Independent
Scene
A*STAR
With their newest single, “Let It Lie”,
less than a month old at the time I am writing
this, fans are already eagerly awaiting for the
next work from Chicago’s own A*Star. A*Star
is one of those bands that, continually surprise
their fans by expanding their sound and trying
something a little bit different for each single
that they release.
Anybody wanting to box this band
into a certain category, or label, would be hard
pressed to come up with any one group to
lump them into. Their sound is so diverse and
fresh, that it is unlike anything I have ever
heard before. The only real category I could
put them in would be “rock” in general, and
even that does not do this amazing outfit the
justice that they deserve.
This is an act that are spreading
through word of mouth, and not by mainstream
radio (as that whole medium for band promotion is quite the dying breed). They have a
strong internet following, and every fan is well
earned. With their emotional music, and
thought provoking lyrics, this is one band that
must be heard to be believed.
While hints of what the future holds
for the band keep popping up, band members
Perry Pelonero and Kim Welsh were kind
enough to answer some questions for our first
issue of “Loudnezz”.
01: Before going into the future, can you tell us
a little bit about where this band has been,
both before the creation of A*Star, and during?
Kim: Perry and I met in early 2008 when he
was looking for a singer for Skylight—all studio work, since our other band mate (Brent Martino) was in Massachusetts. Later that
year we were itching to do some live shows, and we had been experimenting with some darker sounds, and Bliss City East was
born. That was a funny time for us—we were going through a lot of personal crises and it came out in our music and lyrics. We
went through a lot of band members—I mean a LOT. We were probably miserable to work with! Then we found Eric D’Asto, who
helped us craft a more pop sound. The super-dark went away. Eric was with us for a couple of years and a few other musicians
came and went. Perry and I did a little project called Morpheme and released an EP, and also did some other guest work. I think it
was early 2012 when we called it quits on Bliss City East; we had different goals. Oddly enough, Perry and I were the ones who
didn’t want to do many live shows anymore. It’s such a pain in the butt when you have kids and have to find a babysitter and PAY
a babysitter! We weren’t getting any joy out of it. Eric and Melanie Yodnane, the drummer we’d been playing with, moved on to
form their new band. Perry and I went back to messing around in the studio and A*Star came to be. Sometimes I miss the dark
stuff, and that’s when songs like Catch the Moon get written.
02: You have quite the back catalog of singles already under your belt, will there be a CD release compiling all of these songs in
the future?
Kim: We are working on a full-length album that will have a lot of the singles and some new stuff too. We’re not sure about format,
but CD seems to make sense.
Perry: Our record label out of ST LOUIS Boxer Clever records will be releasing our full length early next year. We have discussed
multiple formats including vinyl.
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