MUSIC: inPassing gets personal

It's a Thursday afternoon, and I'm somewhere off Lake Killarney with local (and rising) band inPassing. The three artists who met with me, Sterling Plemmons, Robby Clay and Brooks Potteiger, are joined on stage by Troy Lano and new member Joe Tavarez. They've been featured with Rookie of the Year, Anberlin and Copeland, but their sound has brought them supplementary recognition. The band's roots originate in 2005, and their popularity in the Central Florida area has extended to the farther reaches of the state, despite not having any record company's representation. With their ascending status, inPassing talks about agency issues, why The Social is a favorite venue and why they don't believe in the term "selling out".

How did inPassing come to be?
Brooks: Well, me and Troy were in a band a while ago. A couple years ago we met Robby and we became best friends. We decided to be in a band with Robby, so we all started going over some stuff. Sterling expressed to us that he wanted to start on another project. We knew him from way back in the day when he was in another band, so he moved down from North Carolina to be with this band. Then, in early 2009, we added new member Joe on bass. So, here we are.

Are you looking to get signed right now?
Robby: The thing about the record industry right now is, for me personally, I'm not interested necessarily in getting signed. I mean, I am interested but it's not a priority.
Sterling: The industry is so upside down right now with the digital age, so, our priority right now is working with management. We're working with some really cool people, and that's actually more important to us than getting signed.
Brooks: It's not what it used to be. People always ask us, "Is your band signed?" and it's not what it once was. It's not like, "now you have a deal, now you've got it." We've had friends who have gotten signed by Atlantic [Records], spent $200,000 on a record and never even got put out. They just got shelved because it's not what the company was looking for. For getting signed, it would be great to have that kind of backing but at the same time, there's a reason that a label signs you; they want to make money, which is fine because it's a business. With the current landscape, it's not always beneficial to the artist.

Where is your vision right now for where you want to go with your music?
Sterling: We're spot-dating for the summer, doing regional stuff in the southeast, really working on songs written for a full-length record. We're working with a producer James Wisner again, and this time on an even more personal level, sitting down with him and having him be a big part of what I call the "writing process". That's really our goal for the summer so just in case record companies do come into the picture we'll be ready.

What is your favorite place to play in Orlando?
Brooks: We just played at House of Blues the other night, that was awesome.
Sterling: House of Blues is probably the coolest, but our favorite is probably The Social. House of Blues is amazing but at the same time, it's more of a novelty at this point.
Robby: It doesn't feel like home.
Brooks: You have to be on a big bill to have it be filled, but it's just an amazing experience. The Social is definitely a little more in our comfort zone. It's really intimate, and enough people can be in there. It's a cool setup.

Musically, what do you think about "selling out"?
Brooks: Ever since I used to be as hardcore indie as you could be, I always have said, "I don't believe in the term 'selling out'".
Sterling: Yeah, I don't either.
Brooks: I believe that people do what they want to do. If that means changing your style to be more popular then that's what you want to do. I don't think it's wrong to want to make money as an artist and I don't think it's wrong to know what sells, and then to do that. That's why so many people have side projects; they want to stay true to their roots and at the same time, they got to pay the bills, you know?
Sterling: The thing is too, as far as making money as an artist- it's so hard. It is not that simple just to say "Oh, I''ve decided to make pop music and get a lot of money." It is so hard to make money, and it takes a lot of hard work.
Brooks: Someone in Metallica said, "Yeah, we sell out: every single seat where we play." That's the best response. "Yeah, we sell out".

inPassing has a show at Club Firestone on June 12. Admission is free, so come support local bands. Their music is available on Myspace, iTunes, Rhapsody and SmartPunk.