Lilacs and coffee with

     "Irrepressible" is the first word that comes to mind to describe Uncle Plum's live shows. These guys bound across the stage with the kind of energy we all wish we had. The Lilac Festival crowd lap this up, too; Uncle Plum give their all to live up to their billing of "Rochester's Greatest Party Band". In addition to being energetic, however, they're also undeniably very very good.

     So who are they, and why haven't more people discovered them? "We're big in Portugal," jokes singer/guitarist Elvio Fernandez. They're probably not, but perhaps someday they will be. Uncle Plum have been a fixture on the Rochester scene for several years now. Initially a covers band, they have begun to write and record some of their own material, and it doesn't disappoint even when sandwiched between Franz Ferdinand and Foo Fighters in their setlist. Indeed, their signature tune "Stephanie" has as many people singing along as their cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", which also features Mike Gladstone's guitar heroics. Another Plum tune, the impossibly catchy "So Blind", maintains so high an energy level that the Maroon 5 cover "Harder to Breathe" almost comes as a break but for the pounding beat coming from drummer Joe Lana.

     First question, then: where did the name come from? At this, Mike provides a simple explanation: "Apparently I actually had one." In classic Plum fashion, this does not remain simple. It emerges that Mike had heard a number of mentions of the real-life Uncle Plum from family members, and when the band had booked a show and still not provided the venue with a name just days prior to the performance, they were put on the spot and that was the name which emerged. Later Googlings revealed that the name applies to a huge fish in the Plum River as well as a science fiction character. This out of the way, the conversation moves to the music.

     Uncle Plum's songwriting is definitely a collaborative effort - Elvio tells us that each member of the band came into it with a variety of ideas, which were subsequently kicked around by the whole band until they became what you hear on the record. (You can download "So Blind" here and other UP songs are also streamable through MySpace). While no member of the band expresses a particular favorite track from their eponymous debut, all agree that "Stephanie" in particular has a great deal of sentimental value as the first original song they began adding to their set. "That one is our 'big hit'", says Paul. He may mean that facetiously, but a quick glance around during any Plum performance shows a grain of truth to that: around here, people know that song, and they love it.

     Similarly to their originals, there is no favorite song to cover - much of the set is left open to the audience. For those they choose themselves, however, they like a high-energy tune, or better yet to take a beloved classic and give it a twist of Plum. Paul highlights their version of Elton John's "Rocket Man" (part of the Lilac Festival setlist) and Elvio also mentions that they have in the past played a version of Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" which is interspersed with a Police medley. The Green Room hasn't heard this yet, but it's certainly making us curious. As far as their ability to play requests as if on cue, Mike points to Elvio as having the best musical ear in the band, but notes that while none have specifically had musical training, they all play well enough by ear to be able to turn out at least a recognizable version of most tunes "as long as we're familiar with the songs and the changes aren't too difficult". In the world of today's music, that's probably an easy demand to meet.

     So how do they determine who gets to sing a new song in the set? "Elvio does," says Mike. Elvio nods. "I'm the guinea pig. I'm the one to sing anything new that comes into the set. Actually, I wish they [indicates Mike and Paul] would sing more, especially since some of the material we do is quite aggressive and it takes its toll on you." He's not kidding, either. It's surprising that the band can play the four-hour marathon shows they often do, or play two shows in a day. Though Mike also notes that the band typically hits a point where they are in the zone, the tiredness ceases to matter and the show goes on as long as it needs to. They've played some fairly big shows - up to 1500 people as headliners, and close to 10,000 at festivals.

     Do they consider themselves "green"? "I have a green card," says Elvio. But yes, they do recycle, and at least one manages 40 miles per gallon in his car.

     To conclude, the band all agree on how lucky they feel that people are recognizing that there's something good in what they do, something that keeps people coming out to see the shows. "I figured after we did the REO Speedwagon song, half of them would have been gone! But they just kept singing!". You would expect perhaps a certain level of cockiness based on the local success they've had, but more than anything, they say, they feel "humbled and happy". They've been doing this for six and a half years now, since November 1999. Paul recounts another possibly-embellished Plum anecdote, in which he apparently forgot the anniversary of the band and Mike wouldn't talk to him for days. "I had to send him flowers." A beat later, "The makeup sex was awesome!" The table explodes with laughter. In all seriousness, though, Uncle Plum are well worth a listen, both on stage and on CD. They are definitely doing something right.