Diarrhea Planet
Shakespeare's Pub, Kalamazoo
June 20, 9 p.m.
$5; Ages 21+
shakespearespub.com, (269) 488-7782
In one of the most popular plays of all time, Juliet Capulet asked, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Though it is doubtful if Juliet were around today, she would have asked that same question about Nashville punk rock outfit Diarrhea Planet.
The formation of the band, and the choosing of its name, was really an affront to the musical atmosphere at Belmont University, where Diarrhea Planet's members went to school. They found out very quickly that the culture there was drastically different from what they were expecting.
"Everything the school does is centered around the commercial music industry," said Jordan Smith, one of the group's guitarists. "Most of the music coming out of Belmont was like being brewed to make Top 10 Billboard hits. It was all about pop country, Christian pop, stuff like that."
So they paved their own way, adopting a scatological moniker that would not be easily forgotten, as well as a heavy, distorted sound. In fact, the band's current lineup boasts four guitars, something that that the group is now not only accustomed to, but spoiled by.
"Whenever I do anything that doesn't have four guitars it just feels weird," Smith said. "It doesn't have enough power or have enough parts."
This big sound comes alive, surprisingly neatly, on their 2013 release I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. They've been on tour pretty consistently in support of that record, including some intense shows during this year's SXSW festival.
"SXSW is our favorite week. All of our shows were really packed and really high energy," Smith said. "We did a T-shirt contest where you had to stage dive at our shows, and one of our biggest sets got cut short because it was too rowdy."
And they just keep right on touring, even calling their spring and summer shenanigans the Dude... Diarrhea Planet Literally, Seriously, Literally Cannot Stop Touring Tour.
"Our plan is just to tour pretty heavily into fall and just keep writing. We want to get in the studio in January and work on LP number three. ... Pretty much just gearing up to do a lot of touring and keep bringing in new material."
