Nashville's Diarrhea Planet to deliver explosive live show to Lancaster

With a sound somewhere between blistering punk rock, alternative and classic 70's shredding, one band is coming to the area with the expectation of blowing some eardrums.

Nashville's Diarrhea Planet is heading to Lancaster's Fulton Street Arts Cooperative on Monday, April 6 at 6 p.m., for an all-ages show. The band will be joined by Philadelphia/VA band Left & Right and the Lancaster area band Spill.

Diarrhea Planet formed in 2009 in the middle of Nashville's prolific music scene and, after a few lineup changes, became a household name in the city's scene.

"We all went to Belmont University, which is a music and music production school," said bassist Mike Boyle on how the band met.

Since the band's inception, they have released a flurry of EP's and two full-length releases, 2011's "Loose Jewels" and 2013's "I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams."

How they acquired their name is a mystery to Boyle, although it has been no real hindrance to a blossoming career.

"I think initially it was a little harder than it is now. I don't even think of it as a weird band name anymore, it's just our name," he said.

Diarrhea Planet soon became known for their bombastic and unpredictable live shows, which comes from their high energy approach to performance as well as a legacy of basement, party and house shows.

"The biggest thing is that we're trying to have as much fun as the people in the crowd," said the bassist, something which they seem to be quite capable of doing.

One of the band's other distinctive traits is their four guitar lineup, which is considerably large for a rock band.

"I thought it was silly at first, but now I think everyone is mindful enough of how everyone else plays. Everyone has learned how not to step on each other's toes," said Boyle.

The sound is held together by the band's collaborative influences, which each member brings to the table.

"Overall, we all like a lot of pop music. But we all listen to everything, I feel like," said Boyle.

This love of diverse styles is what gives the band their eclectic personality. And instead of being a distraction, this collage creates cohesion among the group.

"I feel like it all overlaps, so that we all know where each other is coming from," said Boyle.

The formula is working, as evidenced by their ever busying schedule. Diarrhea Planet performed at some of the biggest musical events of the year, including Bonnaroo, Governor's Ball and South by Southwest (SXSW).

"This past summer is the first time we did festivals at that scale, which was really great," he said.

The band was on their way to Canada on Tuesday, March 31, the day of this interview, and is looking to cross the Atlantic for European shows and even Australian concerts. All it will take, the bassist explained, is the right tour opportunity.

"It seems like there's definitely a market over there for us. It's definitely in the cards for the next year or so," said Boyle.

A full length release, on the heels of their most recent EP release Aliens in the Outfield, is also in the works.

"Hopefully we can get in the studio sometime this summer to record a full-length. We've been on the road quite a bit, so we're trying to pull all that together," said Boyle.

For now, however, Diarrhea Planet is focused on their North American shows, as they work their way back down the east coast with dates in Canada, Massachusetts and New York on their way to Lancaster.

"We've played all over Pennsylvania, and we've been to Lancaster once before," said Boyle, who remembered playing at the Fulton Street Arts Cooperative.

"We had a lot of fun last time we were there," he said, informing local audiences of the band's plan to deliver a "high-energy, burner set."

If the show is anything like those they built their reputation on, that promise is sure to be delivered.

Ticket cost is $10. Tickets are available through the band's website at diarrheaplanet.blogspot.com.