Stars In Stereo

"Stars in Stereo" March 2008

McMaster is a hub for artistic talent in all of the different disciplines of the arts. Many bands had, or have members that once

called Mac home. One such group, The Arkells (formerly called Charlemagne) have grown in popularity due to their time as students at McMaster. Another band, formerly called Arkell is another up-and-coming group out of McMaster. Stars in Stereo have only recently started playing as a fivesome, but despite this they are playing a high-profile show on Sunday March 30th.

Martin Capdevilla (lead vocals and bass), Ben Van Mierlo (guitar/vocals) and Jordan Thomson (guitar) met in 2005 while living in residence together. While living in res, the three started playing together and experimenting with different styles of music. In second year, after a summer living in different parts of the country, the guys moved in together in the first off-campus house. The boys met Sarah Falzon (violin) while living next-door to her on Arkell Street. From then on, the band was called Arkell, after the name of their street. The last member of the band to join was Steve Male (drums), a friend of the guys, who jammed with them one night and was asked to become a part of the group. However, upon hearing that Charlemagne had changed their name, the group knew that they too must change theirs. After much deliberation, Stars in Stereo was born.

Each of the band members likes a variety of music: from classical to hardcore to classic rock to punk and the list keeps on growing. When asked what their influences are as a band, Ben replied that “bands being ‘influenced’ by things is kind of a false statement, as you cannot limit yourself to a certain number of bands or genres you may like. Anything you listen to and have a reaction to, positively or negatively will surely have an influence on your song-writing style”. Ben also said that “I think Billy Ray Cyrus is as much an influence as Explosions [in the Sky]”. This being said, the band’s style is very unique. If you wish to listen to them (and I sincerely hope you do), you can listen to them on their MySpace page .

As mentioned previously, the group is playing a show this Sunday. The band is opening for Derek Miller Band at the Casbah. The doors to the show open at 8pm, and Stars in Stereo is to hit the stage at 9pm. Tickets are $10. For more information you can check out the Facebook event. The band was actually mentioned in the Andy as one of the acts playing at this show. Not bad for a group who has been together for less than a year!

I really hope you all come out to this show! The boys are very comical, with a lot of witty banter going on inbetween songs. Not to mention that they put on a great set.