Stars Underground

Stars Underground

Stars Underground 2001
Background information
Also known as Never On Sunday
Origin Los Angeles, California
Boston, Massachusetts
United States
Genres glam punk
punk rock
Hard rock
Years active 1993–2006
Labels Hollywood Records, Dead End Music
Associated acts Touch Me Hooker
Tragedy
God Zoo
Fizzy Bangers
Swingin' Thing
The Glamour Punks
Queeny Blast Pop
Peppermint Creeps
Traci Michaelz RIP
Toilet Böys
Lullaby Polar
Astrovamps
Damn Shame
Demons Alley
Lost Angels
Sister Morphine
Big Bang Babies
Members Ron John
Bang
Chris Kelly
Shawn Vincentt
Past members Sharmet
Roxy Saint
Greg Scott

Stars Underground is an American rock band that started in early '90s Hollywood glam punk scene. They call Hollywood, California, and Boston, Massachusetts, home. The band members are Chris Kelly on guitar, Bang (Greg Scott) on bass, Shawn Vincentt on drums, and Ron John on vocals.

History

The beginning - Hollywood, Never On Sunday and the Orphan Child

Bang in Touch Me Hooker
Never On Sunday, Hollywood, CA 1993

The band started in Hollywood, California, in 1993 under the name “Never On Sunday” with Roxy Saint and Sharmet sharing vocal duties. Although the roots of the band can be traced back a few years earlier and 3000 miles to the east... Boston, Ma is where Chris, Bang and Shawn would play parts in two different bands before heading west (Lost Angels and Touch Me Hooker, who were directly influenced by the late 80's/early 90's Hollywood glam punk scene).

One of Never On Sundays biggest shows in 1993 was a Midnight slot on the 4th of July, hitting the stage right after headliners, Queeny Blast Pop, Swingin' Thing, and Blackboard Jungle. The show also had T-shirts[1] made from the full page ad in the magazine Rock City News. And overall it was a real uniting of the tribes, Hollywood style. Other openers were Tragedy, a band that bass player Bang had originally started with Jamie Shane, and Traci Michaelz(RIP), and God Zoo, they shared a rehearsal space with Never On Sunday, and featured Alley Useless, and Lil Dee (formerly of Queeny Blast Pop). The Coconut Teaszer was jam packed the entire night, and promoter Janet Dominick claimed that is was by far, financially here biggest show ever!

After playing some more shows around Hollywood and building some Major Label interest from Hollywood Records, internal conflict created mostly by the business side of the music industry would tear ‘Never on Sunday’ apart. The only recordings the band would release would be an early rehearsal taped on a Boombox, this 4 song recording accidentally got duplicated and made it rounds in the tight knit Hollywood Community. Years later the band would release this EP as The Hollywood & Western Rehearsal Tape '93.[2] It contained some of the bands most popular songs including "Bimbo On The Phone", "Sunshine", "I Can't Explain(Best Friend)" & "Let Me In." Singer Roxy Saint would release the 'Orphan Child' CD in 1995[3] that also used some of the bands songs.

Back to Boston, Soundtrack to a Suicide CD

Picture of the Glam/Punk band Stars Underground

By the late 1990s the guys in the band had grown tired of the Hollywood lifestyle and returned to the East coast. Around 2001 bass player Bang returned to Boston from New York City to join a revamped version of the band to be called ‘Stars Underground’. Long-time aquantance Ron Arsenault would be the singer and with a couple dozen songs already written the band quickly headed into the studio with Joe Laquidara (former sideman for Boston (band). The ‘Soundtrack to a Suicide’ CD would be the result, and the band started playing shows around Boston and the surrounding areas. Everything seemed to be going well, but as communication within the band started to dissolve Greg and Ron headed back to California where the ‘Soundtrack to a Suicide’ CD[4] was released in an attempt to put together a new Stars Underground line-up on the West coast. The CD has been released two other times since, and although the album is currently out of print, Mp3's can be bought at CD Baby[5]

Self-titled CD

A couple years later a CD simply titled ‘Stars Underground’[6] was released, and the band played some shows around Boston with Ron, Chris and Shawn as the only original members. The song "See You Around" was released to radio, and got airplay on Boston's WBCN. The band's website and CD artwork would feature the four original members; even though bass player Bang was not present for any of the shows during this time period, and a fill-in bass player was used.

Stars Underground Hollywood 2006

2006 reunion

The last re-emergence of the Stars Underground was 2006 when all four original members played Dragonfly Club in Hollywood, California. With this came the re-release of the Soundtrack to a Suicide CD,[7] sold through the band's website. A couple new songs were played at the show along with talk of a new CD getting recorded. After a couple more live shows around the Boston area, the bands website was taken down and all has been quiet since.

Never On Sunday recordings and Dead End Music

In 2007 Stars Underground decided on Dead End Music to distribute all music, and promotion for the band. Dead End Music is a digital record label that currently works with the websites CDbaby, and the LastFM. Soon after; some early Never On Sunday recordings were posted as Hollywood & Western Rehearsal Tape '93.[8] These tapes were recorded live on a boombox in the legendary studio that was located in the Hollywood & Western Building.

While being shopped to record labels, Never On Sunday recorded an 8 track demo, and many shows were filmed to put together a one song video for the song “Sunshine”, but all of this was lost before the digital age exploded. The only known recording of Never on Sunday that exists today is the live 4 song rehearsal tape.

Zombie Strippers

In 2008 former lead singer Roxy Saint would have a major acting role in the horror movie 'Zombie Strippers.' The movie would star A Nightmare on Elm Street's Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), and Jenna Jameson.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Glam/Punk Bash @Coconut Teaszer! T-shirt" ebay. Retrieved 2015-01-17
  2. ↑ "Buy the Never On Sunday - Hollywood & Western Rehearsal Tape '93" CD Baby. Retrieved 2015-02-23
  3. ↑ "Roxy Saint - Orphan Child" Last Fm. Retrieved 2015-02-15
  4. ↑ "Stars Underground-Soundtrack To A Suicide CD information.". Heavy Harmonies. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  5. ↑ "Buy the Stars Underground CD Soundtrack to a Suicide on CD Baby.". CD Baby. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  6. ↑ "Stars Underground S/T CD Review.". Sleazegrinder. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  7. ↑ "Stars Underground-Soundtrack To A Suicide CD re-release Review.". Glitzine. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  8. ↑ "Never On Sunday - Hollywood & Western Rehearsal Tape '93 Released" Dead End Music. Retrieved 2014-12-10

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stars Underground.