stellastarr*

During the late 1990s, vocalist and guitarist Shawn Christensen, bassist Amanda Tannen, and drummer Arthur Kremer formed a friendship while studying at Brooklyn's Pratt Institute of the Arts, an encounter that later grew into a shared musical path. With only rudimentary command of their instruments, the three launched the short-lived project Ghistor as an early, tentative step that helped solidify their rapport before it dissolved. After graduation they each entered corporate jobs, only to reconvene in spring 2000 alongside Philly native Michael Jurin, formerly the guitarist of Charlotte's Funeral, and launch the indie rock outfit stellastarr*. A contract with Tiswas materialized in 2002, followed the next spring by the EP Somewhere Across Forever. Media praise for the eponymously titled debut full-length paved the way for the 2005 release of the follow-up effort Harmonies for the Haunted. In 2009 stellastarr* issued Civilized through their own Bloated Wife Records.