If there are two things Pat McGee wants you to know, it’s that Snickers needs to watch its quality control and he loves his band. Although he was feeling a bit discouraged from finding a sealed candy bar with a bite in it when I talked to him, McGee was still keen to discuss about his band of indie rock sweethearts Stars.
Made up of vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan, keyboardist Chris Seligman, bassist Evan Cranley and drummer McGee, Campbell and Seligman originally formed Stars in New York City. Conceived as a sort of bedroom project, the band quickly relocated to Montreal, adding more members and releasing the albums Nightsongs and Heart. Stars then signed with Arts & Crafts records and released their breakout album Set Yourself On Fire in 2004 and In Our Bedroom After the War came out last year.
Although each album shares a similar dreamy heartbroken longing, typified by the smooth and haunting vocals of Campbell and Millan, drummer Pat McGee—who joined the band following the Heart’s release—points out that the processes the band went through to make Set Yourself on Fire and In Our Bedroom After the War were very different and ultimately resulted in each album having a unique feel. While Set Yourself on Fire was written and recorded rapidly—in Seligman’s bedroom, no less—resulting in a more frenetic, raw energy coming out in the songs, the process for In Our Bedroom After the War was entirely different.
“We wanted to take our time. We’d been on the road for so long and we wanted to play music together and try different things,” McGee said. “We wanted it to be a little more relaxed. We took our sweet-ass time, and we bonded and became a lot closer after that. It was a really great experience.” In Our Bedroom After the War also gave Stars the chance to put into practice their beliefs about the process by which albums get reviewed and released. Most albums are finished and released to reviewers three months before hitting stores, a process that often resulting in bootleg copies appearing online.
“People have two options: they can wait for three months or they can steal the record,” McGee said.
“We just thought we’d give them a third option.” Stars decided to release In Our Bedroom After the War for legal download at the same time it was released to critics, which also reflects the band’s opinion of professional music criticism. Campbell famously posted a diatribe online last year that railed against the website Pitchforkmedia.com and the pompous tone of many internet critics. McGee seems to agree with Campbell’s critiques.
“Why are critics the only one who gets to judge a record? Every 12-year-old in Nebraska has a blog and everyone can have an opinion, not just critics.” McGee went on to call the early online release of In Our Bedroom After the War a success due to the many supportive fans who bought the album legally.
The ability to inspire a devoted following is something McGee credits largely to the band’s extensive touring. Tours have always played a large part in Stars’ success, specifically following the release of Set Yourself on Fire. The band first toured Canada but was then invited to tour with Death Cab for Cutie in the United States back in 2005.
“It was fun being with [Death Cab] and allowed us to go do our own tour again. Bringing a live performance to people and having human contact—I think that really turns people on to music more than anything else,” McGee said.
Stars has continued to focus much of their time on touring, which is sometimes difficult given their miscellany of side projects
Each member of Stars is busy with musical side projects that take them away from the band on occasion. Campbell’s a member of the band Memphis and records with Broken Social Scene along with Millan, who also released her solo urban-folk album in 2006. Though there are many schedules to work around, McGee’s adamant that this multitasking arrangement has never caused a problem.
“There was a time when Torq and Amy were on the road with Broken Social Scene for a few months, but we’ve never actually had a conflict where we had to make a decision.
“When we’re doing Stars, we’re focusing on Stars.”
This commitment to the band has transformed the members into what McGee jokingly calls a “five-headed monster”—each member plays an active and integral part in the band.
“It’s not just songwriting,” he said. “It’s accounting, arranging travel, interviews. … Everyone plays their role to keep the machine rolling. I think the secret to our longevity is that we don’t break things down into, ‘Who does this and who does that’—we’re all accountable.”
As for future plans, McGee says the band’s focusing on touring right now, but may try to start writing material for the next album while on tour—something the urban-centric band has never done before. “[Writing an album] is about where we all are,” McGee said.
“We do discuss what we’re into and how we want to approach it and what kind of vibe we want it to have, but you don’t really know what it’ll look like.”
Stars play Stages this Friday night. Tickets are sold out.
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