evil spirits out.
To bind ye spell every time, let ye spell be spake in rhyme.
Soft of eye, light of touch, speak ye little, listen much.
Deosil go by the waxing moon, singing out ye Witches' Rune.
Widdershins go by the waning moon, chanting out ye Baneful Rune.
When the Lady's moon is new, kiss your hand to her times two.
When the moon rides at her peak, then ye heart's desire seek.
Heed the North wind's mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail.
When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss thee on the mouth.
When the wind blows from the West, departed souls may have no rest.
When the wind blows from the East, except the new and set the feast.
Nine woods in ye cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.
Elder be ye Lady's tree, burn it not or cursed ye'll be.
When the wheel begins to turn, soon ye Beltaine fire'll burn.
When the wheel hath turned to Yule, light the log the Horned One rules.
Heed ye flower, bush and tree, by the Lady blessed be.
Where the rippling waters flow, cast a stone and truth ye'll know.
When ye have and hold a need, harken not to others greed.
With a fool no season spend, nor be counted as his friend.
Merry meet and merry part, bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Mind ye threefold law ye should, three times bad and three times good.
When misfortune is anow, wear the blue star upon thy brow.
True in love ye must ever be, lest thy love be false to thee.
In these eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill,
An ye harm none, do what ye will.

Chelle: What's that?

Plstrcast: The Wiccan Rede

Chelle: Anything else you'd like to mention that I haven't asked about?

Plstrcast: I really miss the old days of the VH site, had some great laughs, made some cool friends. Sorry that we all seem to lose touch, & I know I haven't been around all that much, but I try. The best way to reach me is at myspace, either the bands site www.myspace.com/mordusbitten , or my own personal site; www.myspace.com/mordusband