DONOVAN PLANT & THE LEAFS: NIGHT FEEL GOOD
This episode of Big Blend Radio features Donovan Plant, a former San Francisco private detective who spent nearly two decades chasing leads and tailing cheaters before returning to his musical roots in 2011. Since then, he has released two solo records, and now with the band he formed in 2018, DONOVAN PLANT & THE LEAFS have recently released their new 3-song EP NIGHT FEEL GOOD. Watch the podcast here in the YouTube player or download the podcast on Acast.
Donovan Plant blends rock, country, and pop with lyrics inspired by the city. Citing influences such as David Bowie, The Cars, and Jackson Brown, Donovan’s keen ear for hooks and melody is on full display with NIGHT FEEL GOOD, recorded inside the world-famous Hyde Street Studios at Dreamrack Studios by producer and engineer Trent Berry.
DONOVAN PLANT & THE LEAFS includes drummer Lliam Hart (Information Society/Wire Train), bassist Mike Henry (Minus One) and lead guitarist Jason Rojek (Sugar Crash). Lliam, Mike, and Jason have been playing live and recording together for decades. When Lliam joined with Donovan for some live shows about ten years ago, he quickly recognized Donovan’s talent for song writing and quietly set about a plan to incorporate his friends Jason and Mike into the band, a plan which worked brilliantly. In a stroke of mis-spelling genius they then named this creation THE LEAFS.
“Grow,” the first track on the new NIGHT FEEL GOOD EP, is a song that grew out of the pandemic era, calling on our collective deep-rooted philanthropic beliefs. Aside from the obvious idea that Plants and Leafs both need to grow, the song also attempts to address depression and self-doubt. The group initially planned to record just this single, but the chemistry between producer Trent Berry and the band was so good that they found a way to record two more songs.
Donovan originally wrote the verses to the title track “Night Feel Good” with his childhood friend and former band mate Tony Siligo over 30 years ago. The song speaks to the contrast between night and day, and to a higher power running it all. He redeveloped the song with THE LEAFS, adding a new chorus and sonic direction, and found it was a dream come true to use his brand new Gretsch G5420T Electromatic Hollowbody on the recording!
Answering the call of deja vu and premonition, the third EP track “White Wolf” came from a shamanic meditation and hypnosis session that Donovan had with his friend and former drummer David R. Walsh (CHT, RMT, Certified Hypnotherapist, Shamanic and Spiritual Counselor). The session revealed his spirit animal, a white wolf named Oshi, and musical inspiration was born. The song includes one of Donovan’s favorite lines, “I’m climbing mountains / Swimming oceans” a perfectly concise summation of how he wants to live his life.
Donovan has previously released two solo EP’s, “Be With You” (Niteflite Music – Germany) in 2011, which included a video produced by Ricky Kelley, and City Lights (Angel Blossom Records) with producer Scott Mickelson in 2018. He also had the honor of playing inside San Quentin State Prison as part of its annual Day of Peace celebrations with the non-profit organization Bread & Roses Presents for two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017.
A San Francisco Bay Area native and true renaissance man, Donovan Plant was a state champion ice hockey player by age 15 before pursuing a 17-year career as a licensed private investigator. He has also played bass in the band Pleasure Parade, and currently plays bass for Girls With Guns, a group fronted by La-ni Mae Lithman, daughter of the infamous guitarist Snakefinger (Philip Lithman) of The Residents.
More at https://www.donovanplantmusic.com/
