Plan B

Hip Hop / Indie / Electronica

Paris

Billboard

Started in 2001 by Seattle multi-instrumentalist James van Leuven after drumming for various indie rock bands and projects, Plan B allowed van Leuven to explore new musical territory for himself, moving from rock into more electronic and hip-hop. The first EP, "Like a Ship Sailing" (Luckyhorse Industries, U.S. 2001), introduced the Plan B sound to the world, with van Leuven's supporting solo performances often punctuated by forays into the crowd break dancing to his own music.

Acclaim from that EP sent Plan B touring around the world, including a long stint in France, where he then released the second EP "Keepsake" (Ggoo22, France 2003), which moved Plan B into more group-oriented output. This continued upon James' Seattle return, with the performing collective often adopting the "Plan B with mini-orchestra" moniker as their ranks grew. Their first full length album, "I'm The Captain, Where We Going?" (Fourthcity Records, Seattle, WA, 2007) was released in January 2007. On "...Where We Going?" James collaborated with a very talented cast of musicians from Seattle's music scene: Violinist Sarah Standard(ex-Carissa's Weird), Cellist Brent Arnold(Modest Mouse, Built to Spill), Jen Kozel(Elliot Smith, Built to Spill), Standup Bassist Leigh Gable, Trumpeter Bill Jones(Boogie Brown Band), Vocalist Krista Warden, Cellist Serena Imago(Mum),Vocalist Amy Blaschke and Turntablist Andy Sells(FCS North).