With the band’s growing popularity on the Supernova.com music community, we are proud to bring these passionate and energy-driven indie rockers to the Toronto stage TONIGHT at the Poor Alex Theatre at 11:30pm!
Combining 80's ‘cock rock’ with contemporary sounds like Anberlin and Foo Fighters, Static in the Stars has created a power-driven and polished act that has fans turning heads. These young artists shared the stage at Virgin Festival Alberta 2009, and are currently confirmed for Boonstock 2010.
We grabbed an interview (and a couple CONTEST prizes; see below!) from lead singer Jordan Carrier, who told us how Static in the Stars is cooking up their own success in the music industry.
Can you introduce your band members – how does each individual fit into the band?
We have Jamez Goodon and Cam Thomas on guitar, Jason Ritchie on drums, Scott Whalen on bass, and me - Jordan Carriere on vocals. Our nicknames for each other really aren't nicknames, rather they basically consist of shouting derogatory terms at each other repeatedly (but in an endearing way).
You can however, call Cam "Ginger". But with a J. And a Brooklyn accent. Like "Jinja". He likes that, it makes him purr.
LOL, I’ll make a point to call him that. How would you describe your sound?
Basically take equal parts 80's hair metal and modern rock like Anberlin and Foo Fighters, with a slight touch of Ataris pop punk and what you get is ripping guitars, big melodies and lots of whoas and heys.
Whoa-hey-now. So what would be your ‘motto’ or ‘recipe’ for putting on a good show?
1 "Good Show" by Static in the Stars
Ingredients needed:
- A place to play: That's pretty important.
- Fans: Again, pretty important.
- Copious amounts of energy: Shoegazers need not apply.
- Humor: Cause no one likes a band that takes themselves to seriously.
- Chaos: Predictability is boring.
- Jack Daniels. The fuel for our fire.
- Random audience nudity. Not required but certainly encouraged.
Recipe:
Start off with a place to play and fans to see you play. Add in 10 parts of energy. If you're standing still then I'm bored and either walking out or hitting on the bartender and not watching your show. Add in 2 parts of humor, because remember this is entertainment! If seasonably available add in a pinch of chaos just to make things interesting.
(Side note, chaos can usually be guaranteed when playing on a full moon).
Fuel up with Jack Daniels, or not, really that's your call. If you can get random audience nudity then the party is definitely on! In fact you should probably encourage it.
Add all that up and you get: ROCK AND ROLL!!!!
Tasty! What is the most rewarding thing about being in a band?
Making music and playing live is the ultimate reward. After that, having people enjoy your music and become fans is a great feeling. Not to mention, saying "I'm in a band" is a slightly higher than mediocre pickup line, which is better than what we can come up with on our own. 30% of the time, it works everytime. Meow.
How did you find Supernova.com?
We all did Supernova shows in other bands over the years, and this year FOX SEEDS 2010 was partnered with Supernova, which is all around awesome.
What do you see as the biggest challenge facing ‘new’ artists these days?
It's an exciting time to be a musician these days, as the means of recording and getting your music out to people is right at your fingertips and the traditional "gatekeepers" don't have as much control. That being said, it also means that everybody in the world can release their music, which makes it harder to cut through the clutter.
It seems like everything is a bit more fragmented now and it can lead to an uphill battle to get your music heard. There's also so many additional things that take your attention away from the music, what with having to spend time on your social networks, blogging, etc. With the fast pace of technology and the amount of information we receive in a day and the media presented to us our attention spans are.... squirrel!
I hear ya. What advice would you give to other aspiring ‘rock stars’ who want to be in your shoes?
Practice. Then practice some more. Then write songs. Then write more songs. Then write more songs with other people. Learn and study the art of songwriting. Then learn about the music industry and how to market your music. Then get out and play live and hone your live show. Learn how to network effectively with people in the industry. Then repeat continually.
What I'm trying to get across here is that no one owes you anything in this life, and if you want it you've got to go get it. Never let anyone tell you, you can't do it. It's about hard work and perseverance, never giving up and believing in what you do. And make sure you enjoy the ride cause it sure is fun!
You’ve played some big festivals/gigs… what are you most excited about at NXNE?
Our favorite shows are always festivals. The atmosphere at events like this is so overwhelming. Everyone is there for a good time and there's so much great music and you end up running around the entire time trying to fit everything in and you meet so many great people and that is what makes it so great! Not to mention we get to play 3 great shows right smack dab in the middle of it!
Is there such a thing as ‘bad’ music? If so, how do you define it?
There is no such thing as 'bad' music. There's music that you might not like and there's music that's poorly written and performed, but it's not 'bad' per se.
The thing that people forget is that music is about feeling and emotion and moving people. To you a song might be the worst thing you've ever heard but to someone else it could be life changing. Every song affects people differently and everyone takes something different from music. Therefore I'm of the belief that you cannot discount any music.
Well said.
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The new Static in the Stars album No Grace in Goodbyes was produced by Tommy Mac from multi-platinum recording artists Hedley, engineered by Juno nominated Dean Maher (Elton John, AC/DC, Slayer, Rise Against, Chevelle, Atreyu) and mastered by Chris Potter (Sarah MacLachlan, Run DMC, Rufus Wainright, Delirium).
CONTEST:
If YOU would like to win your very own signed copy of Static in the Stars’ new album, simply email Corina with the band’s name in the subject line.
If you email before 5pm today, you can ALSO win tickets to tonight’s show at The Poor Alex in Toronto, for Supernova’s BEST of the FEST showcase!
With the band’s growing popularity on the Supernova.com music community, we are proud to bring these passionate and energy-driven indie rockers to the Toronto stage TONIGHT at the Poor Alex Theatre at 11:30pm!
