Stellastarr*, came out the gate with a roar. Now, almost ten years and three albums later, they are navigating through the realities of the new music world with their first self-released record, Civilized, and a reinvigorated sense of self. As the first few tracks hit iTunes and the band gears up for a summer tour, we talked with Mandy (Amanda) Tannen..
You got a lot of attention in the band’s early years. Are you where you thought you would be back then?
Mandy: We originally started as a jam band. It wasn’t so much about money or about being famous. So we didn’t have a plan but the more we played, the next step kept coming.
Back then, we kept saying that the only thing we didn’t want to be is a one hit wonder. The New York scene was getting really big and bands were blowing up and falling down really quickly. Instead of a big bang, we wanted a plateau we had control over. And in that sense we are exactly where we wanted to be. We have a career, a fan base and keep putting out music. [As for] rich and famous [she laughs]. Not so much.
There’s a great line in “Graffiti Eyes” that goes, “You can see color when there’s only grey.” It seems to perfectly capture the role of the artist in society.
Mandy: It’s a funny line. I didn’t write it but I’ve said it a lot. And it can mean different things: You can take it as a statement about relationships but yes, it can apply anyone who’s creative and makes something.
This time around, you’re doing the record on your own. Was it much more difficult?
Mandy: We always had backing, so this is the first album we are releasing ourselves. We had to earn and budget, things we didn’t have to worry about before. It was a learning experience and took us so much longer to figure out the business side enough to do it right and proper. And it was very empowering to realize you don’t have to live within the system we grew up with. It’s a bit more stressful because now it’s about 20% music and 80% business. But it made us a better band because we’ve managed to create something that’s all ours.
Why the extra r and the asterisk in the name? Just trying to be difficult?
Mandy: Because it was a name so we wanted to have one word and two of us are graphic designers and love to make people question things.
Stellastarr*’s album is released officially through its label, Bloated Wife Records, on July 7th. Tracks are available now on iTunes, and can be streamed on the band’s web and myspace pages. They will be on tour with Wild Light and The Postmarks throughout the summer.
Words by Neil Feineman
