Starets were the mystics of Old Russia. In a sense, Rasputin was the guru to the Tsars. His world, the world of the starets, came to a crashing end on the evening of December 16, 1916. So, what’s the connection between this Starets, retro punk band revivalists, and that lot, then?
Well, in my formative years, I was living in an eastern port city of this great empire. Halifax was my own St. Petersburg before the revolution. At that time, I came across classic, original punk. For the first time in my life, I heard real songs sung by real people about real issues. The Clash, Sex Pistols, and Ramones became my vinyl starets.
Starets is a solo project, not a band. I write and make the songs. I like fast punky tempos and punky guitars. I like a good melody, a clever intro and hate overkill repetition and fade-out endings. I try to mix the chords and tempos up a bit so the songs don’t get boring and predictable. "The Clash Comes to Town", "Got What I Need" and "It Started Right Here" are good examples of my retro punk approach.
In order to keep the Starets music true to the spirit of ’77, it must be noted that I use a real human drummer, not a drum machine; I play all guitars and bass; there is no sampling; there are no loops; and I despise the current cut and paste style of music production. I consider what I'm doing to be a musical homage to the classic punk genre, much like film director Brian De Palma pays homage in his movies to the classics of the suspense and thriller genres.
Song lyrics are important to me. I like a song to be a story with strong characters. This is why I've written songs about Joe Strummer and Dee Dee Ramone. "The Clash Comes to Town" is about how one person, namely Joe Strummer, can inspire and motivate people to do something creative with their lives. Similarly, "It Started Right Here", my Ramones tribute, is about respecting and preserving culture written in the context of CBGBs closure.
I am always working on new songs, but I'm painfully slow, and I would rather produce one good song to a hundred mediocrities. So, once they pass rigorous musical “quality control” tests, these new songs will be put up on MySpace.
Regards, Law **starets**
Mailing Address:
Starets
16 - 1375 Southdown Rd.
Suite 801
Mississauga, ON
Canada L5J 2Z1
Hey, You're right, we agree entirely on music :) Nirvana is one of my fovourite bands and I listen to their music for a long time. But the older punk bands such as The Clash or the Sex Pistols are also awesome!
Hello! :) This picture with Patty Smith is from "Exit" festival 2009. in Novi Sad (Serbia). That was a press conference before her show on Main stage. I'm a journalist so I was there and I took a few pictures of this fantastic lady! I also have a few videos because this was not just an ordinary press conference! She sang for us and she played guitar for us! She took a photos of us with her very old Polaroid photo camera. It was a really nice experience!! :))) So? You love Patty Smith? Sending you greetings! :))
Hey Law! Congratulations on my first myspace comment ; ) I listened to your stuff and really enjoyed the mixture of good old punk sounds in combination with some modern features - with an total individual outcome!! further the associations between pre- and postmodern stuff just as in the name "starets" for your project in connection with the historical meaning is a nice move - the greater the time-distance the more interesting ; ) - btw did you notice the origins of the starets are going back to the fourth century connected with the term of the "elder" and not only for religious stuff, but also considered to have a good feelin for mood -in the sence of empathy- between people, e.g. souls, hearts... so, returning back to your association with music one can see this task or role in music nowadays... Would be nice if you let me know as well when you figured out some new stuff... Greetings! Sar
Hi Law...thank you the nice comment..I really appreciate it..!!..read the bio on prakesh john and have been on youtube checking him out..loved the disco attire he wore with Alice Cooper..1979
Online Now!
pss km no voi a admirar a patti smith si es km mi segunda mamá 
aparte k es una mujere k demostro k no solo el punk lo hacne los hombres tbm las mujers 
and nice to meet a Johnny Cash fan too!
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