Plastic Flowers' Evil Mastermind Sean Earl Beard
Tallahassee, Florida’s ‘Plastic Flowers’ is a one man indie-pop outfit headed up by Sean Earl Beard. I spoke to him about the origins of his name, his musical style and his Halloween costume.
How did you settle on the name “Plastic Flowers”?
The name comes from a song by a group called The Wake. But I felt the name fit with the sound I was going for. I had a hard time finding something that fit in the way i want. I wanted something that didn’t stick out too much, wasn’t trying to grab your attention. Which is something I see alot with new artists these days. I wanted a band name that almost sounded like it was already around for years.
What kinds of music did you listen to while growing up?
I got into post-punk and early goth bands at a pretty young age. Bands like Bauhaus, The Cure, Joy Divison etc.. My older brother listened to a lot of early industrial and that is how I got introduced to it. Later on I got interested in pop music like The Sundays and The Smiths. I felt like that solidified where my heart is when it comes to writing songs. It wasn’t until later in life that i got a real love for electronic music and electronic pop.
Can you remember any particular album being a turning point for you musically in the way that it got you into new wave?
Yeah. OMD’s Dazzle Ships was a really important album to me. It taught me that you can make pop music be intelligent and adventurous. On a similar vein, bands like My Favorite or Felt showed me that it is possible to carve out your own voice.
Who are some of the newer artists you find inspirational?
I find a lot of inspiration in new bands. I think Weird Records is pretty exciting these days. With bands like Frank(just Frank) and Automelodi doing interesting work. I like the idea of a group of artists with a similar but not identical sound all coming from one specific label or area. It seems like that doesn’t happen as much these days. Also some bigger bands like The Radio Dept and M83 are really fantastic. Owen Pallett is somebody that is big and new that I find a lot of inspiration in as well. I think he writes some ofthe best melodies i’ve ever heard.
Your work employs phaser effects and a lot of reverb (It seems to me at least), how important is it that your songs have a sense of atmosphere?
Very important. But songwriting is always the most important. The effects I use, the synth sounds I make, it takes a back seat to the words and melodies. That being said, reverb and chorus are a big deal. They lend themselves to the sound I am wanting to create.
How do you write your songs? Do you work them out on the guitar and then arrange them with programming or do you accent a composition with guitar later on?
It really depends on the song. I usually start out most songs with a melody, some chords, and some words. Sometimes a basic idea for the composition. So it depends on where i place the guitar in composition. For example, with “We Just Had More Fun” it was sort of a melodic anchor to the song so it was one of the first things I wrote for the song after the bassline.
Do you find inspiration for your songs from stories from your own life, or do you prefer to write characters?
It’s always both. It starts with something that has actually happened in my life. Then i usually start to solidify the meaning or story of the song early on. That involves adding in elements that are totally fictional. So what ends up happening is a story that at it’s core is related to my life but in its details are fiction.
Your song “Drive Me Home” makes mention of Halloween several times, do you have any special plans for Halloween?
Haha, nothing too special. Some parties with friends. I’ll be dressing up like Purple Rain-era Prince. One specific party is bad techno themed. Celine Dion remixes, happy hardcore, bad EBM, etc. So that should be fun.
What’s next for Plastic Flowers?
I’m recording new songs as we speak. So once I have a new batch of recordings I am happy with I am basically on the lookout for someone to help release either an EP or 7″ and set up a series of shows. Looking for bands to tour with or release a split with as well. So if you know of anyone that fits the bill, feel free to send them my way!
