‘This is the nearest we’ve come so far to sounding how we actually hear it and intend it to be.’ – Crispin Gray (Guitarist of Starsha Lee)
Starsha Lee have such a layered history, philosophy and sound that any mini-interview can be bracketed as an evil tease by both band and interviewer alike. And yet, this slight yet tangy starter course for people into hard alternative rock ought to go down well. Sofia’s soaring melodramatic vocals glide along the heavy riffage supplied by Crispin Gray on soon to be released track ‘Resting in Murder’ (trailer for the video out this Friday, 18th February). So if spaghetti westerns, Cardi B and some exclusive new pictures of the artists in question pique your interest, then you are in the right place for something rather unique.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about ‘Resting in Murder.’ O.K, question time! The solo is unusual for Crispin in that it’s not the usual wild distorted riff-fest. Discuss!
Sofia: Hi John! Thank you so much for having us!
Crispin: I’ve always liked that “Good, Bad & the Ugly” guitar thing, Duane Eddy and so on, so I was trying to head in that direction (plus, I just thought it fit the track).
Did you have a few ideas going in, or was it about a bit of a noodle before settling on the finished solo?
Crispin: Sofia really likes that spaghetti western guitar sound also (and her father, a drummer, used to be in a band that covered The Shadows), so I was trying to go in that direction right from the start.
There is seemingly a more refined production aesthetic from the mannered backing vocals, the clear cut structure and the song length. Care to talk about this shift in any way that might be of interest to your audience?
Crispin: Well, the EP Resting In Murder is from the first Starsha Lee release that is recorded, produced and mixed entirely by us. Hopefully, we’ll get better at it as we go along, but this is the nearest we’ve come so far to sounding how we actually hear it and intend it to be. You mentioned the song length. Is it longer or shorter than you expected?
I’d say more concise, for sure. Any particular set of experiences that have set you down the self-producing route?
Crispin: Simply put – it’s just too expensive to do it any other way these days. Unless you have a lot of money that allows you to get into a studio of your choice and spend as much time in there as you like, the best way is to get Pro tools (or some other equivalent) and learn how to do it yourself. And the technology of today makes this easier than ever.
Sofia: I was listening to Cardi B at the time. I must say I’ve never listened to anything like that, and I was surprised. Apart from the music style, whether one likes it or not, she’s quite fearless! I like that kind of backing track also, instead of the usual rock drums.
Fair enough. Thank you for this mini-interview, guys. In closing, are there any plans to take the band live this year, or are you strictly still a studio project?
Sofia: We’re not sure yet. I’ve been having a couple of health problems, and I’m not sure if I’m in the right state of spirit now. But we might! Again, thank you so much for having us, John!
No problem. It’s always great talking to you.
Trailer for the music video of ‘Resting in Murder’ out this Friday 18th February (Full Video out Friday 25th February).
Follow Starsha Lee On:
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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVeEBriw-J4knogL77yi8dg/featured
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