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..... Info ........................................XHHHI.....
: I+ :
: Artist: Stellastarr :
: Album: Somewhere Across Forever :
: Tracks: 03 :
: Time: 11:59 mins :
: Bitrate: 192kbit True Stereo :
: Source: CDDA :
: Genre: Indie :
: Label: 2020 Recordings :
: Str.Date: May-19-2003 :
: Rip.Date: Jul-13-2003 :
: Ripper: NuHS :
: :
:...........................................................:
.. About This Release .......................................
: :
: Let's talk about a band, one that seems to simply steer :
: clear of convention quite naturally at all turns. How :
: many bands boast members who would first consider :
: themselves actors, artists, designers, or filmmakers :
: before considering themselves singers, guitarists, or :
: drummers? How many bands find an eventual band-mate :
: while picking up mail? How many bands play gigs all :
: over the New York area only to finally find a :
: spastically approving audience of NYC scenesters à at :
: high noon in Texas? How many bands get booked for a :
: performance on national television without a proper :
: label or a full album in stores? Defying convention :
: almost accidentally, stellastarr* is the unbelievable :
: band that everyone wants to believe in. :
: :
: While loads of their contemporaries weaned themselves :
: on rock star wishes and guitar solo dreams, :
: stellastarr* originated out of a spirit of friendship :
: and artistic experimentation. Singer/guitarist Shawn :
: Christensen, bassist Amanda Tannen, and drummer Arthur :
: Kremer met while studying at Brooklyn art school Pratt :
: Institute of the Arts. Then and now, Shawn would :
: probably describe himself as a painter and an actor :
: prior to mentioning his current frontman duties with :
: stellastarr*. If he manages to sell one painting before :
: the first of each month, his landlord gets paid. Sheer :
: curiosity led Shawn to buy himself an acoustic guitar :
: and to learn the instrument he employed the help of a :
: trusted teacher: Bob Dylan, or at least his published :
: songbook. :
: :
: Arthur also acted, landing a few film roles, but his :
: main passion was graphic design; he's responsible for :
: the band's album artwork concepts and logos. In fact, :
: only during the recording sessions for stellastarr*s :
: debut did Arthur feel comfortable adding "drummer" to :
: his mental business card. Amanda also came into the :
: band from a non-traditional angle, drawing on her years :
: as a classically trained cellist while she explored the :
: bass guitar. :
: :
: So when the three friends formed their first band, :
: Ghistor, they began with limited experience as rock :
: musicians: Shawn had only spent about six months with :
: the acoustic and the book of Dylan songs; Arthur was :
: six weeks into his drumming career; and Amanda, despite :
: her cello training, had never set fingers to strings on :
: an electric bass. As artists, the trio had simply :
: embarked on a new creative endeavor, albeit a :
: short-lived one; Ghistor was the trial run. :
: :
: In the spring of 2000, Shawn, Arthur, and Amanda :
: reconvened in NYC after graduation and started to :
: rekindle the musical flames, but they were acutely :
: aware that the band's sound needed some fleshing out. :
: As rock music coincidences go, the manner by which :
: guitarist Michael Jurin joined the lineup is rather :
: classic: Michael had recently moved to NY, leaving :
: Charlotte's Funeral, the band he fronted back home in :
: Philadelphia. As fate would have it, the talented :
: guitarist rented a room whose previous occupant had :
: been none other than Arthur. Stopping by his previous :
: abode to check for any lagging mail, Arthur discovered :
: that a guitarist had taken over his old place. The two :
: future bandmates got to talking and Arthur invited :
: Michael to meet Shawn and Mandy. One jam session later, :
: stellastarr* was born. :
: :
: Like any upstart act must do, stellastarr* developed :
: its sound while gigging around NYC, feeling most at :
: home at the Lower East Side's Luna Lounge and at the :
: Tiswas NYC weekly rock party on Saturday nights at Don :
: Hill's in the West Village. Tiswas NYC DJ/promoter Nick :
: Marc saw the excitement brewing at stellastarr* shows :
: and invited acclaimed producer Tim O'Heir (Sebadoh, The :
: Folk Implosion, Dinosaur Jr, Superdrag, Hedwig and the :
: Angry Inch) to check out a live show. It took only that :
: one show at Don Hill's for Tim clear his schedule to :
: bring the stella*s into the studio. stellastarr*s debut :
: EP, Somewhere Across Forever, stemmed from those :
: recordings and was released on Nick Marc's Tiswas :
: Records in December 2002. This EP offered a quick :
: glimpse into the stellastarr* sound in the form of the :
: harmonic build-up of the title track, the incendiary :
: "No Weather," and the slow-burning, defiant "School Ya" :
: (exclusive to the EP). :
: :
: Tim O'Heir and Nick Marc weren't the only people :
: latching onto the stellastarr* sound. At each :
: performance, there was a sense that the crowd contained :
: the same faces as the previous gig, only with a handful :
: of new faces added in each time. The band's repertoire :
: and its emotional sway over an audience grew in leaps :
: and bounds; songs like the gripping "In The Walls," the :
: spastic and melodic "Jenny," the buoyant "My Coco," and :
: the epic sojourn of "Moongirl" became more breathtaking :
: and enveloping with each listen. The sound was so :
: utterly unique when NYC seemed full of bands either :
: seeking garage roots or absorbing '80s aesthetics. :
: Still undeniably young and unpolished, they became the :
: most unique rock and roll band on the scene. :
: :
: Along the way, stellastarr* booked gigs with the Joe :
: Strummer, the Raveonettes, the Strokes, Sahara :
: Hotnights, Melissa Auf Der Maur, the Mooney Suzuki, the :
: Realistics, the Apples In Stereo, the Black Keys, :
: Elefant, Ambulance ltd, Aerial Love Feed, the Red King. :
: :
: In March of 2003, stellastarr* made a pilgrimage to :
: Austin, Texas for the annual week of beer, barbecue, :
: and bedlam that is South By Southwest. With gigs at :
: that bastion of indie rock -- the Hard Rock CafΘ -- and :
: a noon show on a Saturday, the band just wanted to make :
: the best of it. Turns out that just about anyone who :
: hadn't seen the band before came out to the Austin :
: gigs, even at high noon on a Saturday. In its log of :
: SXSW shows, the UK's NME called stellastarr* "the best :
: band we've seen all day" and ranked stellastarr* as its :
: top-ranked discovery at SXSW 2003. NME wasn't alone in :
: its observations; the band's name was on the tip of :
: everyone's tongue, mesmerized by Shawn's freaked out :
: and enthralling vocals, Michael's trailblazing guitar :
: work, Amanda's instantly hummable basslines and cooing :
: harmonies, and Arthur's frenetic work behind the kit, :
: not to mention his radical sunglasses and the :
: electrical tape asterisk over his bare nipple. :
: :
: When the band returned home to play a gig at New York's :
: Knitting Factory, the building could no longer fit all :
: of its fans, new and old, even for a band without a :
: true record to its credit. Reviewing the Knitting :
: Factory show, NME said, "stellastarr* seem to have :
: emerged fully-formed, a dream of a band with nearly :
: every element absolutely perfect." Yes, there was :
: indeed a sense of evolution, that these four people had :
: shed their art school innocence and metamorphosed into :
: an electrifying and undeniable force. The live shows :
: were no longer an artistic trial but instead a full :
: blown aural assault tempered with emotional grace. :
: :
: Late April and early May found the band returning to :
: the studio with Tim O'Heir to lay down the rest of the :
: album, leaving O'Heir with the challenge to harness :
: these tracks into a recorded format. After a few weeks :
: of late nights in the studio (with much recording done :
: after a full day's work at the members' various day :
: jobs), the band made its first jump across the pond, :
: holding down an opening slot on the Raveonettes' UK :
: tour. The British press and radio (XFM, Radio 1) had :
: already embraced the band prior to its arrival, but the :
: live dates substantiated every glowing review that came :
: before, and the Somewhere Across Forever EP saw its UK :
: release, an occasion celebrated by the band with a :
: packed headlining gig at London's Barfly. :
: :
: The band's self-titled debut, out September 23rd on :
: RCA, could be called a culmination, the product of :
: months and years of gigs, rehearsals, and recording :
: sessions. In reality, it's just the first experiment :
: from four artists who are only scratching the surface :
: of their capabilities as musicians and performers. It's :
: never been conventional so far, so why start now? :
: :
: Look for stellastarr* on tour with Longwave this summer :
: to support the forthcoming release. :
: :
: stellastarr* is: :
: Shawn Christensen - lyrics, vocals, guitar :
: Amanda Tannen - bass, vocals :
: Arthur Kremer - percussion, keyboards :
: Michael Jurin - guitar, vocals :
: :
: http://www.stellastarr.com/ :
: :
: NuHS. :
: :
:...........................................................:
.. Track List ...............................................
: :
: 01 Somewhere Across Forever 03:42 :
: 02 No Weather 03:21 :
: 03 School Ya 04:56 :
: :
: 11:59 min:
: :
:...........................................................:
.............................................................
: :
: WE PROVIDE THE FIREWORKS, :
: :
: :
: YOU DO THE OOOHHH'S & AAAAAHH'S :
: :
: :
: :
: :
: :
: :
: :
: nuhs2001@yahoo.com :
:...........................................................:
.graphics.ant.no.425153254.