The Black Stars

BEAT - Melbourne, May 2008
The Black Stars
Money Or Your Life (MGM)
With the rock resurgence over the last few years, the days of electronic bass beats and sweaty Melbourne shufflers almost seems like a lifetime ago. That appears to be a better and better thing when in these boozy mosh pit ridden times there is nothing more enjoyable than seeing a band like The Black Stars putting themselves out there with their edgy, raw and uncompromising sounds. The Byron Bay trio haven’t exactly been sitting on their laurels either after their initial EP release in 2006 described by Daniel Johns and Paul Mac as “absolutely brilliant”, Money Or Your Life is another short but very sweet release.

Alongside production wizard Phil McKellar, The Black Stars avoid getting lost in a daze of bogan mania despite an insistence on a vast variety of heavy styles (punk, metal, garage, aussie rock). The catchiest track and the first radio single Alright Baby sounds like a touch of Aussie larrikinisms by title but proves to be a classic head banging treat with this driving madness “to hell and back”. With It Eats Away one could be mistaken for thinking of a Smash Mouth tune at first but the chorus rolls around into a fantastic pop rock crescendo. The traditional punk rock riff based Get Up speaks in tongues reverberating around as The Black Stars “are gonna shoot it all up, gonna tear it all down” and touches of The Saints can also be heard in Incompetent which comes as the final reminder of how good Aussie rock can be. Before you know it the five tracks are over and you’re still dancing around your room with your broom in your hand.

It’s a whirlwind 10 minutes and 42 seconds of fun. It’s unpolished, it’s lyrically not profound but you can hear the urgency, you can feel the attitude of the band and you can see the snarl of the lead singer Diabolical as he belts out the words. They’ve got passion, energy, vibrancy and a sexy female drummer all the key ingredients for a small revolution on your eardrums.
SHANE P BENNETT

Time Off - Brisbane, April 2008
The Black Stars – Money Or Your Life
(SugarRush/ Green/MGM)
Although it introduces itself with a somewhat bizarre 30 seconds of aural gibberish with the (thankfully) brief ‘Farfisa’, this second EP from Byron Bay rockers The Black Stars soon reveals its dirty rock’n’roll underbelly with lead single ‘Alright Baby’. A rip-roaring rocker, the single sounds like Guide To Better Living – era Grinspoon (ie – when they were good). Thick slices of riff focused Aussie rock continue with ‘It Eats Away’ and ‘Get Up’, the latter of which chugs along on an angular riff that screeches with distortion. Breakneck closer ‘Incompetent’ is perhaps the EP’s standout track – a blistering two minutes that swings as hard as it rocks. While they haven’t reinvented the wheel by any stretch, The Black Stars continue to churn out above par rock with Money Or Your Life. (JG)

Drum Media - Sydney, May 2008
The Black Stars
Money Or Your Life
SugarRUSH/ MGM
There’s certainly no shortage of urgent exuberance in the headlong rush that is Byron Bay three-piece The Black Stars, skittling through four songs packed tight into just 11 minutes of short, sharp pop/rock. They’re reinventing the wheel of course, their genealogical through-line reaching back to the ‘60s and proto-punks The Monks through the New Wave jaggedness of The Buzzcocks, The Attractions and The Vapours, the vital spark at the core still redolent with teen angst, unwavering enthusiasm and muscular ebullience. No wonder they scored the Helmet tour, being sharp enough to stand the heat.

RAVE - Brisbane, May 2008
The Black Stars - Money Or Your Life
(SugarRUSH/Green/MGM) Straight up rock
The D4 were a fast-paced, dirty riff band that sadly disbanded before their time, but not to fear they simply got re-incarnated as The Black Stars. These new Byron Bay favourites aren't going to let their fans down in a hurry. After gaining a huge recognition from their last EP, The Black Stars have made a hard and fast second release titled Money Or Your Life; a blitzkrieg raid of chunky hard rock. Produced by Phil McKeller of Grinspoon fame, the EP is full of up tempo tracks with catchy pop hooks, fast chunky riffs and party-worthy vocals. Straight to the point from the first song, the intensity of tracks never lets up from the opening Farfisa to the ending Incompetent, with no shitty rock ballad in sight. Although this band isn't reinventing any stylistic advancement, or changing the face of music, they're rocking out at lightning pace. This is one band to inspire air guitar in your bedroom.
TESSA FOX

Scene - Brisbane, May 2008
'Money Or Your Life'
The Black Stars
(SugarRUSH)
If I'm a slut for a dirty two-minute rock classic with a big chorus that takes you to bed and leaves you bruised and battered, yet satisfied the next morning, then I've just slept with the Black Stars. The Byron Bay three-piece open this EP with stand-out track 'Alright Baby', a killer number awash with surging guitars, stalking riffs and a nasty temperament. The remaining three tracks struggle to keep up the pace after that, but it doesn't matter as by now you've swapped numbers and you're meeting them again next week in a cheap hotel for another session. SKD

The Black Stars - Money Or Your Life EP Release Bio
March 2008
Faced with the big 'where to from here??' Byron Bay three piece The Black Stars had to pull on all resources to get back into the studio after the dust had settled on their 2006 debut release. The second offering, titled Money Or Your Life is an exciting and powerful serve of contemporary Australian punk rock and a tribute to the commitment and sacrifice of the artist hell bent on staying creative. From the tormented chants and cluttered city soundscape of the intro Farfisa, through the singles Alright Baby and Get Up, Money Or Your Life is the sound of a band determined to be heard.

Produced by Phil McKellar (Silverchair, Grinspoon, Spiderbait), The Black Stars debut self-titled EP received great attention from listeners and industry alike, ranging from strong reviews in national street press and music magazines to national airplay from Triple J, 4ZZZ, 3RRR, FBi and all alternative stations across Australia. This exposure helped the band kick it up a gear and consolidate an already strong live reputation by gigging the release solidly for the 12 months following.

But when faced with putting out their second EP, the Stars had to deal with the dilemma many independent artists face today – how to keep independently releasing quality material, with associated production costs, whilst remaining afloat in an age of burning and downloading? The band decided that if it was going to retain the same quality of production, it would have to invest in the construction of its own studio. Knowing this wouldn't happen overnight, the Stars decided to get the ball rolling on the new release in Sydney with Phil McKellar once again, while at the same time commencing the building of their studio in the unlikely surrounds of the lush North coast of NSW.

12 months later the trio emerged with a new EP, a new studio and a new lease on their musical longevity. The second EP with a working title Tales From The Killing Floor (a harsh reference to the frustration of trying to stay alive as a struggling artist) consisted of 5 tracks recorded in Sydney with Phil McKellar, along with contributions recorded in Brisbane with producer Bryce Moorehead (Sekiden, Iron On) and tracks recorded by the band in their own new studio. The studio served its purpose well allowing the band to experiment with sounds and lay down tracks in their own time. However, come time for the final mix, the band headed back to Sydney to work with McKellar again in a high end studio.

The final touches were added in the mastering suite by Australian legend Don Bartley and the EP was re-titled Money Or Your Life, a somewhat more positive take on the artists' condition. The 5 track release showcases The Black Stars sound and identity, which could be attributed to the band becoming more comfortable and confident with its own unique and powerful sound, while growing into a solid and cohesive live unit.

Along with MGM/GREEN Media, who provided distribution for their debut, Money Or Your Life has also been picked up by developing Brisbane label SugarRUSH to be released along with a music video for Alright Baby in May 2008. Late in 2007, whilst securing the release, the band was also invited to play two legs of the emerging underground national rock festival Devil's Kitchen, along with Nunchukka Superfly, Grand Fatal and Mary Trembles. To celebrate the May release, the band is hitting the road in April and May 2008 touring the new release along the East Coast of Australia, which includes a show supporting iconic US outfit HELMET.