The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower

The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower were a four-piece punk band from San Diego, California, that formed in 2001.

Background

On their earlier work, their music incorporated elements of punk rock in a jazz-oriented improvisational and constructional sequence, whist later works incorporate a more noise and lo-fi approach. Their name is taken from the book Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century by Greil Marcus.

The band are known for their confrontational live shows. Whilst performing on their 2005 tour with The Blood Brothers and Big Business, each member wore a red armband with "PLOT" written in a white circle, intentionally mimicking the armbands worn by members of the Nazi Party. However, none of the band have Nazi beliefs, as several members of the band are of Jewish descent and openly homosexual. It was done purely as a shock tactic and as a tie in with their Nazi-themed album, Love in the Fascist Brothel.

Live shows often include "everything from smashing the stage, molesting the microphone to random acts of homo-erotic behaviour." Welchez often walks into the crowd and will spit on, kiss, touch or undress members of the audience, especially men, which some people take offense to. At one stop on their final tour, Brandon even insisted on half of the audience joining the band on-stage during "SLC Hunks" and encouraged them to "brutalize" the band.

Welchez also claims they caused a "near riot" in Salt Lake City, and caused a "piss waterfall" in Baltimore, which lead to them being banned from playing in the city.

The Plot won the San Diego Music Award's "Best Punk Act" award two years running, in both 2005 and 2006.

Breakup

On September 26th, 2006, The Plot announced via a Myspace bulletin that their then-current U.S tour would be the band's last before disbanding. Their final show was in their hometown of San Diego, and a posthumous release of a seven-song mini-LP entitled "Saviors & Suckers" on Three One G records is in the works.

Aftermath

Brandon, William, and Brian (with the addition of Andrew Miller) are continuing their assault on the music industry in The Prayers, a more 60's pop influenced band that will be releasing a cd/12" EP entitled "God Save the Prayers" on Art Fag Records soon.

Charles Rowland and The Vultures have released an album entitled "Vulture Land" and are also planning to put out a 7" called "Let Them Bleed/Sex Bomb" on Collective Records. Sir Charles has also written two books: "Darkland" and "Friends, Lovers, and Suckers" (with Wes Eisold).

Brandon and Sir Charles also participate in Skull Kontrol, an odd conglomerate that usually also involves Welchez's bandmate Andrew Miller and Mario Orduno of Art Fag fame. Skull Kontrol's mission is to put on amazing parties, mainly at clubs in the San Diego area, featuring combinations of its four main members and various other musicians/artists/creative-types DJing and causing a scene.

Discography

• If You Cut Us, We Bleed (EP)
• Split 7" with Necktie Party
• Dissertation, Honey
• Love in the Fascist Brothel
• INRI (EP)
• Saviors & Suckers (Upcoming final release)

Members

• Brandon Welchez - Vocals/Saxophone
• Willie Graves - Bass
• Charles Rowell (A.K.A. Charles Rowland, Sir Charles or Chuck) - Guitar
• Brian Hill - Drums (A.K.A. B.H. Peligro- in tribute to drummer D.H. Peligro of the Dead Kennedys)

Former Members

• Dan Maier - Bass (2001-2003)

External Links

http://www.blowuptheeiffeltower.com/