By Betsy Rack

The name Plastic Eddie tends to conjure up connotations of superhero action figures, or maybe fake people possibly 80's yuppie types a la Bret Easton Ellis. Sometimes Eddie Lionetti and Rob Perez seem like superhero action figures of sorts, people who are able to subsist largely on playing music, on doing what they love. But as for fake, these guys are anything but.
Their original songs are as genuine as they come, though a couple of them are full of bodily fluids and toilet humor. The others are about relationships good and bad, existential dilemmas, and the stuff of life. Lionetti, the band's namesake, plays rhythm guitar and sings. His voice has a unique quality to it, lending an interesting new sound to covers, though when they play Oasis' "Wonderwall," he sounds a good bit like Liam Gallagher.
The pervy songs are part of Eddie's repertoire, and he adds a raunchy and playfully interactive element to the show, such as the wonderfully twisted on-the-spot cover tune "Foxy Scrotum" that Perez noted (as he played the riffs perfectly) would surely have Hendrix turning over in his grave. Lionetti also writes about heartbreak and life turmoil, and says he uses playing as therapy. But he has no problem going over to the goofy side.
One never knows what one will hear, and each show is different. Rob Perez is the lead guitarist with the picking skills of Santana, and also enjoys a good banter with the crowd, tossing out word play and sometimes pretending to smash his guitar like a rock star. Perez sings with a rich and slightly gravelly voice that lends its best to songs like "She Talks to Angels" and "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing," as well as his own originals, full of heartfelt lines such as "Knowing you is like knowing me." And girls, if you ever wanted to hear a romantic song that gives you goosebumps, I recommend "Down On You." Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like.
The band is basically just the two of them, with occasional plugged in performances with various bass players, and the addition this year of Rob Guertin, a hard rock drummer with innovative beats and energy to burn on their Tuesday night gigs.
The whole scene is very informal, and local musicians might at any time show up and get on stage with them in a mini jam session. Harmonica players, bass players, guest singers, and guest guitarists have all been seen on Plastic Eddie's stage, and sometimes Lionetti and Perez have even been known to get on the drums on these occasions, playing literal musical chairs with their friends and colleagues. All in all, it's a very good time. Just ask the barefoot girl dancing in front of the stage with a tambourine.