| Stellastarr | |
|---|---|
Stellastarr playing in Mexico |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York |
| Genres | Indie rock, post-punk revival |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Tiswas, RCA/Sony, Bloated Wife |
| Website | stellastarr.com |
| Members | |
| Arthur Kremer Shawn Christensen Amanda Tannen Michael Jurin |
|
Stellastarr (styled as stellastarr*) is an American indie rock band based in New York City. It is composed of Shawn Christensen (vocals, rhythm guitar), Amanda Tannen (bass, vocals), Arthur Kremer (drums, percussion, keyboards), and Michael Jurin (lead guitar, vocals).
Contents |
The band formed in March 2000 from the ashes of a previous musical effort formed while studying art and design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. A few years later, after a chance meeting with Michael, who had recently relocated to Brooklyn and had left his former band Charlotte's Funeral behind in his hometown of Philadelphia, the former classmates reunited, this time with Shawn on vocals.
Stellastarr played their first gig at Luna Lounge, formerly on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in July 2000, and released a limited series of independent/homemade EP CDs shortly thereafter. They have toured with (among others) Jane's Addiction, The Raveonettes, Placebo, supported by The Killers, and Editors. Stellastarr have played live in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Europe.
Their third album, Civilized, was released in July 2009 on their own label, Bloated Wife. The album recovers the speed of the first and the essence of the second. "Graffiti Eyes" and "Numbers" are the singles, the last one has a B-Side that incluides "Winter Song"[1]
Members of the band have collaborated with Project Runway winner Christian Siriano and his boyfriend, musician Brad Walsh on music for Siriano's runway shows at fashion week. Michael Jurin played guitar on Walsh's song "Pop" which was the runway music in 2009, and Amanda Tannen contributed vocals to the song "I Got What U Need" on Walsh's 2009 album.
All members of the band have alternate careers. Frontman Shawn Christensen is a screenwriter and painter. On September 10, 2008, he sold a script entitled The Karma Coalition, to Warner Bros.[2] He also has a screenplay entitled Sidney Hall going into production in 2010.[3] He also wrote the screenplay for the 2011 film Abduction. Christensen also painted the portraits inside the album artwork for the group's eponymous debut album. Bassist Amanda Tannen is a graphic designer and created the album art for their third album, Civilized. Guitarist Michael Jurin is a member of the Philadelphia based band The Midnight Sounds, creates his own music under the name Piano Belly and has scored various short independent movies. Drummer Arthur Kremer is a graphic designer, and a founding member of a Brooklyn band called Dear Comrade, and acted in The Lost Battalion.