ROB ALLISON, Vocals, guitar/bass drum, hi-hats
JESSIE McKENNA, Vocals, guitar, percussion
AARON McCOY, guitar, vocals
JESSIE HARMONSON, Bass
COUNTRY DAVE HARMONSON, pedal-steel, guitar, vocals
-SPECIAL GUESTS: Anna Scheibe, Carl Raymond, Charlie McCammon, Tim Cherry, Matt Wray, Sam Densmore, John Densmore, Anthony Cotham, Aaron McCoy, Pete Ortega, Country Dave, Mark Knapp, Brandon Koeller
Influences
J.Cash, Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt, Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Willie Nelson, Old 97's, Silverhawk, Loretta Lynn, R.E.M., Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Chris Davis, Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Neko Case, Emmylou Harris, George Jones
Western Star is the alter-ego, if you will, of Rob Allison's Seattle-based rock-n-roll band, Bipolar Star. A great lover of music across genre divides, Rob recently decided it was high time he explored his Western roots, his father's love of country music having left an indelible mark on his childhood. This project is a chance for players to explore their musical history through original works, classic country songs, and whatever else seems right.
Many musicians today seem to share Rob's compulsion to "find their roots" and to experiment with music of past generations. Similar experimentation by our mothers and fathers and theirs before them helped to make our music what it is today, so it's only natural that we as musicians are compelled to continue the tradition and learn from the music of yesterday to create the music of tomorrow.
Western Star is an evolving stable of players, and guest appearances are many. Most have other musical projects of their own, expressing a number of musical styles. But with Rob Allison at the reigns, this eclectic project moves from venue to venue and town to town, bringing with it only one promise: a nostalgic adventure into the past 60 years of rock and roll, with a large emphasis on good old-fashioned Country-Western music. This is the outlet so many of us have been looking for, even if we didn't really know that we were, and now it's found us.
Western Star is an ode to the past, a breath of fresh air from the ever-faster moving present, and a glimpse into the future--days when we'll sit around with friends, raise a glass, and bang out the classics on our guitars, sitting on the front porch on a Sunday in the Summer surrounded by our friends, new and old. Have a listen, take in a live performance, and take a walk down Memory Lane with us.
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