03: Can you tell us a little bit about what goes into writing / recording a new A*Star song?
Kim: I’ll let Perry explain this one. I usually get a track when it’s all
structured and rough-mixed and then I write the vocals. Honestly, it
might not be the best way. Too many good songs have been left in
the dust because I get frustrated with it.
Perry: I normally lay the foundation for the songs down and record
it. I write the base of the song. I send it off to Ian who then adds
drums and does all the production work. He gets me back a demo
and we pass it on to Kim. Mike Parkin then comes in and records
his guitar. Its hard to say if this is the best way to do it or not. We
have never really been able to work properly with a live band for
various shitty reasons. Maybe its us? Hard to say.
04: I know this is an obvious question, but one that must be asked,
Who were/are some of your biggest influences?
Kim: I’m a kid of the 70s and 80s, so my influences came first from
my dad’s records. I used to love to sing to Linda Ronstadt! Also
stuff like Steely Dan, Tom Petty, The Cars… my grade-school gi rlfriends and I also loved Blondie and would lip-sync along with her
when she was on Solid Gold. In my teens I was a Duran Duran and
then a Madonna fanatic. (I think they made me love a good hook!) I
even went through a Chicago House phase and an R&B phase.
Then of course there’s my perfect three: Pink Floyd, Rush, and Led
Zeppelin. In fact, when I first met Perry, he mentioned those three
PLUS an indie-pop band called Ivy, which I love, and I figured if
someone actually mentioned those groups together, we were probably going to work together just fine.
Perry: I could go on for hours about this. But i do not agree its killing
the business. The business is dead and has been for years. Its not
coming back anytime soon either. So we just do what we do out of
the love we have doing it. Simple.
07: Musically speaking, your songs are very innovative and sometimes have a very sprawling ethereal sort of feel to them, and I have
really never heard anything quite like it. What would you say draw on
to get such a unique sound?
Kim: Ha! That’s quite nice to hear. I guess it’s because we have such
a gigantic range of music that we love.
Perry: Thank you btw. Its funny we have not really ever sat down and
said OK we are gonna sound like this band. We just sit down and do
what we do. And yes we draw on influences of the music we have
listened to our entire lives. Black and Blue however had a massive
Cars influence because at the time we were listening to them non
stop. Its just come out the way it has. Past bands were different.
bliss.city.east was fun when it started. The songs were dark but also
fun to play. I took from our current crisis in life and the music was
very raw. As time went on writing the songs for it became a bore to
me. So then Kim and I switched things up with A*Star and the music
came out just the way we wanted it. We once again drew from our
current life. MOOD. It seems to be all about mood.
Perry: Classic rock old school R&B and Punk Rock. Its what i grew
up on.
05: What bands are you into these days?
Kim: I’m on an old-school R&B kick. I’m having a really hard time
getting into any new music. We have friends who are putting out
good stuff. And then there’s a lot of garbage out there. I get weary
of it all and tend to look back to my influences.
Perry: I am on a serious metal/Punk Rock/Hardcore thing right now.
I grew tired of all the goofy shit and decided it was time to go back.
Bands like EYEHATEGOD who have been around a long time are
still recording and touring and Mike IX is an awesome dude and
likes A*Star. But i always switch things up. Just depends on my
mood.
06: I’ve read a lot of established artists say that internet radio stations and streaming services are killing the music business. Would
you agree with that?
Kim: Nooooooooooooo. The music business is killing the music
business. FM radio plays such filth (pop music sucks SO BAD right
now!) that the only way to hear good stuff is to go to the internet.
Even the classic rock stations here in Chicago repeat the same
songs over and over and over. It’s tiresome. We can put some
blame on technology and the Internet—everyone can be a musician. You don’t have to be able to sing. You don’t even have to be
able to write. The producers are the music makers! The market is
diluted with mediocrity. That said, thank God for the Internet, because nobody in the music business would look twice at us. I guess
we’re lucky? Hmmmmm…
08: A*Star lyrics are among some of the best lyrics I have ever heard,
where do you draw on inspiration for these lyrics? How much time
goes into a set of lyrics?
Kim: Well dang, that’s nice to hear too! Lyrics can take anywhere
from 15 minutes to a few months to write. I agonize over them—I
want the perfect word, the perfect cadence, the lovely roll-off-thetongue. Sometimes they come from literature. (Lotus is based on The
Lotos-Eaters by Tennyson.) Or I’ll pick up Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations and find one that seems interesting to build upon. We’ve done
politics. Once I wrote a song about the AllClad pots and pans I wanted. (We never finished that one.) Once I wrote lyrics about a Darth
Vader head hot air balloon. Sometimes the songs are deeply personal. Flashbulb is about losing someone you love to dementia.
Perry: Kim’s lyrics are some of the best I have ever heard. People
need to pay more attention. Its annoying when they do not.
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