Starbenders
Interview conducted on July 10, 2023
By Dan Locke
Starbenders are an American rock band from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. The group was formed in 2013 when lead singer and guitarist Kimi Shelter contacted her former bandmate Aaron Lecesne about doing a new project. After adding guitarist Kriss Tokaji and drummer Emily Moon, Starbenders were subsequently signed to former Lady Gaga music director/guitarist Nico Constantine’s label, Institution Records. With Constantine serving as their producer, the band has released three EPs, one full-length, one 7-inch, and six singles on Institution Records and two singles and one full-length on Sumerian Records.
What is your upbringing?
My first instrument was the violin. I was classically trained and had a pretty strict upbringing. It ultimately led to me losing my mind at a pretty young age and becoming obsessed with anything that would piss my parents off.
How did you discover music?
A lot of it was from scrolling through the radio late at night, but my dad was also very critical to introducing me to a lot of rock and alternative. My mom loved classical music and oldies, so I had a pretty wide exposure to different genres.
Describe your music.
Our music is fluid, it’s born out of a very honest place. I find it to be like prayers in a way. Vulnerable but angsty.
Do you remember how you got your first guitar. And do you still have it?
I got a little red sunburst Washburn for Christmas in the ninth grade. I had made my mind up that I was going to quit the violin and switch to guitar and my parents came through for me.
What is your favorite guitar now? Year, make and model and does it have a name?
I love the Les Paul jr.’s that I play. They’re just perfect for my anatomy. Flying V’s and SG’s have always been close to my heart as well.
What was your first performance like?
It was probably a violin recital in a church or something like that.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
Abduct Me. We did record it but it was never released.
What is the process of writing your music?
I like to sit down on Logic and just kind of see what comes out. Sometimes it starts with a phrase I have in my mind and sometimes it just starts with me picking a random tempo and seeing what happens. I like to keep it as little of a production as possible.
Tell me about your new single “We’re Not Okay”?
“We’re not okay” is about radical acceptance. Being able to stop gaslighting yourself and just letting things be.
How was it working with Gilbert Trejo (the son of Danny Trejo) as a director?
It was amazing, he’s such a badass dude. Very creative and enigmatic.
Out of the 13 tracks on your upcoming album “Take Back the Night”, what is your favorite track?
I believe my favorite is “Marianne”. It cuts like butter.
Paul McCarty just announced that he has been working with AI. In a new interview with Radio 4 in the U.K., Sir Paul says, “We just finished it up and it’ll be released this year,” adding that he and the production team utilized new technology to “extricate” John Lennon‘s vocal tracks from an old, discarded demo recording and used it to complete a song that had otherwise been discarded for decades.
How do you think AI will effect the music business in the years to come.
I’m not totally sure but I try to just take things one day at a time. If I start thinking about the robots descending upon us I’ll stop being able to breathe.
What are you feeling about streaming music?
It’s just the way things are. I don’t feel one way or another. I do wish I could’ve lived during a time where it wasn’t this way… only in dreams.
The symbol # is known as the number sign, hash, pound sign and a sharp sign in music. The symbol has historically been used for a wide range of purposes Since 2007, widespread usage of the symbol to introduce metadata tags on social media platforms has led to such tags being known as “hashtags”, and from that, the symbol itself is sometimes called a hashtag.
Are people forgetting that the # is a part of music?
Of course, if reading music/theory isn’t in your repertoire.
Last year (2022) vinyl is outselling digital media. Metallica is selling so much vinyl that they bought their own pressing plant- They pressed 900,000 plus pieces of vinyl I 2022 alone. The plant they purchase is the Furnace Record Pressing in Alexandria, VA. So is it Digital vs. vinyl?
I think the wheel is coming back around. People need something to hold on to. There’s no excitement in buying a digital record. But with vinyl, you feel more connected.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
I always soundcheck to Journey- Wheel in the sky. So beautiful.
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means things like a playlist on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
You can buy anything these days.
You are currently on tour with The haunt. How is the tour coming?
Killer. They’re really refreshing people to be around.
You are very busy starting in September. Are you ready for Blueridge Rock Fest, Aftershock and Louder then Life?
Yes, we’re super excited to break the seal on festivals. It’s a shock to us all that we haven’t until now. A little late to the party, but in the words of my friend Andrew, “I’d be so embarrassed if I was on time.”
Are you ready for your headlining tour this fall to the UK?
Hell yes!
The show Star Trek introduced people to the holodeck: an immersive, realistic 3D holographic projection of a complete environment that you could interact with.
Today holograms are already being used in a variety of way, such as medical systems, education, art, security and defense.
Performers like Tupac, Michael Jackson, Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, Buddy Holly, Ronnie James Dio, Marylin Monroe, and Whitney Houston have done it already. The band ABBA just announced that they will be doing a comeback together after nearly 40 years as holograms on their next tour. With ABBA it was with the help of George Lucas .
If the cost was down to the point you could do it also, would you be willing to do Holographic concerts in our living room?
Hard to say. I don’t think we’d ever stop touring though. We hated having to do the online performances during the pandemic, so boring. We’re worthless when we aren’t on the road.
In the past if a musician stopped doing music, they found a new career. For example David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants.. If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?
Maybe working with a charity.
What is your happy place?
The stage of course. But I also love my room. I like both to balance one another out.
A few band like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Journey, Def Leppard, K.T. Tunstall, John Legend, ZZ Top and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last two years.
Do you think you would be willing to sell your back catalog if someone like Universal is will to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs? Remember anything that you create forward will be 100% yours.
Who knows! I’m just focused on what’s in front of me today.
Over half a billion active users around the world share their favorite music on TikTok either with something like a dance challenge and lip-sync videos or creating a funny skit or candid camera moment.
TikTok has become a great platform for music promotion, sharing songs, and finding new listeners. In which it has become a place for music artists to earn revenue when people use their music. In many cases the daily promotion on TikTok has led to huge boosts on other platforms like Spotify, Facebook and YouTube.
TikTok does this with the algorithm that generates a feed of content for each user, which you see as the displaying of #. The more a user engages with content, the smarter TikTok gets at guessing what kind of videos the viewer wants to watch.
Because a song can go viral because of this.
Sony Music and Warner Music Group- , The ByteDance-owned video app revealed that it has struck an “expanded” global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more?
We’re trying to keep up with everything! In pursuance of a spiritually grounded life, social media can feel a bit tedious. I do think it’s an incredible tool though, so I’m not sour grapes about it.
Breaking news: TikTok is launching TikTok Radio, a full-time SiriusXM music channel went live last summer. The station a streaming channel on the SiriusXM App, desktop, and all connected devices.
Some of the on TikTok include Cassyette, YukoEXE, Ashinikko, Palaye Royale, Josh Dun (Twenty One Pilots), Yungblud, Morrissey, Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett, Gene Simmons, and Mick Jagger.
The station will be part of a new TikTok collaboration with SiriusXM and its subsidiary,Pandora, to jointly promote emerging talent. Do you think this platform could become a force in the future of streaming music?
Definitely. I think the sands are shifting now more than ever.
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