Free*Stars

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El Benjamin

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Released: Jan 1, 2010

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El Benjamin
3:29
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Free*Stars Rock 'N' Rock
2:19
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Back 2 School
3:11
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The Double-Flush Deuce
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SpringTrane pt 3
5:42
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Total Plays: 8,132 / Plays Today: 2See All Featured ►

General Info

Genre: Other / Rock
Location PHILADELPHIA, PA (band place of origin: SD, CA), US
Profile Views: 19390
Last Login: 2/26/2012
Member Since 1/20/2006
Website myspace.com/freestars
Record Label MoTa/MoRo Records, more ...
Type of Label Indie
Bio
While the Free*Stars remain a band, "D*Star of the Free*Stars" is the performer name of founding frontman D*, representing his solo "More Talk/More Rock" ventures apart from the (other) F*S. The ongoing Free*Stars are an event-rock-plus trans-regional act he formed/maintains (as able) in San Diego, tho now largely based in Philadelphia. Simply put, the band’s current SoCal/DelVal dual homebase and D*Star’s so-far solo perf forays in Philly are results of his 2004 move to Philadelphia -- a return to his native Delaware Valley after over two decades away, residing in California and Europe. As group founder and chief composer, he reserves the right to go on collaborating long-distance with his SD cohorts as is convenient (happening) as well as putting together an alternate/co-equal Free*Stars (F*S "DV"? F*S "East"?), fleshed out with Philly/local players (pending). However, stimulated on many levels by his new surroundings in the City of Bro Luv, the call of creative expression has proven far too strong to not plow forward in can’t-wait/this’ll-do-for-now rudimentary fashion -- thus bringing a stripped-down essence of his "More Talk/More Rock" words+music stylings to public spaces in Pennsylvania and beyond. (Such endeavors have included presenting "’Frankliniana!’ Some Songs for Ben: Originals & Overhauls as part the December 2005/January 2006 exhibition "Benjamin Franklin: An American Idol" at Philadelphia’s esteemed Nexus Gallery; further presentations and recorded music of same coming soon.) The Free*Stars bio that follows below gives far more illumination on the band and it’s/D*Star’s aesthetics, etc. (This name-dropping de-facto resume originally accompanied the send-out of the Free*Stars 2004 CD self-release, "4 for ’04, + 4 More, Plus a Final Four More: The Free*Stars Election Year Maxi EP," heard on college, free-form and public radio stateside/internationally, and procured by happy consumers across the globe.) ******* Free*Stars Bio (on-the-one-sheet), Late Summer 2004. The Free*Stars pronounce themselves a "More Talk/More Rock" band -- one that believes in playing it and saying it. That means taking just a bit of time between live numbers or on the liner page for a little explication, context-setting and some too-oft-neglected performer-audience communication. Though very much a real, long-standing if under-known/underrated musical group including active veterans of the San Diego music scene, the F*S modus operandi is already at work in the titles of their recorded releases: this summer/fall’s "4 for ’04, + 4 More, Plus a Final Four More: The Free*Stars Election Year Maxi EP" (a timely dozen tracks, split into six politically pointed originals and idiosyncratic covers/partial rewrites of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, the Injections, Mark Lindsay, Sarah McLachlan, the Peppermints, and the Psychedelic Furs); and the eventually forthcoming triple-disc "History of the Free*Stars, Volume 1: Live & Underrehearsed, in Mono & Stereo -- The 1907 Kettner Blvd Holiday House Party Tapes ... Cuz Sometimes More Is More" as well as the already-recorded super-single "SpringTrane: ’Seraphic Light’ Frames an ’Incident’ in the ’Darkness on the Edge of Town.’" (Cheerfully pedantic and slyly edutaining, yes, but F*S never forget to rock out.) The Free*Stars (now a trans-regional act based in SD and Philadelphia) came together in SoCal as the 20th Century wound down, a collection of passionate music-lovers with heavy college radio experience spearheaded by lead loudmouth/lefty gtr-slinger D*Star (aka DJ "David R.", at SDSU’s free-form KCR for almost two decades and a well-established print/radio music/arts/culture/etc. journalist/activist). Other core members include co-founder Jim Garry (former KCR Music Director, filmmaker); studio wiz/musical savant Rafter Roberts (Bunky [of Asthmatic Kitty Records] and other acts, Singing Serpent music house/production, past KCR jock); and in recent years, Jay F. Hough (ex-KSDT deejay/Che Café collective promoter, rising culinary star [now based in NYC] and erstwhile trapsman extraordinaire for GoGoGo AirHeart among others). Receiving enthusiastic support among discerning devotees, the F*S have welcomed many eager guest players, including members of the Album Leaf, Castanets, Kill Me Tomorrow, Rocket From the Crypt, Soul-Junk, Trumans Water and Alex "Seamus" Rodriguez (the SD musician, not the NY Yankee infielder). The Free*Stars’ goal is to make every performance a special event by composing sets appropriate to the time and place, drawing from their well-received diverse original material and the best, most expansive range of covers of any act in SD (and contenders far beyond ...). Primal blues, out jazz, show tunes, local underground punk rock, rock en espanol, quasi-a cappella prog dub, R&B, C&W or classic R&R -- it’s all fair game for fearless exploration/interpretation, etc., conventionally rehearsed or not. Notable F*S gigs have included bills with many landmark SD acts (Hot Snakes, the Locust, Yourself, etc.) as well as touring artists like Mike Watt (Minutemen/fIREHOSE/Stooges), the Ruins (Japan), Plastic People of the Universe (Czech Rep.), Mecca Normal (Canada), Gogol Bordello (NYC/Ukraine/Israel/etc.), Neil Michael Hagerty (VA/elsewhere), Cat Power (GA/all-over, all-over, all-over) and oodles upon oodles more.
Members
(Pls. see "about Free*Stars" to the right, and find respective player info w/ individual song credits in blog entry above.) D*Star, Jim*Star(Garry), Raf*Star (Roberts), J*Star (Hough), A*Star (Rodriguez), and various worthy others thru the years and into the future: Woo*Star, Mike the Henning, Ash*Star (Vyas), Chuck*Star (Previtire), L*Star (Katz), Glen*Star (Galloway), T*Star (Lang), Craig*Star (Palmer), Ed*Star (?), Nathan*Star (Delffs), Emily la Bunk*Star (Joyce), Emmy*Star (Miller), sundry Residual*Stars (Ian, Gainesy, Jesse, Chad), Mike*Star (Vermillion), Slo*Ro*Star (M. Kaufmann) and so many more ...
Influences
Loads. You-call-'em. Influences are interests and vice versa. Occ'ly rotated "Top Friends" shown (and all "Friends," period) tell some of, but not entire story.
Sounds Like
... a good idea, at this or any time. Engaged and engaging. Humanly possible yet musically adventurous. Unafraid to laff or rant but neither a joke nor a mere piss-(off-)take. "Event-rockers extraordinaire," we've been called. Also, "like NPR w/ alternate tunings" (guy who said that eventually became a regular member).

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D* merch-slang as Rafter perfs "No F.A." in dark, BRKLYN 4/24/10

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Bio:

While the Free*Stars remain a band, "D*Star of the Free*Stars" is the performer name of founding frontman D*, representing his solo "More Talk/More Rock" ventures apart from the (other) F*S. The ongoing Free*Stars are an event-rock-plus trans-regional act he formed/maintains (as able) in San Diego, tho now largely based in Philadelphia. Simply put, the band’s current SoCal/DelVal dual homebase and D*Star’s so-far solo perf forays in Philly are results of his 2004 move to Philadelphia -- a return to his native Delaware Valley after over two decades away, residing in California and Europe. As group founder and chief composer, he reserves the right to go on collaborating long-distance with his SD cohorts as is convenient (happening) as well as putting together an alternate/co-equal Free*Stars (F*S "DV"? F*S "East"?), fleshed out with Philly/local players (pending). However, stimulated on many levels by his new surroundings in the City of Bro Luv, the call of creative expression has proven far too strong to not plow forward in can’t-wait/this’ll-do-for-now rudimentary fashion -- thus bringing a stripped-down essence of his "More Talk/More Rock" words+music stylings to public spaces in Pennsylvania and beyond. (Such endeavors have included presenting "’Frankliniana!’ Some Songs for Ben: Originals & Overhauls as part the December 2005/January 2006 exhibition "Benjamin Franklin: An American Idol" at Philadelphia’s esteemed Nexus Gallery; further presentations and recorded music of same coming soon.) The Free*Stars bio that follows below gives far more illumination on the band and it’s/D*Star’s aesthetics, etc. (This name-dropping de-facto resume originally accompanied the send-out of the Free*Stars 2004 CD self-release, "4 for ’04, + 4 More, Plus a Final Four More: The Free*Stars Election Year Maxi EP," heard on college, free-form and public radio stateside/internationally, and procured by happy consumers across the globe.) ******* Free*Stars Bio (on-the-one-sheet), Late Summer 2004. The Free*Stars pronounce themselves a "More Talk/More Rock" band -- one that believes in playing it and saying it. That means taking just a bit of time between live numbers or on the liner page for a little explication, context-setting and some too-oft-neglected performer-audience communication. Though very much a real, long-standing if under-known/underrated musical group including active veterans of the San Diego music scene, the F*S modus operandi is already at work in the titles of their recorded releases: this summer/fall’s "4 for ’04, + 4 More, Plus a Final Four More: The Free*Stars Election Year Maxi EP" (a timely dozen tracks, split into six politically pointed originals and idiosyncratic covers/partial rewrites of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, the Injections, Mark Lindsay, Sarah McLachlan, the Peppermints, and the Psychedelic Furs); and the eventually forthcoming triple-disc "History of the Free*Stars, Volume 1: Live & Underrehearsed, in Mono & Stereo -- The 1907 Kettner Blvd Holiday House Party Tapes ... Cuz Sometimes More Is More" as well as the already-recorded super-single "SpringTrane: ’Seraphic Light’ Frames an ’Incident’ in the ’Darkness on the Edge of Town.’" (Cheerfully pedantic and slyly edutaining, yes, but F*S never forget to rock out.) The Free*Stars (now a trans-regional act based in SD and Philadelphia) came together in SoCal as the 20th Century wound down, a collection of passionate music-lovers with heavy college radio experience spearheaded by lead loudmouth/lefty gtr-slinger D*Star (aka DJ "David R.", at SDSU’s free-form KCR for almost two decades and a well-established print/radio music/arts/culture/etc. journalist/activist). Other core members include co-founder Jim Garry (former KCR Music Director, filmmaker); studio wiz/musical savant Rafter Roberts (Bunky [of Asthmatic Kitty Records] and other acts, Singing Serpent music house/production, past KCR jock); and in recent years, Jay F. Hough (ex-KSDT deejay/Che Café collective promoter, rising culinary star [now based in NYC] and erstwhile trapsman extraordinaire for GoGoGo AirHeart among others). Receiving enthusiastic support among discerning devotees, the F*S have welcomed many eager guest players, including members of the Album Leaf, Castanets, Kill Me Tomorrow, Rocket From the Crypt, Soul-Junk, Trumans Water and Alex "Seamus" Rodriguez (the SD musician, not the NY Yankee infielder). The Free*Stars’ goal is to make every performance a special event by composing sets appropriate to the time and place, drawing from their well-received diverse original material and the best, most expansive range of covers of any act in SD (and contenders far beyond ...). Primal blues, out jazz, show tunes, local underground punk rock, rock en espanol, quasi-a cappella prog dub, R&B, C&W or classic R&R -- it’s all fair game for fearless exploration/interpretation, etc., conventionally rehearsed or not. Notable F*S gigs have included bills with many landmark SD acts (Hot Snakes, the Locust, Yourself, etc.) as well as touring artists like Mike Watt (Minutemen/fIREHOSE/Stooges), the Ruins (Japan), Plastic People of the Universe (Czech Rep.), Mecca Normal (Canada), Gogol Bordello (NYC/Ukraine/Israel/etc.), Neil Michael Hagerty (VA/elsewhere), Cat Power (GA/all-over, all-over, all-over) and oodles upon oodles more.

Member Since:

January 20, 2006

Members:

(Pls. see "about Free*Stars" to the right, and find respective player info w/ individual song credits in blog entry above.) D*Star, Jim*Star(Garry), Raf*Star (Roberts), J*Star (Hough), A*Star (Rodriguez), and various worthy others thru the years and into the future: Woo*Star, Mike the Henning, Ash*Star (Vyas), Chuck*Star (Previtire), L*Star (Katz), Glen*Star (Galloway), T*Star (Lang), Craig*Star (Palmer), Ed*Star (?), Nathan*Star (Delffs), Emily la Bunk*Star (Joyce), Emmy*Star (Miller), sundry Residual*Stars (Ian, Gainesy, Jesse, Chad), Mike*Star (Vermillion), Slo*Ro*Star (M. Kaufmann) and so many more ...

Influences:

Loads. You-call-'em. Influences are interests and vice versa. Occ'ly rotated "Top Friends" shown (and all "Friends," period) tell some of, but not entire story.

Sounds Like:

... a good idea, at this or any time. Engaged and engaging. Humanly possible yet musically adventurous. Unafraid to laff or rant but neither a joke nor a mere piss-(off-)take. "Event-rockers extraordinaire," we've been called. Also, "like NPR w/ alternate tunings" (guy who said that eventually became a regular member).