Bigger Than Plastic

        Are they just another band?  Not at all! Bigger Than Plastic is NJ’s hottest commodity. They are the next wave of what’s to come for rock music. A four-piece power pop, rock in energy, raw to the bone band, consisting of songs that are laced with infectious hooks, musical groves, lyrics and melodies that just won’t escape your head.  More than just a band, they are family. Dave and Ray Pantaleone, brothers and two pseudo brothers, Joe Halsey and John Swanhart, all come from the same neighborhood in Trenton.

       The dream started with Dave who picked up a guitar at the age of 11 and teamed up with Joe, a best friend from school and also an aspiring guitarist. They soon started writing songs together and with money collected from family members, they set out for the studio to record. Soon enough they began grooming younger brother Ray on pots, pans and garbage cans and in time advancing him to a drum set. Johnny, a neighborhood friend, was just starting out on his guitar as well, not yet in the band but eventually the paths would merge.

       The three-piece band consisting of Joe, Dave and Ray became serious and decided to start a record label and record a CD. They called the band INU (IN- U) and the first release was titled Dammed, Damaged and Desired. They were quick to self promote the new project and began playing everywhere they could scoring some cool shows like the opening band for a Philadelphia radio station Q102’s Monster Concert featuring artists like Jill Solbule, Sophie B Hawkins, Human League and live interviews on air with various DJ personalities. They also played for the WMMR Strawberry Fields summer show. The band even created events like a Sun Shine Foundation fundraiser for children in which they raised a substantial amount of money in a couple of hours. It didn’t take long before the bands live energetic show and creative juices started pushing them back into the studio to write another album. This time the band emerged more raw and more focused, titling the new release Bigger Than Plastic. It all paid off. They submitted their new CD for review and were more than pleased with the positive reviews that followed. All fired up, they stormed out in full force to tackle the music world, kicking off a CD signing wearing contamination suits at The Wall record store in Quaker Bridge Mall. They sold 200 CDs in less than an hour. Local TV news coverage and newspapers really boosted their popularity quickly.

      This band did not take a break when it came to promoting. They took advantage of every possible opportunity they could. They set their sights on the Howard Stern Show (WXRK in NY) calling in with a disgusting offer Howard could not resist. During the segment Howard suggested the band use the title of their CD as their band name, so they did. This turned out to be a hilarious bit and a wonderful turning point for the guys. Bigger Than Plastic (formally INU) received national exposure, which prompted The Wall to carry their product throughout the region due to the over-whelming request. They were the #1 regional selling artists at that time. The band now gained speed, snagged some attention from sister station WYSP in Philadelphia where they had the opportunity to be interviewed, and had their song played by The Matt and Huggy Show. This newfound attention helped break attendance records at their performances. The College Of New Jersey was one such event where it was reported the largest audience turnout during the annual Radio-Thon Woman’s Day fundraiser. Once again, the hot seat opened many doors for the band. They were offered the opening spot for Nuno Bettencourt when he came to Philly and were welcomed to numerous club venues to perform.

      It’s not uncommon to see Bigger Than Plastic show up to events they were not invited. You may see them on the red carpet at an MTV Music Awards show, or an after Grammy party, or even a private industry gathering. These guys love to promote, something other bands don’t always have such a passion for.

      The band recently enjoyed the success of a Christmas single, “Santa Sucks” which made its way into regular rotation on 92.3 WXRK (K-ROCK) in New York City. They are finishing up a new CD with the added input of its newest member John Swanhart.  Once again a very eager Bigger Than Plastic is ready to start promoting, so keep your ears and eyes opened for the band to make its way around to you soon. And look for them on the web at BiggerThanPlastic.com