T-shirts Now Available Online
We finally got around to adding our tees to the online store. Aren’t they purty?
Jump on over to the Music + Merch page to pick one up!
In other news, we’ll be playing our last show of spring 2012 in Winston-Salem next week, Friday May 11th, at the Garage. We’re opening for our friends, Slawterhaus 5, who are celebrating the release of their new disc. TSE should be on stage by around 9:30-ish. Come on out!
TSE Video – Help Us Choose The Song
It looks like TSE will be shooting our first video sometime in the coming weeks, and we’d like your help in choosing the tune for which we’ll do the video. Nothing like a little crowd sourcing to determine production demands like storyboarding, casting, locations, budget, etc! So, call us crazy if you will, but please drop on by our Facebook page and vote now on your favorite potential video song. You can get to our Facebook page by clicking the handy little Fb pop-up icon in the banner photo (above right), but here’s an equally handy link: https://www.facebook.com/thestarsexplode.
In other news, we were disappointed to learn recently that we won’t get the chance to open for Peter Case in Durham, NC. His tour with old friend/fellow conspirator, Paul Collins, imploded after only a handful of dates, and the Durham show–which we already knew would be Peter and band only, no Collins–was canceled in the wake of ensuing “financial challenges.” Such is the rock and roll life!
The band will be hitting the stage again in late April, playing Raleigh’s finest Irish pub/music venue, Tir na nOg, on April 26th, for Local Band Local Beer night, a great series that’s been running there for the past few years. We’ll be joined by Raleigh’s own Gods of Harvest in what is sure to be a great night of live music. Meanwhile, the focus is on promoting the new record, getting some national press, and working on new material to keep the live show interesting!
Spring Is In The Air
Well, it’s hot here in North Carolina, has been for weeks, really. That can mean only one thing: it’s springtime! If it were not just hot but hotter than hell, it would be summer! Anyway…TSE will be spending the next few weeks promoting the record via all the usual channels and social media outlets while we learn some new songs and finish recording custom tunes written for some of our Kickstarter backers. That will be loads of fun, and we look forward to sending out the finished mp3s to those dedicated and generous backers. We’ll also be working on summer tour plans in the coming weeks, hoping to map out an east coast run or two.
Meanwhile, we had another enjoyable show last week at Casbah in Durham. Great room, nice crowd, a good night all in all. We hope to be back on their stage soon. Here’s a video shot that night.
Press Mentions and Casbah Show
A few nice press mentions have appeared over the past couple weeks, not least of which was David Menconi’s highlight piece in last Friday’s News & Observer. We think we’re better lookin’ than Corrosion of Conformity, but their photo appears at the top of the page (our mention is in the “Other Highlights” sidebar). The album has also received two glowing reviews from the dedicated powerpop community via Powerpopaholic.com and Popgeekheaven. The latter site requires membership for most content, including the reviews, so you can create an account for free in less than a minute.
Next up on the gigging front, Friday, March 16th at the Casbah in Durham, with our friends Kind Strangers and The Breaks. Show starts at 9pm and we’re on at 10. Get yer tickets here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSearch.jsp?performance_id=1611242&cobrand=casbahdurham!
CD Release Party Details
Just over a week until our big CD release party, on Saturday, March 3rd. We’re excited to have our friends STAG and Fan Modine in support that night. Michael Rank’s new work with STAG is some of the best stuff he’s done in a long, solid career of making raw, real rock and roll. And Fan Modine will be playing a bunch of wonderful songs, including highlights from last year’s critically acclaimed Gratitude for the Shipper.
The show is being held at West End Public, a swank new event space right next to Carolina Brewery, at 462 W. Franklin Street, in Chapel Hill. Doors open at 8pm and the cover will be just $5. (It’s 21+ only since they have a nice full bar.) And don’t worry, college hoops fans, we’ll be showing the last half of the Carolina-Duke game on the four big flat screen TVs until the music starts! Of course, we’ll have CDs and t-shirts for sale, too. Rock!
Fountains of Wayne Afterglow
We’re still reeling from a great night last night at Cat’s Cradle, where we were fortunate enough to open for Fountains of Wayne. Talk about a well-paired double bill! The audience was fantastic throughout. Hope some of you reading this were there. If not, mark your calendars for Saturday March 3rd. That’s when our official CD release party is happening, at West End Public, a new event space right next to the Carolina Brewery (462 W. Franklin St, to be exact) in our home-base of Chapel Hill, NC. Our friends Fan Modine and STAG are joining us for what will surely be a great night of locally grown live original music. Tickets will be just $5, with doors at 8pm and the show starting at 9.
Hope to post some photos from the gig last night soon. Oh, and we’ll be adding t-shirts to the Music + Merch page very soon!
Ringtones and Digital Release Available Today
The new album is out today, February 7, 2012! Starting now, you should be able to find it and purchase it on iTunes worldwide, Amazon.com under their mp3 section, on Rhapsody, and in Spotify. If you’re into the whole high resolution file thing, please check out our Bandcamp site, http://thestarsexplode.bandcamp.com. Rock!
We’re also excited to have our first ringtones available for iPhone! You too can now have TSE blaring from your phone to interrupt those important business meetings, classes at school, or heartfelt conversations. Even better, we were thinking ahead and chose two tracks that make great Valentine’s Day gifts. Depending on your mood and how you’re feeling about your significant other, you could choose Funny Feeling (“I’ve got a funny feeling for ya…”) or What’s It Gonna Take To Make You Happy? (the title says it all). Either way, we’re talking thirty seconds of pure heaven, for just a buck twenty-nine!
Simply search the iTunes Store on your phone for The Stars Explode and you’ll find the ringtones at the bottom. Of course, you can also download songs or the whole album as well, the more the merrier as far as we’re concerned. Here’s a direct link: 
Oh, and one more great big thanks to all our awesome Kickstarter backers, without whom…
xo,
TSE
New Year, New Site, New Album
Welcome to the new site! The new album, Between The Lines, is due out on February 7th. Just a few days later, on Saturday 2/11, we’ll be opening for Fountains of Wayne at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC. Tickets available via eTix.