Q&A: We Are Star Children talks “adventure pop”
By Chiara Brown
This Saturday, October 10th, WTJU is excited to welcome local band We Are Star Children to the IX Art Park stage for the Levitt AMP Charlottesville Music Series. They’re slated to be the first band in a double-bill with Pantherburn.
Named after their first album, We Are Star Children, which finds its home in the “adventure pop” genre, is planning on staying local. Come by and catch their live act this weekend — and at future events!
They were kind enough to do a Q&A with WTJU’s Chiara Brown via email:
WTJU: Who are your musical influences and would you say those have changed over the years ?
We Are Star Children: The band has a ton of different influences. Tristan, our drummer, can’t stop talking about French pop and also plays in a punk zydeco band. Our horn player Aly at first seems like a jazz player but ends up stealing riffs with a pop and Latin feel. She’s a not so secret metal girl and it shows. Over the years we’ve dug deeper into a rock sound with a ton of light hearted moments. We started out initially as art folk band but that evolved naturally as the line up changed.
WTJU: How would you classify the band’s sound?
WASC: Adventure Pop. We write mostly in verse chorus with fun themes but also like to dig deep. We have antithetic moments only we don’t want to hang out there for too long. It’s no fun taking yourself seriously.
WTJU: Tell me a little bit about the bands name. Why did you all chose to be called We Are Star Children?
WASC: We Are Star Children was the name of our first album. We were originally named Straight Punch to the Crotch. I’ve been thinking about changing it back for fun.
WTJU: What do you think has contributed to the recent revival of big band set ups, i.e bands like yours which feature more than just the traditional 4 pieces/instruments?
WASC: It feels good to play with a big band. Since we don’t tour, we’re able to add members and not worry about everyone’s ability to travel. At the same time this limits us significantly. I’m sure the pendulum will swing in the other direction. The rise of four piece metal bands is right around the corner. I’m sure of it.
WTJU: How does your employment of these different instruments impact the type of music you gravitate towards writing/playing?
WASC: It’s tough for me to play any one of our songs without the band. There’s always something that requires synth, horns or gang vocals. I used to think that the melodies in my head were for the lead vocal line. Once I realized that these melodies were the song, not the vocal, everything started to open up.
WTJU: How has Charlottesville and its music scene, shaped your sound?
WASC: The town more so than the music scene has shaped our sound. This place is full of eccentric rich folks, blissful alcoholics, artists with an itch to scratch and youth. The texture of this town is awesome and I like to dwell on these differences. If anything, the bands in this town have kept us sharp.They’re just so good.
WTJU: What can we expect out of We Are Star Children in the future? Any tours planned?
WASC: We’re finishing an album! This is exciting for us and we don’t plan on touring. It’s just not in the cards right now and I’m not sure if it will ever be. I buy local meat, apples and booze. Why not local music?
