 |
|
|
Friday, 2/9/2001
|
|
|
|
|
Friday, 2/9/2001
|
|
 No Star changes musical style
By Megan Finnerty Several members of Purdue’s Greek system joked that they've taken time away from their lives of debauchery and drunkenness to make an album about debauchery and drunkenness. "We write about things we know — frats, drinking, parties," said lead singer and lyricist Matt Fecher. "A lot of people are surprised that Greek people took enough time out of their drinking and womanizing to write about drinking and womanizing," he said, laughing. But after listening to No Star’s eponymous first release, it’s not just about the puke and rally, but it’s not about anything much more thought provoking either. Fecher, a recent Purdue graduate, recorded "No Star" last August with fellow graduate Josh Miles, creating an album of samples, weak white-boy raps, ‘80s chords and self-deprecating lyrics. Since then, No Star has sold 1,400 copies of its CD, largely because Fecher, who calls himself ‘Johnny Promotion,’ wears one pair of cargo pants constantly and loads the pockets with CDs to hand out to potential fans. The four-song CD is reminiscent of early Beastie Boys. The vocal quality is sketchy, the delivery is hesitant and Fecher and his friends have Brooklyn wannabe accents. All this is laid down on a studio CD that sounds like it was made in a garage. With lyrics such as, "Tell ‘em who you are/a phrat boy superstar/tell ‘em why you’re fly/I ain’t no GDI," it’s easy to have a sense of humor with this band. They take aim at ex-girlfriends, fraternity brothers and sorority sisters, among others. The sisters and their infamous pants take some hits with lines such as, "I’ll put you in a trance with my tight black pants / If you got the right letters, then maybe we can dance." And it gets crueler from there. But for fans of No Star’s biting lyrics, the future looks dim. The band has new members and new sounds. Holly Bender, a junior in the School of Technology, was pulled into the band through Fecher’s sister, who knew Bender had been playing keyboards "forever" and had recently picked up the accordion. Yes, No Star went from rap and samples to the accordion — and it works. "I’d love to be in music and make a career out of it now," said the stylish keyboardist. "But as a child I got pushed pretty hard into music and so I didn’t want to make it my job at school." Shortly after Bender joined the band, Betsy Webster, a senior in the School of Consumer and Family Sciences, joined No Star, bringing with her the vocal skills she honed in church as a teen. She was embarrassed, but admitted she’s accustomed to singing ‘80s-style love ballads and church songs, so No Star’s new guitar-driven rock is new. "I’m excited about getting out there and performing in a way I haven’t done before," said the perfectly made-up vocalist. "I haven’t sung in front of people since high school, but this has made me more confident." Adam Taylor, Fecher’s stepbrother and a sophomore in the School of Technology, joined last semester after catching Fecher and Miles playing guitar backed only by an album of beats at several house and fraternity parties. The five members practice for an hour each week at Twin Pines Cooperative. Practice time is down from the four hours a week Fecher and Miles practiced last semester. In the past, members hung out at Wendy’s during practice and Fecher said all the Biggie fries were slowing the group. With the new members and practice schedule, No Star has reinvented itself as a rock band with hip-hop rhythms and house beats. The songs are born on an acoustic guitar and then band members add instruments in layers, making songs surprisingly dense.
|
Students to participate in engineering contest Classes help review for law exam Purdue professor to appear at book-signing fundraiser Musician releases crossover album Campus House presents lively production Students vie for concerto spot Illustrator to speak at Purdue BCC to host annual valentine event tonight Album lacks depth, entertainment value Jazz band travels to University Inn for Evening of Romance Saturday
FEATURES DESK PHONE: Features editor:
To send a letter to the editor, please email opinions@purdueexponent.org
|
||||||
 Purdue Exponent 2001 | |||||||
