John Marek is a jewel in the local music scene. Not only is he a great guitarist and songwriter; he’s also one a hell of a showman.
In recent years, Marek played in War Drum, and he had a band called Ideation. Now he’s with his new band, Plastic Ruby, which includes Isidro Corrales (guitar/keyboards), Julio Corrales (bass) and Eddie Airada (drums).
Plastic Ruby released its first, self-titled EP earlier this month and has been playing shows locally since mid-2018. The band has a classic rock ’n’ roll sound—with some psychedelic groove to it. Whether you like to dance or simply enjoy musical fusion, Plastic Ruby is a band you’ll appreciate.
During a recent phone interview with Marek, he discussed his reasons for ending Ideation.
“I just wanted to start all over,” Marek said. “I developed a new sound over time.”
Considering Ideation had some fantastic songs that showcased Marek’s songwriting talents, I asked him if any of that material might resurface with Plastic Ruby.
“Possibly, but probably only when I run out of ideas or something,” Marek said with a laugh.
Since Plastic Ruby started playing live shows, the band has gotten tighter and tighter. When Marek is performing, you can feel the passion in his voice.
He explained how each of the other members of the band made their way into Plastic Ruby.
“Julio was in Ideation with me, and I’ve known that dude for over a decade now,” Marek said. “I knew Eddie when he was in Deadend Paradox, and I’d play shows with them. We hadn’t actually spoken to each other in years, and we sort of rekindled our friendship, and he joined the band and adapted super-quickly. Isidro is actually Julio’s cousin, and I brought him in because we were looking for an extra person to do keyboards and guitars, and he fit in just fine.”
Marek said he’s satisfied with the new EP—even if it didn’t come out exactly the way he wanted it.
“I’ve recorded most of my own stuff, even for the publishing deal that I had. This one was mixed by professionals,” Marek said. “I’m not into spending a whole bunch of money. I’m definitely trying to keep it as cheap as possible, but I don’t think it cheapens the music. … I have one good microphone that I use to record everything, and it definitely gets me by.”
More material is on the way soon, Marek said.
“We’re probably going to release a single in a few months, and I have close to half of a full-length album ready to record,” he said. “There’s tons of material for this band that needs to get out.”
The Coachella Valley music scene is something that confuses Marek, he said.
“I honestly feel like this place doesn’t even have a music scene. I feel like there are just a whole bunch of different-sounding bands,” he said. “Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss and all that stuff was a scene. There were quite a few bands that had a particular sound. Nowadays, you have a punk band here, a ska band there, a rock ’n’ roll band here, and there is no scene. There’s still a well of talent, but it’s a whole bunch of different sounds.”
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/plasticruby.