Planningtorock is the moniker of musician and video artist Janine Rostron. Planningtorock fuses all of Rostron's talents into a dazzling audiovisual presentation that borrows from classical music, glam rock, stunning imagery, and hip-hop. A classically trained violinist who began playing at age eight, Rostron moved from England to Berlin in the early '00s. The Planningtorock character first appeared in 2004 in the German capital’s clubs. The PTR live shows blur the boundaries between a conventional music concert and performance art in which Rostron, aided by several props and an assortment of “character” helmets, interacts with her psychadelic, kaleidoscopic video personas. Planningtorock's debut single Modern Love and the Weimar Tour EP arrived early the following year and showcased a unique mix of pizzicato strings, beats, and husky vocals that could change from bluesy to quirky at a moment's notice. EP Eins, which featured the underground hit Local Foreigner was released on her own Rostron Records imprint, which also released work by The Knife, Soft Pink Truth and Kevin Blechdom on the Carousel of Souls LP. After signing to Chicks on Speed Records, Planningtorock released the limited-edition 7" single Changes/I Wanna Bite Ya early in 2006 and her first full-length album, Have It All, followed that summer. The album created a frenzy both in the domestic and foreign music press, garnering almost universal acclaim and ending up in many Best of 2006 album lists. Stylus Magazine journalist Dom Passantino placed it at number 4 in his rundown of the best records of the year while it landed joint top-spot in London electro-legend Mark Moore’s Trust the DJ column. Another big fan of Planningtorock is David Byrne from the Talking Heads who has featured tracks from Have It all on his online stream radio at davidbyrne.com. Have it All tracks have also found their way onto exclusive compilations including Karl Lagerfeld´s (who is a big fan) Les Musiques qui j'aime and Hugo Boss which was compiled by Michel Gaubert. Autumn of 2006 saw Chicks on Speed Records release a special, limited edition EP entitled Have it All Stringed Up which also attracted the attention of the press and went on to sell out at Planningtorock live shows. This release featured album tracks The PTR Show, Changes, Think That Thought and Take it Away re-recorded together with a Berlin string quartet to incorporate orchestral string arrangements, nicely transforming the tracks into totally new arrangements while highlighting Rostron’s classical tastes. Three video clips (always an integral part of a Planningtorock show) were also featured on the CD as bonus items. Tours with artists as diverse as Peaches, The Knife, and Hot Chip brought the PTR show to a much wider audience and speaks volumes about the versatility of Rostron’s sound in that it fits so seamlessly with such an eclectic array of other artists. Planningtorock has also, and continues to be, very active in Europe and 2007 sees debut appearances at the Sonar festival in Barcelona, the Oya Festival in Norway, Dissonanze Festival in Rome, Bestival on the Isle of Wight and concert offers in Latvia, Brussels, Israel, Japan, Australia, Italy and the UK. Planningtorock is currently in the studio working on tracks for her second album entitled "Thumbsucker" - due for release in Spring, 2008. The album release will be supported by the "Thumbsucker" World Tour, a mastermind production which premieres in Hamburg, Germany in Spring, 2008.
http://2008.sxsw.com/music/showcases/band/60884.html
