This page started as a cool trip into our musical past...and an archive of some of the most fun all of us ever had!
And now, the Pluto Jones 30th Anniversary Reunion (March/April 2008) gave us the chance to re-record the original tunes we crafted back when we were kids!
Pluto Jones is a band that existed under this name for a few years in the late '70s and into 1980. It evolved from a band formed in 1976 called The Memphis Rockers. Members of Pluto Jones were Joey Arata (electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, vocals), John Lubotsky (piano, organ,synth, vocals), Michael Arata (drums, percussion, vocals), Jimmy Thornton (bass guitar, vocals). We played full-time, performing at many hotels and bars in the Eastern US.
Later members of the Pluto Jones/Memphis included Scott Knight (drums), Bill Brookhart (sound engineer).
It was once assumed that Pluto Jones would probably never again play together. But in 2008, we completed a 30th Anniversary Reunion...three days of rehearsing and recording in March/April celebrating Michael's 50th Birthday! We re-recorded all of our vintage originals.
Yes...many times. Pluto Jones was a full-time job for us back in the late 70s/early 80s. A special moment was the opportunity to open a show for Steppenwolf on Sanibel Island, Florida..
Pluto Jones' influences were the Rock and Prog Rock bands of the late '60s and '70s.
On the 1980 recordings...Joey - Gibson guitars, MXR effects pedals, Fender & Yamaha amps; John - Hammond B3, Leslie & Randall Amps, Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand Piano, Rhodes electric piano, ARP Odyssey; Jimmy - Rickenbacker 4001 bass, Fender Jazz Bass, Acoustic 360 amp; Michael - Pearl Drums, Zildjian & Paiste cymbals.
For the reunion, Joey used Fernandes, Fender & Takamine guitars, Roland VG-99 Guitar Processor & BOSS GT-10 Multi-EFX; John used Roland & Yamaha keyboards; Jimmy used Ibanez basses; Michael used DW Drums, Roland electronic percussion & various percussion accessories.
The 2008 Sessions were recorded with a Roland VS-2480 Digital Workstation.
The cuts not designated with a "2008" reference posted here were recorded live at the Brass Monkey in Marathon, FL in June 1980. The sound quality is not pristine, due to the extremely primitive methods and equipment used. But fortunately, the energy and enthusiasm of the performances were definitely captured. They're best enjoyed with a good set of headphones in a quiet room.
The "2008" tunes were recorded with much more care, although with only three days to setup/practice/record we didn't get everything perfect. But we had a lot of fun, and did produce some pretty good recordings.