Paul Banks
Encyclopedia
Paul Julian Banks is an English American
musician, best known as the lead singer
, lyricist
and guitarist
of the rock band Interpol
. He is also a solo artist under the name Julian Plenti. As a singer, Banks' voice lies in the baritone
range.
, Essex
, England. His family left England when he was three years old, moving to Bloomfield Hills
, Michigan
, and then to Spain
where he attended the American School of Madrid. His father was later transferred to Mexico
, where Banks finished high school at the American School Foundation
. There he attended the American School Foundation
, where he was involved in theatre
productions, and played the lead role in the musical
South Pacific
. He speaks fluent Spanish
with a Castilian
and Mexican
accent.
After high school, Banks attended New York University
where he studied English
and Comparative Literature
, and after graduating, he worked at magazines such as Gotham
and Interview
. Banks later took a job in data entry, and then in a café, in order to devote more of his time to music.
In contrast to Interpol's smooth and melancholic sound Paul Banks has been a fan of hip hop music
since he was in seventh grade. He has worked as a hip-hop DJ, under the pseudonym DJ Fancypants.
, whom he had met on a study abroad program in Paris
. When first asked to join Interpol, Banks initially refused, but after listening to the type of music they were writing, Banks joined.
Banks' voice, singing style and lyrics have been strongly compared to, most notably, Ian Curtis
of Joy Division
. A journalist from NME
magazine even staged a joke at one of Interpol's concerts, trying to summon the spirit of Ian Curtis with a ouija board
and make him say that Banks owed him. But Banks protests that the comparison merely forces influences onto the band in an effort to describe their music style. He has also stated that he does not try to emulate his greatest influences because he thinks he cannot live up to them ("I would never try to sing like Frank Black
or Kurt Cobain
because you just can't do it").
. Banks claims to have multiple solo projects and monikers in mind. He intends to release an album "like Julian Plenti" in 2012.
and a Gibson
Flying V (for a time with the word "breasts" spelled out in white tape on it ) for songs from Our Love to Admire
and his Les Paul for songs from Antics and Turn on the Bright Lights
, although some songs like "Obstacle 1
" were played with Banks' Fender Jaguar
because of the impracticality of switching and songs like "Mammoth
" were used by his Les Paul
for the same reason. Paul Banks did use his Fender Jaguar as his primary guitar for the end leg of the Our Love to Admire tour and was also seen using a Gibson ES-135
for songs such as "Not Even Jail", but since the 2010 tour leg, he has not been since using the Jaguar or Gibson ES-135 and has only been since using his traditional Les Paul, though the Flying V can be seen in the music video for Barricade with the tape no longer present. His Gibson ES-135
however, was his primary guitar during his live performances as his alter-ego Julian Plenti.
His pedalboard includes:
His pedalboard on the Julian Plenti tour:
Since Antics (2004) he uses two Fender Pro Reverb
amplifiers.
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
musician, best known as the lead singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
of the rock band Interpol
Interpol (band)
Interpol is an American indie rock and post-punk revival band from New York City. Formed in 1997, the band's original line-up consisted of Paul Banks , Daniel Kessler , Carlos Dengler and Greg Drudy . Drudy left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino...
. He is also a solo artist under the name Julian Plenti. As a singer, Banks' voice lies in the baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
range.
Early life
Banks was born in Clacton-on-SeaClacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England. His family left England when he was three years old, moving to Bloomfield Hills
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and then to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
where he attended the American School of Madrid. His father was later transferred to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, where Banks finished high school at the American School Foundation
American School Foundation
The American School Foundation is a school in Mexico City founded by individuals from the U.S. It offers classes from kindergarten through secondary school ....
. There he attended the American School Foundation
American School Foundation
The American School Foundation is a school in Mexico City founded by individuals from the U.S. It offers classes from kindergarten through secondary school ....
, where he was involved in theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
productions, and played the lead role in the musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
. He speaks fluent Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
with a Castilian
Castilian Spanish
Castilian Spanish is a term related to the Spanish language, but its exact meaning can vary even in that language. In English Castilian Spanish usually refers to the variety of European Spanish spoken in north and central Spain or as the language standard for radio and TV speakers...
and Mexican
Mexican Spanish
Mexican Spanish is a version of the Spanish language, as spoken in Mexico and in various places of Canada and the United States of America, where there are communities of Mexican origin....
accent.
After high school, Banks attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
where he studied English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
and Comparative Literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
, and after graduating, he worked at magazines such as Gotham
Gotham (magazine)
Gotham Magazine is a regional magazine published by Niche Media, LLC since 2001 and primarily targets New York's most affluent residents and visitors. According to a survey commissioned by the company, 56% of Gotham Magazine readers are male, with 51% married, and some two-thirds within the age...
and Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
. Banks later took a job in data entry, and then in a café, in order to devote more of his time to music.
In contrast to Interpol's smooth and melancholic sound Paul Banks has been a fan of hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
since he was in seventh grade. He has worked as a hip-hop DJ, under the pseudonym DJ Fancypants.
Interpol
Banks joined the band in the Summer of 1997 when he ran into Daniel KesslerDaniel Kessler
Daniel Alexander Kessler is the guitarist and backing vocalist for the New York City-based band Interpol. He was raised in the United States....
, whom he had met on a study abroad program in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. When first asked to join Interpol, Banks initially refused, but after listening to the type of music they were writing, Banks joined.
Banks' voice, singing style and lyrics have been strongly compared to, most notably, Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...
of Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
. A journalist from NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine even staged a joke at one of Interpol's concerts, trying to summon the spirit of Ian Curtis with a ouija board
Ouija
The Ouija board also known as a spirit/fire key board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0-9, the words "yes", "no", "hello" and "goodbye", and other symbols and words are sometimes also added to help personalize the board...
and make him say that Banks owed him. But Banks protests that the comparison merely forces influences onto the band in an effort to describe their music style. He has also stated that he does not try to emulate his greatest influences because he thinks he cannot live up to them ("I would never try to sing like Frank Black
Frank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
or Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
because you just can't do it").
Solo project
Banks released a solo album under the name Julian Plenti on August 4, 2009 entitled Julian Plenti Is... SkyscraperJulian Plenti is... Skyscraper
In a First Listen feature on their website, The-Fly.co.uk said that Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper "could almost be two different albums – one with folky, Bon Iver-esque lullabies and one with upbeat art-rock stomps" and that it is a "beautiful little sonic beast"...
. Banks claims to have multiple solo projects and monikers in mind. He intends to release an album "like Julian Plenti" in 2012.
- Julian Plenti Is... SkyscraperJulian Plenti is... SkyscraperIn a First Listen feature on their website, The-Fly.co.uk said that Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper "could almost be two different albums – one with folky, Bon Iver-esque lullabies and one with upbeat art-rock stomps" and that it is a "beautiful little sonic beast"...
(2009)
Instruments
During Interpol's early years Banks typically played a black Les Paul Custom guitar. He then started using a Fender JaguarFender Jaguar
The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar introduced in 1962. A descendant of the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar quickly caught on in the emerging Surf music scene...
and a Gibson
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
Flying V (for a time with the word "breasts" spelled out in white tape on it ) for songs from Our Love to Admire
Our Love to Admire
Our Love to Admire is the third studio album by the American post-punk revival band Interpol, released July 10, 2007 on Capitol Records. Recorded at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village and The Magic Shop Studios in New York City, the album is the group's first to be released on a major label...
and his Les Paul for songs from Antics and Turn on the Bright Lights
Turn on the Bright Lights
Turn On the Bright Lights is the debut studio album by American post-punk revival band Interpol, released in August 2002. The album was recorded in November 2001 at Tarquin Studios in Connecticut, and was co-produced, mixed and engineered by Peter Katis and Gareth Jones...
, although some songs like "Obstacle 1
Obstacle 1
"Obstacle 1" is a song by Interpol, from their first album Turn On the Bright Lights. The song was released as a single on November 11, 2002, then remixed by producer Arthur Baker and reissued as a single on September 15, 2003. The music video for "Obstacle 1" was directed by Floria Sigismondi...
" were played with Banks' Fender Jaguar
Fender Jaguar
The Fender Jaguar is an electric guitar introduced in 1962. A descendant of the Jazzmaster, the Jaguar quickly caught on in the emerging Surf music scene...
because of the impracticality of switching and songs like "Mammoth
Mammoth (song)
"Mammoth" is the second UK single from Interpol's third album Our Love to Admire. The single was released on September 3, 2007. It reached #44 on the UK singles chart.Before the song was named "Mammoth" it was called "Pawn Shop" due to its lyrics...
" were used by his Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
for the same reason. Paul Banks did use his Fender Jaguar as his primary guitar for the end leg of the Our Love to Admire tour and was also seen using a Gibson ES-135
Gibson ES-135
The Gibson ES-135 is a semi-hollow body electric guitar made by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. Originally introduced in 1956, it was discontinued in 1958...
for songs such as "Not Even Jail", but since the 2010 tour leg, he has not been since using the Jaguar or Gibson ES-135 and has only been since using his traditional Les Paul, though the Flying V can be seen in the music video for Barricade with the tape no longer present. His Gibson ES-135
Gibson ES-135
The Gibson ES-135 is a semi-hollow body electric guitar made by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. Originally introduced in 1956, it was discontinued in 1958...
however, was his primary guitar during his live performances as his alter-ego Julian Plenti.
His pedalboard includes:
- BOSS TU-2
- Z.Vex Super Duper 2 in 1
- EHX Micro POG
- MXR Micro Amp
- MXR Bass Octave Deluxe
- Way Huge Swollen Pickle
- Ibanez TS9DX
- BOSS DN-2
- 2 MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay (one set at higher repeats)
His pedalboard on the Julian Plenti tour:
- BOSS TU-2
- Way Huge Aqua-Puss
- BOSS DN-2
- EHX POG 2
- Blackstar HT Dual Tube Distortion
- MXR Carbon Copy
Since Antics (2004) he uses two Fender Pro Reverb
Fender Pro Reverb
The Fender Pro Reverb is a high-end guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was in production from 1965 and was discontinued in 1982. The Pro Reverb is a 40-watt tube amplifier and has a pair 12" speakers; however, models later than 1976 were increased to 70 watts.The Pro Reverb is most often used by...
amplifiers.