209Vibe and Off the Air are proud to bring you the 209's first-ever online release party! Click here to be among the first to check out "Everything is not Loveable," the long-awaited new EP from Modesto's not an Airplane.

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Last month, not an Airplane walked of with a Modesto Area Music Association (MAMA) award for “Best Unplugged.”

Now, I’m certainly not advocating that Nick Shattell and his band were not deserving of the award; they absolutely were. But take one listen to their glistening new EP “Everything is not Loveable,” and you might start to wonder where this “unplugged” thing came from.

“I really wanted to showcase that we’re more than just me by myself; I love rocking with those guys and wanted to show what we can do,” said Shattell, who formerly used the name not an Airplane for his bundle of solo songs, but for the past year, the group has evolved into a trio with bassist Jared Neilson and drummer Dave Rogers.

It was at the MAMA awards that Shattell and 209Vibe editor Ian Hill set the wheels in motion for 209Vibe’s first ever online CD release party. If you haven’t done so already, check out not an Airplane’s “Everything is not Loveable” by clicking here.

Not an Airplane also celebrates the release of the EP at an “Off The Air” series event on Friday, November 7 at Café Deva, 1202 J St. in Modesto. The show gets rolling at 8 p.m. and cover is $5. Chris Robley & the Fear of Heights, Karli Fairbanks, and City Psychology also perform.

“I really wanted to keep it simple and keep it more organic,” Shattell said of his sophomore record. “On the last record I spent a lot of time covering up the songs with different instrumentation and effects and stuff, it takes away from the feel of the song.

“This time, especially with a new band, I wanted to capture the band and just let the songs be themselves.”

Recorded at Wave Parade Studios on Modesto, “Everything is not Loveable” is a frisky and endearing collection of six rock, folk and Americana melded tunes that toggle between acoustic strolls on a misty afternoon to electric gallops through a breezy autumn morning. The lyrics are often dark, but the intricately crafted and swooning melodies keep them hoisted up throughout the record.

They’re the type of songs you’ll find yourself singing along with the very first time you listen to them.

“Nothing to Lose” – With guitar lines delightfully reminiscent of Neil Young’s “Ohio” or Jeff Tweedy’s daydream, this tune opens the curtain on not an Airplane’s plugged-in rock chops. “I’m not exactly a virtuoso on guitar,” Shattell quipped, “but I love the way it turned out.”

“Don’t Go Home” – A yearning and heart-wrenchingly crooned ballad with a tasty twang about trying to find your way home.

“Loveable” – The unofficial centerpiece/title track of the album and one of Shattell’s favorites features silky-sweet backing vocals from Sacramento’s Chelsea Wolfe.

“Resolution & Rage” – “I had to look back on it and see what it was about for myself; I was struggling a lot with what to do and who I was and personal blah-blah-blah,” Shattell said, as he searched for a way out of limbo with swirling, funky-blues guitar swipes and a lyrical crescendo: “There’s nowhere to go/ I’ve never seen it/ There’s no where I’ve been/ I must have dreamed it.”

“At the Very Least” – “You’ll be sad when I’m gone/ You’ll be gone when I’m sad/ I don’t want to get used to that.” Enough said.

“Past Tennessee” – A narcotic, swaying country ballad about how the world is a pretty small place, even when you have to leave things behind.

“I kind of like it when people take whatever they need to take from the songs,” Shattell said. “If someone thinks it’s about the Presidential campaign, that’s fine.

“I know what it means, but even that changes for me sometimes.”

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