Band Members:
Jonathan Burkhart:
vocals/rhythm guitar
Stephan LaJaunie:
lead guitar
Steve Barber:
bass guitar
Travis Beattie:
drums
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So tell me how the band got together?
We used to be Celebrated Summer. About a year after we decided to split up I realized I had
some really good songs. I knew both Stephan and Travis could make these songs sound
great, so we decided to form At the Stars.
How long were you all together as Celebrated Summer?
About a year and a half. It was fun.
What's the difference between Celebrated Summer and At The Stars, how is the new band
different?
It is not the same band.
Yeah, the sound in this band is more polished.
Now there is more control on my part and with the
new direction the band is going in.
The sound we are doing now is more upbeat and
shorter songs. I think it's a lot easier on the ears
and relates better to the general public than what
we used to do as Celebrated Summer.
I think what is different is not as much with control,
I still have a lot of room to work, you work within a
certain framework and Jon writes all of the songs.
There is still plenty of room to be creative and it's
not like a back up band. With Jon having the most
control gives it that coherence. The songs still
have the different influences thrown in together
from each member but it's a lot more orderly and
coherent now.
How did you come up with the name At The Stars?
It's my favorite Better Than Ezra song, plus it's fun to say.
If someone has never been to an At The Stars show, what can they expect?
A bunch of good three minute pop songs.
Who influenced you musically in your life growing up?
My dad, he played drums in rock and roll bands in the mid 60's (you should see the pictures)
and my parents bought me my first drum kit when I was 12. I have played off and on and
really got back into it when I turned 27, playing almost every day now so that makes
me......... 33 now (group laughs). When I heard "Walking on the Moon" by The Police when
I was like 12 or 13 and was listening to Stewart Copeland hash out the coolest rhythm on the
drums behind that song I was like "that's what I want to do", but I still can't, that song's hard
as hell....... to me anyways.
My dad directed music at church ever since I was little, so I've been hearing it all my life.
But ever since I got really into Radiohead, I wanted to be in a band. I just wanted to do what
they were doing, it looked like fun and it sounded really good. Now I'm committed to it.
My dad played guitar growing up, I actually still
have his guitar. I fell into it, my dad had a huge
record collection, he would play me what he
thought was good music as opposed to what I was
actually listening to at the time. I started playing
violin at 8; I decided it was not going to help my
chances at being a rock star so I switched to
guitar. I've been in a few bands with Jon and
Travis before and played with other people too.
What's the best part about being a musician?
The feeling I get when other people connect with
what you are doing. There's nothing better than
writing a song straight from the heart and people
identifying with it. Some people even having an
emotional connection to it, that's what drives me
to write songs and be a musician.
If you ever seen Depeche Mode's 101, that video, if you listen to the very end of it the entire
audience is singing along to that chorus in "Everything Counts". 20,000 people singing
along, and connecting to the music, that's magic, I would love to be able to achieve
something like that.
Playing live to a crowd that is really getting into your set and connecting with the music,
when I get to see that happen it just makes you play better as a musician, as a band, it amps
you up inside and it just feels good to pound away on the drums and connecting with the
other three guys on stage. It makes you forget about whatever troubles you have and you
can escape from the world for an hour or two, there are only a few things in life better than
that.
What's the biggest challenge with being a musician?
Where do I start (laughs)? Not being signed or
under a management company, doing all of the leg
work, trying to book shows, promoting yourself
and on top of that you have to learn all of the
songs that
people are bringing to the table. It's like a second
job, but the one you enjoy going to work at.
Promoting and trying to get people interested and
get them to come out, it's easy to get frustrated
and down about it sometimes. There's a myth that
being in band you get lots of money and lots of
girls, that's a myth. You just have to try to keep a
good attitude in spite of the frustrations and
hurdles you have to go through.
I have a pet peeve with some musicians, they can be incredible musicians and could write
incredible songs, and they expect to just be discovered without putting themselves out
there. They're great at complaining about how no one will give them a chance. My wife told
me something that I think is the best advice I've ever heard: you can't expect to be in the
right place at the right time, you have to put yourself there time and time again. Richmond
is full of amazing musicians that no one will ever hear for that very reason.
Jon, if Stephan was no longer part of the band, what would be missing,
what does Stephan bring to the table?
He is hands down one of the best guitarists I've know. It's not like he is trying to put in all
these frills, but he knows exactly where to place a chord and exactly where to place a note.
Johnny Marr is one of his favorite guitarists, and I guess that sums it all up right there. The
Smiths are one of my influences as well. We would be missing what makes everything
come together because of his guitar; he is what brings it all together. I basically told him I
am going to play clean guitar and whatever you decided to put over it is how the song is
going to sound, so that's what he has done and it is basically his canvas.
Thanks man.
Stephan, what does Travis bring to the table?
Drums are a lot like vocals, if
something is missing, or
something is off, it is going to be
one of the first things to make a
song completely breakdown.
Besides being a really tight
drummer, Travis has a really
good ear for how a song is
supposed to be put together, and
having a drummer that can do
that definitely makes my job
easier. It takes a lot more
creativity than people may
realize to work within the
constraints of a three-minute pop
song, and not a lot of drummers
seem to know how to do that.
Travis is that exception, maybe
him and Stewart Copeland.)
(laughing hysterically) I can't believe you referenced me and Stewart Copeland in the same
sentence, it's sac religious.
Travis, if Jon was no longer part of the band, what would be missing, what does Jon bring to
the table?
Well Jon basically brought all of us to the table, so he is the staple in the band. There would
be no song writing, there would be no lyrics. I think Jon is the best lyricist I have ever
played music with; I think he writes the best lyrics I have ever read. I like his guitar work as
well. He brings a lot of difficult things to the table, a lot of time changes which really pisses
me off (group laughs), but in the end I really like him for that, he challenges me and us as a
band. And since Steve (our bass player) was unavailable for this interview I will
answer the same question about him. Not only is Steve the smoothest bass player I think
all of us have had the privilege to play with, he also has a vast knowledge of sound and how
things should sound live and in the recording studio. When we recorded drums and bass
last month he had all of these suggestions about the drums doing this here and leaving
this out there that I think will really add to the final product. It's good to have someone like
him on board that knows music thru and thru and can write and play the coolest bass parts
that really lock in the sound of this band.
What's the best advice someone has given you about the pursuit of your dreams of a
successful music career?
I have never really had any
advice but I really respect the
bands around town that have
kept at it for years, some of
which are my friends' bands that
have put out some records, play
shows and work their asses off for
nothing more than peanuts only
because they love to play music.
I am not concerned with whether
we have music careers or not
just as long as
we can play in a band, together,
that's good enough for me.
I am not banking all my life
savings on being a huge rock star
or anything like that. I just want
to go out and have fun with it and
hope people like it and connect
with it.... and know that it was
worth while.
My wife Tamara is my driving force, when we got married she opened me up to all of these
pop songs that I never really listened to, I never really listened to the radio much. In
listening to pop, the music is not what got me but how they set everything up. That has
influenced me. To write a 3 minute song, you have to do more than slap this here and
slap that there. Everything has to flow and everything has to be coherent. In 3 minutes the
best author doesn't write a 400 page novel, they write a 30 page novel, and everything is
amazing inside. That's what I strive to do and Tamara is my driving force behind that. I want
to play music for the rest of my life and I want to do it for both of us and for everyone in the
band.
When it comes to writing, what is
your creative process like?
I usually start out with basic
rhythm guitar, and mumble the
words, nonsense words (laughs)
on top of the guitar until I think of
some real lyrics. I don't have to
get the words down before the
rest of the band hears it. I usually
just try to make sure I have a
start and a stop.
Jon will show me the core of the
song; I listen to it over and over
again, until I came up with
something.
It's like Jon says he comes up with a rhythm guitar part and some lyrics and he usually
comes over to my house and we'll sometimes sit down for an hour and a half on one song,
then we present it to the rest of the band at the next practice. Usually, Stephan will put the
guitar part in and it will be a go, as well as Steve, they learn at a faster pace than I do. It all
stems from Jon's framework and then goes from there.
Some of these songs I had came up with a year prior to showing them to the band. I had in
mind what I wanted the songs to sound like, and when I gave the songs to the band, the
finished product turned out completely into is totally different from what it started out to be,
and we couldn't have written a better song.
What song is a personal favorite
that you have written?
"When Words Won't Come", it's
very pop and gets to the core of
what I think this band is all about.
It has some soft parts, some loud
parts and sums up our sound.
I like em all! "When Words Won't
Come" or "Souls Symphony".
Lately I have liked playing the newer stuff we just came up with and recorded like "Forget",
"Care" and "This Is The Way", but like Stephan said I like them all as well and they're all
really fun to play too.
What was your inspiration for the song "When Words Won't Come?"
It's a break up song. It's not autobiographical (smiles). It's about
being in a relationship and you don't think it's going to work and you
keep changing your mind. Then the other person does or says something
that makes you want to stick it out. There's a verse that says "Then
she looks my way, and I want to meet her all over again".
Where would you like to see the band go from here?
There's only one way to go from here, and that's up. We've been in contact with a few indie labels
that are awaiting our demo and we're starting to book more shows in and out of town. This next year
is going to be great.
Do you have a CD available yet?
We're right in the middle of recording a 5 song demo which should be available after the 1st
of the year; a few of the songs will be on myspace and the disc will be available at our
shows.
Go to
www.myspace.com/atthestarsrock
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