Starset

Starset
Background information
Origin Columbus, Ohio, United States
Genres
Years active 2013–present
Labels Razor & Tie
Associated acts Downplay
Website

starsetonline.com

thestarsetsociety.org
Members
  • Dustin Bates
  • Ron DeChant
  • Brock Richards
  • Adam Gilbert

Starset is an American rock band from Columbus, Ohio, United States,[4] formed by Dustin Bates in 2013.[5] They released their debut album, Transmissions, the following year[6][7][8] and their second album, Vessels, on January 20, 2017.[9] The band has found success in expanding the ideas of their concept albums through social media and YouTube, with the band generating over $230,000 in revenue from views from the latter as of November 2016.[10] Their single "My Demons" had accumulated over 280 million Youtube views in the same time period.[10] Their most commercially successful song, "Monster", peaked at number 2 on the Billboard US Mainstream Rock Songs chart in May 2017.[11]

History

Formation and Transmissions (2013–15)

Starset was formed in 2013 by Downplay vocalist Dustin Bates, who is also the band's lead singer, songwriter, and keyboardist.[12] Bates' interest in astronomy was first fueled when acquiring his masters in electrical engineering as he studied at Ohio University. He completed research for the US Air Force and also taught at the International Space University.[13] Bates created the fictional backstory for the band that forms the thematic basis for their music and multimedia.[14] In the backstory, Starset was formed as part of a public outreach initiative by The Starset Society. The Society's aims were to alert the public about the contents of "the Message" the society obtained from a mysterious signal from space.[15] Starset treats their backstory and The Starset Society as real in interviews, with few exceptions.[14]

The band released their debut album Transmissions on July 8, 2014.[16] The release debuted at number 49 on the US Billboard 200 charts, making it one of the highest debut albums for a rock band in 2014, and as of 2016, had sold over 79,000 copies.[1][17] Three singles were released in promotion of the album; "My Demons", "Carnivore", and "Halo".[18] They also performed well in the charts, reaching fifth, sixteenth, and sixteenth respectively on the Billboard US Mainstream Rock charts.[18] The band later released an accompanying 250 page graphic novel, The Prox Transmission, further detailing Bates' fictional back-history of the Starset Society story.[1]

Vessels (2016–present)

Rob Graves, who produced Transmissions, announced on January 26, 2016 that the making of Starset's sophomore record has "officially commenced".[19] Along with the announcement of European tour dates supporting Breaking Benjamin, Starset announced that their second album is "due in the autumn".[20] On October 4, 2016, Starset posted to their social media an image of "a Marvel graphic novel coming out in fall of 2017", according to an interview with Marvel at New York Comic Con, which will be an "extension" to The Prox Transmissions. Bates also said that the new album will be "even more diverse" than the last and "goes from metal to pop".[21] The graphic novel is slated for a September 2017 release and will be 88 pages long.

The album's first single, "Monster" was released on October 28, 2016.[22] On November 4, 2016, Starset announced their upcoming album Vessels, which was released on January 20, 2017.[23] The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[24] The band spent much of 2017 touring in support of the album. The band toured with Black Satellite in the first half of 2017.[25] In July 2017, the band performed at Seether's Shaun Morgan's "Rise Above Fest", alongside Shinedown and Halestorm.[26]

Musical style and influences

Due to the large number of styles, instruments, and influences of the band's work, many outlets, including AllMusic, Billboard, and Revolver all commonly label the band as "rock" or a "rock band".[3][1][2] Bates describes the music as "cinematic rock" - not a recognized genre - but has elaborated as well.[3] Describing his aspirations with the band on their first album, Transmissions, he explained that its "as if a hard-rock band did the soundtrack to an epic blockbuster movie...we're blending symphonics with electronics with riff-driven, baritone guitar hard rock."[27] Bates explained the evolution of sound with the band's second album, Vessels: "Whereas [Transmissions] was centred in the hard rock lane before, now it goes more metal at times, and the guitar work borrows from djent stylings, and it gets more ambient at times, using electronics at a more deeply integrated level. Whereas the strings were more cinematic, there was more of a quartet before, on this record it’s more of an orchestration..."[28] Bates also stated he implemented some elements of EDM into the second album.[29] Dave Richards Erie Times-News' described the band's sound as "blending the progressive aspirations of Muse with the openhearted approach of emotional and muscular power of bands like Breaking Benjamin".[27]

Influences of Starset include Hans Zimmer, Nine Inch Nails, Sigur Ros, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Deftones, Linkin Park and Breaking Benjamin.[27][30]

Members

Current members

Touring members

  • Mariko M – violin, cello (2014–2015)[31]
  • Nneka Lyn – cello (2016)[32]
  • Jonathan Kampfe – cello (2017)[33]
  • Siobhán Cronin – violin (2017)[33]

[34]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US Main
[18]		 US Rock
[35]
"My Demons" 2013 5 36 Transmissions
"Carnivore" 2014 16 —
"Halo" 2015 16 —
"Monster" 2016 2 29 Vessels
"Satellite" 2017 31 —

Music videos

Title Year Director
"My Demons" 2013 Denver Cavins[36]
"Carnivore" 2014 Ramon Boutviseth[37]
"Halo" 2015 Corbin Thomas[38]
"Monster" 2016 Punk City
"Back to the Earth" 2017 Mungo Creative Group
"Telepathic" Dustin Bates

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Dan Rys (November 9, 2016). "How Rock Band Starset Found Huge Success on YouTube, Without Even Trying". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-11-09.
  2. 1 2 "Starset Premiere Video Trailer for New Album, Transmissions". Revolvermag.com. June 2, 2014. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  3. 1 2 3 Mark Deming (November 27, 2013). "Starset | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  4. ↑ "Starset sign to Razor & Tie". Alternative Press. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Starset Premiere Video Trailer for New Album, Transmissions". Revolvermag.com. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Starset". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Starset: Transmissions review". The Front Row Report. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  8. ↑ Palmer, Josh (July 8, 2014). "Album: Starset – Transmissions". Deadpress.co.uk. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Starset Unleash 'Monster' Single, Announce 'Vessels' Album". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  10. 1 2 "How Rock Band Starset Found Huge Success on YouTube, Without Even Trying". Billboard. November 9, 2016. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  11. ↑ "Starset - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  12. ↑ "POZ Showcase: Starset — PropertyOfZack". Propertyofzack.com. August 10, 2014. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  13. ↑ "Starset band biography" (PDF). Isolmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  14. 1 2 "For Russ College alum and Starset frontman Dustin Bates, creativity takes center stage". Russ College of Engineering and Technology. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  15. ↑ "STARSET". Starset official website. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  16. ↑ "STARSET TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM TRANSMISSIONS ON JULY 8th : Razor & Tie Direct L.L.C.". Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  17. ↑ Malan, Jamie (November 3, 2014). "Starset premieres new music video for "Carnivore"". AXS. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  18. 1 2 3 "Starset". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Rob Graves on Twitter: "As of 4 pm eastern today, the making of Starset 2 has officially commenced".". Twitter. September 10, 2009. Retrieved 2016-01-29.
  20. ↑ David Farrell. "Starset announce European dates as main support to Breaking Benjamin". Planet Mosh. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  21. ↑ Blair Marnell (October 6, 2016). "New York Comic Con 2016 – Starset Teases Their Marvel Graphic Novel". CraveOnline. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  22. ↑ Devon Anderson (October 28, 2016). "NEW SINGLE - STARSET, "Monster" - RockRevolt Mag". RockRevolt Magazine. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  23. ↑ "STARSET To Release 'Vessels' Album In January; Listen To 'Monster' Single". Blabbermouth.net. November 4, 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  24. ↑ "Starset - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  25. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7857759/black-satellite-endless-new-album-stream-starset-premiere
  26. ↑ "Seether Announce Fifth Annual Rise Above Fest, Korn, Shinedown, Halestorm and More to Perform". Revolvermag.com. February 21, 2017. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  27. 1 2 3 Richards, Dave (September 10, 2015). "Cinematic band Starset opens for Breaking Benjamin". Erie Times-News. Ken Nelson. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  28. ↑ Kennedy, Jade (February 1, 2017). "With Starset's New Album 'Vessels' Dustin Bates Seeks To Bring Out The Scientist In All Of Us". Music Feeds. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  29. ↑ Mettler, Mike (April 7, 2017). "Starset's Dustin Bates Talks VR Audio, Hi-res Streaming, and Life On Mars". Digital Trends. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  30. ↑ Behe, Rege (February 15, 2017). "Dustin Bates boasts atypical background for a musician". Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Cello, Compose, Violin : MARIKO". Wix.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  32. ↑ "Nneka Lyn". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  33. 1 2 Devon Anderson (February 21, 2017). "LIVE SHOW REVIEW: Starset w/ Gemini Syndrome < RockRevolt Mag". RockRevoltmagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  34. ↑ Joe Hadsall (June 12, 2015). "Sci-fi songwrting: Dystopian story fuels Starset's music". The Joplin Globe. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
  35. ↑ "Starset". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  36. ↑ "My Demons (Official Music Video)". CMT. May 6, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  37. ↑ Aaron Wilschick (October 31, 2014). "Starset - "Carnivore" [Music Video]". PureGrainAudio.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  38. ↑ Corbin Thomas (May 8, 2015). "BLOG - wellcan still & motion media". rssing.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
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