Stars Aligned
Peter Cheng
A fan once said: “Stars are chameleons. They can either lull an insomniac on crack to sleep, or awaken a hibernating bear.” Quite bold, quite true. Though having lived the Cinderella tale, this melodramatic indie powerhouse from Montreal remains grounded amidst fame and fortune. Formed in March 2000, the band grew and bonded through writing and playing, but so did their fans through engaging and learning. Together it was a journey. It was a relationship from within and without. While individually different, each member of the band brought his or her own distinctive personality to the overall product. Amy Millan, Chris Seligman, Evan Cranley, Torq Campbell, and Pat McGee. Alluring, mysterious, versatile, theatrical, and unique.
In the Bedroom After the War is Stars’ latest piece, and though it has not yet reached the eminent status of their previous record Set Yourself On Fire, it is still a breakthrough on many levels. Keyboardist Chris Seligman has co-piloted all of Stars music-writing since the beginning. “Our last record, I still don’t know what to think. It’s a funny one. I think all of our music, when you hear it initially, you don’t necessarily get it, but after you grow with it, that’s where the real relationship is.” Singer and guitarist Amy Millan describes In the Bedroom as a milestone in terms of teamwork and partnership. “A lot of our past records have been done in bloops and chunks with different people coming in at different times. We wanted to be a band, write it as a band, present it as a band, and be together all the time. All bed tracks we did off the floor, with all of us in one room, and we’ve never done that before. We grew up on records, you put on a record and you listen from beginning to end. That’s still how we’ll make music – every song will always somehow affect the next one.”
With approximately 130 official live shows under their belt since January 2007, it is remarkable that the band continues to cultivate an intimate relationship. Playing live has become a craft, and it’s an element that’s vital to their success. “We had been touring for two years extensively, and we invented this energy on stage that came from playing with bands like Broken Social Scene and Death Cab for Cutie,” says Millan. “We really wanted to take what we learned from playing so many live shows and bring it to the record.”
“When you start off with a band, you don’t have any money, and you’re living in a shitty apartment, it’s almost easier to write,” adds Seligman. “The more successful you are, the harder it is to make great art. Somehow we need to find that inner darkness. It’s quite intense living with 11 people on the bus and driving through the night, but that keeps us fresh in a way. Especially for live shows now, when we get on stage, we release that energy … that angst.”
Stars continue to tour all over the world with their arts and crafts. They've even added new talent along the way, including touring guitarist Allan Snoddy and violinist Genevieve Walker. While some tour strictly for revenue and fame, Stars seem to play for the purpose of … well, playing and sharing their heart. Although fans have bonded to their radical messages on the dark side of love and bright side of conflict, Stars didn’t win them over from just their music or their lyrics. The band, up to this day, still can’t fully understand their acquired reputation and perhaps it is that overall humble and unpretentious quality that people have attached themselves to. Quoting Torq Campbell from one of their live shows, “Stars music is a celebration of human imperfection.”
Click to listen to exclusive GLOSS interviews with Amy Millan and Chris Seligman.
For tour dates, music, and lyrics, visit www.arts-crafts.ca/stars, www.myspace.com/stars or www.facebook.com/pages/Stars/15604515113 for more details.
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