INTERVIEW WITH: De’Mar Hamilton
of The Plain White T’s
04.18.07 - Boston, MA

Introduce yourself to the fans please.

Hey, it’s D’mar, the drummer for Plain White T’s.

How has the tour with Boys Night Out, Love Drug, and Dear and the Headlights been going for you guys?

Really good, you know, our first headlining tour and all. Even the bad shows are still pretty good.

Even with the weather?

Yeah it’s great. Even cold New York is great because everyone is there for you.

So, what’s your favorite city to play in?

Definitely New York. It was a sold out show. Hey there Delilah was great, crowd really got into it.

How has the success of “Hey there Delilah” been? It seemed to come out of no where.

It was a great thing with many positives. But there are some negatives because that song doesn’t showcase what our band is really like. People think we are an acoustic band but that’s not really us. But, it’s a good song and people like it so that’s definitely good.

What has been the biggest change from previous tours to this one?

We’re not in a van. We’renNot driving ourselves everywhere. The bus is amazing and so is our crew. We’re still busy doing radio shows although we’re taken care of well.

You guys put out your latest record, "Every Second Counts," back in September. What kinds of things were you looking to change or improve upon when looking back on "All That We Needed?"

Well on “All That We Needed” we were between guitarists and when we met Tim, our guitarist, he recorded with us on “All That We Needed.” We became more of a unit after that. “Every Second Counts” was the first time recording with a big budget on a major record label. It sonically sounds different and the lyrics have definitely matured.

When touring, do you get a chance to take in the cities local cultures?

We don’t always have time but in Europe we had a lot of time to take the local cultures in. Here in America we are much busier. However, since we’re been touring for what seems like forever, we’ve been to all these cities numerous times and pretty much know them.

What’s your favorite city to be in culturally?

That’s a tough one. I love Chicago, our hometown, but also love New York and Los Angeles.

When touring and being on the bus do you feel detached from the world or more included in it?

I don’t feel detached but I do get the urge to watch the news more. However, I was never really the type of person to be involved like that so I don’t think it would be any different if I was at home. We’ve been doing this [touring] so long that we’re pretty good at it, its all that we know.

Johnny K produced the album. How was the experience and what did you walk away with knowing that you hadn't known prior to the recording sessions?

We definitely learned how to do it [record] better every time. Johnny was most hard on me and my drumming during the “Every Second Counts” recording. He taught us how to record better and whipped me into shape.

You guys recently performed at Rutgers in New Jersey, what do you think about the college crowd?

The college crowd isn’t always the coolest. They just downloaded “Hey There Delilah” so they don’t really know who we are as a band. Usually they just get in free and don’t care or “know you.” Mostly they were bored so they came to the show; they really aren’t our core audience.

What CD can you just not stop listening to?

I really like the new Bright Eyes and the new Academy Is... CDs. I’m really into the indie rock side, but I basically like everything though.

You guys are known to do covers. You've done Blur's "Song #2" for Punk Goes Acoustic, Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" and Oingo Boingo's "Better Luck Next Time" just to name of few. Considering you guys like doing covers, how do you feel about Karaoke?

Well, I wasn’t really involved in the whole covers production so I didn’t have to deal with it. However, karaoke is great! I haven’t done it yet but I’ve gone and it’s great to see others make a fool out of themselves. It’s pretty hilarious.

Fan question: What were your first words?

HAHA. I don’t remember exactly BUT when I was two years old I fell in the bathtub and said “shit.” Now, I don’t even remember where I learned that word but my mom was so shocked.

Can you give me a 30 second on the spot infomercial for Plain White T’s?

Hey! We’re the Plain White T’s and we’re gonna serve you up some catchy, melodic songs that are only gonna cost you 9.99 or even 7.99 at Target OR you can get it free or ten bucks at the show!

For more information on the Plain White T’s, visit: www.plainwhitets.com or visit them at Myspace.

Thanks to the band’s publicist for setting up the interview and to Craig for making sure it happened!