Stellar Corpses

“We met in the drunk tank. I came to, and there they were! The acoustics were great, but it gets pretty boring when your only audience is the police.” – Dusty Grave, lead singer, Stellar Corpses.
Well, if that leaves you with your jaw on the floor, read on.
The band’s sense of humor is evident in the above quote. The four guys in Stellar Corpses (which literally means “dead stars”) not only rock, but are also intelligent, cool people and have kick ass personalities. Their album Dead Stars Drive-In (Santa Carla Records) drops on January 24, 2012. And they’re not bad to look at either, for all the females reading this.
Good looks aside, they can rock the hell out of any venue they play. They’re hard core rockers to the bone, and they prove it every time they hit the stage or whenever their music is played. Their new album, Dead Stars Drive-In (Santa Carla Records), will be released on January 24, 2012, and was produced by Joe McGrath (AFI, Tiger Army, Alkaline Trio and many more). “It was amazing to record in the same place that so many of my influences recorded,” Dusty exudes. “Black Flag, Descendents and Pennywise to name a few. And working with Joe McGrath was incredible. He helped us to make the best record of our lives. “We are excited to have some really special guests on the album like Hunter Burgan (AFI), Jade Puget (AFI) and Michale Graves (Misfits)!”
Stellar Corpses list their musical influences as Elvis, Black Flag, Social Distortion, Stray Cats, Bad Religion, Black Sabbath, AFI, The Misfits, Danzig, Rancid, Sepultura and Megadeth. With a mix like that, it’s no wonder Stellar Corpses blended their musical tastes into something really special. Says the whole band, “We hope we can inspire some young kid who’s life is changing and needs some music to relate to. Morbid music saves lives…we don’t care what anyone says.”
Stellar Corpses hail from Santa Cruz and have become a fixture in its hard rock music scene. This is no overnight success story. Stellar Corpses met in high school and have been around, playing shitty clubs, building their fan base and doing whatever it takes to be able to create and perform music as their lifelong careers, if they get their fondest wish. They’ve got the goods…now it’s time to get out there and prove it to a bigger audience.
“I grew up in a good home,” says Dusty. “My dad played guitar and sang at church and I always wanted to be like him. I’m not religious, but I do belong to the church of Rock and Roll! I think in metaphors, which makes it easy to write good songs that people can relate to and find their own meanings in. I don’t write in a literal way, like about politics or daily mundane stuff. I write mostly about love and death, our biggest motivators and mysteries! My favorite thing in the world is a live rock concert. There’s nothing like a big group of people singing the same song and rocking out together.
Life for Dusty was not always rosy. After his family split up he was left alone in Santa Cruz where he spent years drinking, fighting, playing in bands and experimenting with drugs. “I partied hard and ended up in jail on 12 different occasions.” Dusty recalls, “Music was always my passion, but I knew I was headed nowhere. So I wised up and decided to go to school, where I earned a Bachelors Degree in psychology and an Associates in music.” During this time, Dusty started Stellar Corpses (an astronomy term he learned in college) with his good friend Dan Lamothe. Dan, Emilio and Kyle managed to keep themselves out of jail, although they’re certainly not what you’d call angels either…they know very well there’s a time and a place for everything, and the music always comes first!
Stellar Corpses’ songs cover all sorts of subjects: “The title track, ‘Dead Stars Drive-In,’ is about the dark side of Hollywood and how some of its brightest stars, like Elvis, Marilyn, Bela Lugosi and Vampira eventually burned out. But to this day, their lights shine as bright as ever, and we will go on loving them always,” Dusty explains. Emilio reveals, “’Teenage Witchcraft’ is about being different…it’s simple, really. ’One More Day’ is about living your last day on earth to the fullest with no regrets and no apologies. ‘So Long Goodbye’ is a parallel of death and the end of a relationship.” “’Vampire Kiss’ is a nod to our hometown Santa Cruz, where the movie The Lost Boys was filmed. Its a powerful sing along that would frighten any glittery vampire out there,” Dan quips.
The band’s live show is dynamic and interactive with the fans. Emilio says, “We are like human buzz-saws live, we tear through our set with raw energy. I’d say get ready to sing with us, most of our songs are very anthem like and require the crowd to sing along. Its my favorite part, when the crowd actually knows the song and is singing along in my face…its the best payoff ever.”
Stellar Corpses literally live and breath music, music and more music. Says Dusty. “Music is everything to me. It’s my lifeblood. I need to hear it, learn it, write it, record it and perform it live, or I will surely die. I’ve had so many different jobs and I couldn’t stand any of them. Music is the one passion that has kept me completely enthralled non stop every day since I got my first guitar. Society tells you to get a job, but people on their deathbeds always say to follow your heart. We follow our hearts no matter what.”