Though he plays in a six-piece band from Bloomington, Trenton Van Plummer, 23, Indianapolis, is releasing his solo debut May 20.
Plummer, a Warsaw Community High School graduate, has worked on the music for the past six months. He was scheduled to hit the recording studio May 8, and then again this week to finish up.
The album will be titled "Latrommi," which is immortal backwards."I've been through stuff that I shouldn't still be alive," Plummer said of the CD title. It's also the name of a track on the album.
Plummer wrote and sings all 11 of the songs himself. Recording it, he said, he worked with musicians who have a real passion for music. Greg Marsh plays drumsp; Tyler Reinholt, guitar; Keith Priser, guitar and mandolin; Riley Franklin, percussion; and Jeff Steeg and Derek Golden, horns. Steeg also is the engineer and producer for the album.
"The CD is rock based with some funk, folk and jazz flavor in there," Plummer said.
Making a solo record was a choice Plummer made after moving to Indianapolis. Plummer played with different bands, but he couldn't find a group he liked. They all wanted to do covers, something Plummer said he is no longer interested in doing.
"Making music is my passion, it's what I want to do in my life," Plummer said.
He had written songs ever since he was a teenager. But it was "all of a sudden" that he got the fever to write the songs for his solo. Having written the 11 tracks for his record, Plummer said songwriting is getting easier.
As for the song themes, Plummer said, "It's a whole handful of things." Themes range from immortality to relationships, to just having fun. There's also storytelling in the 11 tracks, he said.
Plummer wrote all of them on acoustics, he said. "I just take them as they come."
He is recording the album at Sweetwater in Fort Wayne.
"It's been fun," Plummer said. "I really have enjoyed it. All the guys working with me have been cool as well."
The CD will be on Pagoda Records, an independent label. Plummer is the record label's first artist. His album will be released on Pagoda Records' Web site and through iTunes. Plummer said they will try to get it released through stores, but right now he just wants to get the album finalized.
"Everyone close to me has enjoyed it," Plummer said.
Many people are skeptical about independent music, Plummer said. But when he gets the skeptics to listen to his tracks, they like them.
"I made an album out of it rather than a collection of songs," he said.
Plummer said he's asked people what or who the record sounds like. No one has been able to pinpoint it for him.
"That's good for me because that means it's a new sound," said Plummer.
By year's end, Plummer said his goal for the album is to sell 100,000 copies. "It's high expectations," he said.
And while Plummer keeps plugging away on his CD, trying to reach his goal, he'll also keep busy playing with The Ids, the six-piece Bloomington band. With the Ids, Plummer plays bass.
The Ids, Plummer said, play rock-funk fusion. They play all original songs, and are working on a CD, too.
"We are finishing up an album, early summer. No date's set for that, but hopefully it will be early summer," he said.
Most of The Ids' performances are in Bloomington, Indianapolis and Muncie.
