BELFAST BOY: An interview with Jason from The Electric Stars! Hear about their brand new George Best tribute single, "Belfast Boy"!

 

We caught up with Jason Edge from The Electric Stars just before the release of their George Best tribute single, "Belfast Boy"!  The single is out now and the exclusive interview can be read below, enjoy!

 

 

AB Records:  "The new release for The Electric Stars is a George Best tribute.  How did this idea come about?"

 

Jason Edge:  "Well, it was a chance meeting with TV celeb and lifelong United fan Eamonn Holmes.  He is president of the George Best Foundation and a keen music fan.  He knows our band, owns a copy of 'Sonic Candy Soul' and thought it would be a great idea to re-record 'Belfast Boy' as it would suit our sound!  Then we talked about the proceeds going to the Foundation and the idea just exploded from there..."

 

AB Records:  "The a-side to the single 'Belfast Boy' is a cover of the Don Fardon original.  Where did you first hear the tune?"

 

Jason Edge:  "I first heard it when I was a kid because my dad was a huge United fan (we live near Old Trafford) and he bought the original.  Like all kids when you get into music you play your parents records first and they have always given it the odd spin at games!"

 

AB Records:  The b-side is an Electric Stars original entitled 'Georgie (The Brightest Star)'.  How did this track come about"

 

Jason Edge:  "In this age of download lethargy, I wanted to make sure the CD had something very special and appealing about it.  So, there is a collectable booklet inside with tributes from people who played with and admired George like, Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Alex Ferguson and Ryan Giggs! Also I wanted to write something myself because George was a hero of mine and once I started to write it, it kind of took on a life of its own!"

 

AB Records:  "You hear a lot of bands say that the big dream was to either be in a band or be a footballer.  Was this the case with you?  If so why did you choose to go down the path of music?"

 

Jason Edge:  "Rock and roll and football are my life.  I still play now twice a week, but when I was a kid I wanted to play just like Georgie!  It soon became obvious that wasn't going to happen although I have played some in some decent local leagues.  When I left school music began to take over and hey presto here we are!"

 

AB Records:  "What does the rest of the year hold for The Electric Stars?"

 

Jason Edge:  "The single is out on Monday 12th so we expect to be busy with that for a while.  Then we have some decent gigs and festivals to do.  Autumn should see another single, the first from the new album!"

 

 

Hope you enjoyed our interview with Jason from The Electric Stars!

 

Be sure to check out our previous feature on Edwina Hayes and John Hinshelwood!

Check out The Electric Stars here - http://www.theelectricstars.com/

You can also like our facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews and reviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB RECORDS

 

SONIC CANDY SOUL: Beautiful music for beautiful people from The Electric Stars!

 

AB Says: "The Electric Stars are the latest Manchester band to come to prominence. Their debut album, 'Sonic Candy Soul', was released last year on Detour Records and is a fine showcase of their wide-ranging styles and influences. They deliver a mix of rock 'n' roll, glam, psychedelia and, at points, even gospel. It features the exceptional singles 'Between the Streets and the Stars' and 'I Want You', as well as a fine selection of album tracks. The LP itself starts with lead singer, Jason Edge, preaching the line 'beautiful music for beautiful people' - foreshadowing what ensues in the next fifty minutes. Then, with a kick, the album takes off with '136' which hints at early New York Dolls and lyrical references The Stones and Elvis - obvious influences here as well. This is followed by the aforementioned 'Between the Streets and the Stars', adding more texture and a groovy drum beat, and then the much slower 'Alison Williams', which is where the evident psychedelic influences come in. Meanwhile, 'I Want You' is reminiscent of Iggy and the Stooges and of the early garage bands and 'Blind' is exceptional with 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' gospel choir singing the song out in a grand finale. The album continues to grow with more rock 'n' rollers in the form of 'Who's Gonna Satisfy Me' and 'Not Man Enough' and some slower numbers such as 'Stoned Again', 'Old Fashion Girl' and 'Bedtime Stories'. The album concludes with 'Isolation', which builds and builds with exquisite guitar playing and driving drums until the band finally find themselves where they started - 'beautiful music for beautiful people'. Overall, outstanding stuff, one of the finest debut albums for quite some time!"

 

AB's Top Picks:

'136'

'Between The Streets And The Stars'

'Blind'

'Isolation'

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on The Electric Stars! Check out our previous feature on Likely Lads!

 

Check out The Electric Stars here - http://www.theelectricstars.com/

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB RECORDS

BETWEEN THE STREETS AND THE STARS: Our interview with Manchester-based rock 'n' roll band The Electric Stars!

PART 1 - "THE INTERVIEW"

 

1 - What is your earliest musical memory and what pushed you towards perusing a career in the music business?

 

"I guess I have my mum and dad to thank for this as they always had the radio on! And it was tuned into Radio 1 when it was the best station, not the embarrassment it is today!"

 

2 - Had you been involved in any other bands or musical ventures before The Electric Stars?

 

"Yeah, like the rest of the boys, we had all been in bands that had some degree of local acclaim but nothing to write home about!"

 

3 - How did The Electric Stars begin?

 

"To be honest, the band did not exist till we came out of the studio with a white label promo of the album 'Sonic Candy Soul'...The album got fantastic feedback so we got a band together hey presto! THE ELECTRIC STARS haha..."

 

4 - Where did the name The Electric Stars come from?

 

"Well, we are a rock 'n' roll band with a very colourful outlook on things! We like to plug in and trip out and sometimes we end up in strange places, so it's the perfect name for us really!"

 

5 - How would you describe the sound of The Electric Stars?

 

"It's just rock 'n' roll man! We're not interested in searching for that chord that's never been played you know...It's primal, sexual, spiritual, sometimes out there, sometimes in your face, it's glamorous, decadent, dirty and beautiful!"

 

6 - Your album is called Sonic Candy Soul. What is the meaning behind this title and why did you choose this to be the title of your album?

 

"Simple really! Its a sonic blast of rainbow coloured sweets, each one coated in some brown soul sugar."

 

7 - Your latest single is called "Between The Streets And The Stars". What influenced this song and what is the song itself about?

 

"It's about the perfect high! That place you reach for that has just the right mix of beauty and ugliness, danger and tranquillity, innocence and depravity! We all want to go there you know even though people will deny it! It's the best trip man..."

 

8 - You filmed the video for this song in Estonia. How did this come about and how did it feel to be shooting professional music video abroad?

 

"Well through a mutual friend, we were asked if we wanted to submit a song to have a storyboard written by some film students. We had the single about to be released so timing was cool and the students entered their ideas into a competition. The winner was chosen and he was guided by an established Estonian video producer and along with a great team they did a fantastic job! While we were over there we did some gigs and were interviewed for TV and Estonian press so all went really well. Estonia is a beautiful country and the video is one of the best we have done so far!"

 

9 - Do you have any 'rituals' before you go on stage?

 

"Drink the rider!"

 

10 - Any live dates coming up?

 

"Yes we are playing the New Years Eve gig at The 100 Club which is already sold out! Aside from that no, as we are in the studio full on now..."

 

11 - Any new songs in the pipeline?

 

"Yeah, that's why we are locked in the studio! We are working hard on the second album."

 

12 - When can fans expect the next official release?

 

"There will be a single hopefully just in time for Christmas and the album next spring!"

 

13 - Who would be your dream collaboration?

 

"Probably jamming with Brian Jones on weird instruments in a field haha..."

 

14 - Who would be in your dream super group?

 

"Elvis on vocals...Hendrix on guitar...Lennon on rhythm and backing...Entwistle on bass.....Bonham on drums! Rock 'n' roll brother!"

 

PART 2 - "THE QUICKFIRE ROUND"

 

1 - Favourite Beatle?

 

"George."

 

2 - Favourite band?

 

"Stones."

 

3 - Favourite new band?

 

"The Universal."

 

4 - Favourite song?

 

"Lola."

 

5 - Favourite album?

 

"Forever Changes - Love."

 

6 - Vinyl, CD or download?

 

"Vinyl."

 

7 - Style icon?

 

"George Best."

 

8 - Favourite clothing brand?

 

"Cheeky hand me downs."

 

9 - Favourite film?

 

"Performance."

 

10 - Favourite TV show?

 

"The Monkees."

 

11 - Who would play you in a film of your life?

 

"Bruce Lee."

 

12 - Favourite food?

 

"Thai."

 

13 - Football team?

 

"MUFC..."

 

Hope you enjoyed this feature on The Electric Stars! Check out our previous feature on Casual Agenda!

 

Watch "Between the Streets and the Stars" here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-iCkWtNFR4

 

You can also like our Facebook page to keep up to date with all future interviews at the following link - https://www.facebook.com/aldorabritainrecords

 

AB Records