Stellastarr (styled as stellastarr*) was an American

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Its members were

Shawn Christensen Shawn Christensen is an American musician, filmmaker, podcaster and artist. He is a graduate of Pratt Institute, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration and graphic design. Christensen was the frontman of the indie rock band St ...

(vocals, rhythm guitar), Amanda Tannen (bass, vocals), Arthur Kremer (drums, percussion, keyboards), and Michael Jurin (lead guitar, vocals).

History

The band was formed in March 2000 from a previous musical effort, the band Ghistor, formed while studying art and design at the Pratt Institute in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. A few years later, after a chance meeting with Jurin, who had recently relocated to Brooklyn and had left his former band Charlotte's Funeral behind in his hometown of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, the former classmates reunited, this time with Christensen on vocals. The band was named after an old purple hearse parked in

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

, where Christensen grew up. Stellastarr played its first gig at

Luna Lounge Luna Lounge was a bar and music club located at 171 Ludlow Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Opened in 1995 by Dianne Galliano and Robert Sacher, it was a popular venue for local bands and stand-up comics (the rock band Interpol played there ...

, formerly on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in July 2000, and released a limited series of independent/homemade EP CDs shortly thereafter. The band has toured with

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...

The Raveonettes The Raveonettes are a Danish indie rock duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner on guitar, instruments and vocals, and Sharin Foo on bass, guitar and vocals. Their music is characterized by close two-part vocal harmonies inspired by The Everly Br ...

Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general, placebos can af ...

The Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...

, and

Editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

. Stellastarr has played live in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Europe. The third album, ''

Civilized A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system). Civi ...

'', was released in July 2009 on the band's own label, Bloated Wife. "Graffiti Eyes" and "Numbers" are the singles, the last one has a B-side that includes "Winter Song". Since the release of the album, the band has been on indefinite hiatus. Members of the band have collaborated with Project Runway winner Christian Siriano and his boyfriend, musician

Brad Walsh Brad Walsh (born June 15, 1982) is an American singer and record producer known for his own pop and experimental music, as well as his dance remixes of pop artists including Britney Spears, Adam Lambert, and Lady Gaga. Career Walsh has rel ...

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. Arthur is currently involved in a project title
Dear Comrade
which released its first LP in 2011.

Other projects

All members of the band have alternate careers. Frontman

is an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winning filmmaker having won the

Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under various names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, "Best Short Subject, One- ...

for his 2012 short ''

Curfew A curfew is a government order specifying a time during which certain regulations apply. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to ''not'' be in public places or on roads within a certain time frame, typically in the evening and ...

'' at the

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p. ...

. Christensen is also a professional painter. His award-winning art has been displayed at various New York exhibits and published in journals like

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...

and

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

. He painted the portraits inside the album artwork for the group's eponymous debut album. Bassist Amanda Tannen is a member of the Los Angeles-based band Cheekface, a graphic designer, and created the album art for the 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 calle
Dear Comrade
and acted in '' The Lost Battalion''.

Discography

Albums

* '' Stellastarr'' (September 23, 2003) * '' Harmonies for the Haunted'' (September 13, 2005 US; March 6, 2006 UK) * ''

'' (July 7, 2009)

EPs

* ''Somewhere Across Forever'' (May 19, 2002 UK; December 2002 US)

Singles

* "Somewhere Across Forever" (2003) * "Jenny" (September 15, 2003) * "My Coco" (August 3, 2004) #46

Radio and Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

Alternative chart * "Sweet Troubled Soul" (September 2005 US; February 27, 2006 UK) #48

Alternative chart https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2005/RR-2005-09-16.pdf * "Graffiti Eyes" (April 20, 2009 US) * "Numbers" (December 1, 2009 US)

References

External links

Stellastarr
on Myspace
Stellastarr In Studio Performance on WOXY.com (archived)

Audiojunkies interview with Stellastarr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stellastarr Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Post-punk revival music groups Musical groups from Brooklyn Musical groups established in 2000 RCA Records artists Musical groups disestablished in 2009