The Electric Stars | Interview
The Electric Stars have a new album out! ‘Velvet Elvis the Only Lover Left Alive’ is a wonderful rock and roll record with a a hefty dose of psychedelia.
How did it all start for The Electric Stars?
Jason Edge: Well, the initial idea was to form a band where there was a single vision. A direction, a sound and vibe! I was sick of being in bands where people just wanted to play covers in pubs and didn’t care how they dressed or listened to shit music! I wanted to be in a real Rock n Roll band. I wanted to aim high with our influences. Stones, Hendrix, Who, Doors, Kinks, Velvets, Floyd, Small Faces, Bowie, Byrds and Beatles! What’s the point in being influenced by half arsed bands when you can be guided by God’s! The name is a statement. The Electric Stars! Plug us in and watch us shine. I didn’t want anyone in the band who was content to just make up the numbers…MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Our first album ‘Sonic Candy Soul’ was created in the studio before we had the full line up. Andy on guitar is wonderful. One minute he plays like Clapton then with a flick of the wrist he is Hendrix. Keef on bass is a groove machine and has been with me a long time. He’s a very soulful player and always looks for hook’s in his basslines. We used a session player on drums but as soon as the album was finished we found Johnny. He is our Ringo. Steady as a rock but ALWAYS thinks about the song. Damian on acoustic guitar found us a few months later. He’s a mod and is very sharp. The sound of the first album was a melting pot of all our influences. I’m really proud of it. In fact it’s a great debut. One magazine had us down as one of the Top 12 Albums of 2012!
Would you like to talk a bit about your background?
As a singer and songwriter I can tell you I have never lost my passion to keep looking for that great song. We are very much a songwriting band. There is too much to say to not care about lyrics! I care about music… It makes me sad to see what state the music business is in now. If you look at the 60s and 70s, literally every month there was a new sound, a new look, a new band, a new star, a new scandal, a new cause! The whole scene was a bubbling cauldron of sound, colour, sex, drugs, art, movies, poetry and fashion! Yeah, the clothes man. Everyone looked totally out of sight. Now everyone looks like clones of the latest X Factor puppet who wouldn’t dream of writing their own songs. I dream of the underground rising up and slaughtering every one who’s ever stood in the Q to audition for Simon Fuckin Cowell!!! I’m from Manchester. We are proud and creative. We know that we make great music. The Hollies, Bee Gees, 10CC, Buzzcocks, Joy Division, New Order, Smiths, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Oasis, Badly Drawn Boy, Denise Johnson and us!
Your debut, ‘Sonic Candy Soul’ is now almost ten years old. What do you recall from working on it?
It was difficult to work on because there was only three of us. But, we did have some help from some very sussed people! Producing the album were Martin Coogan from the Mock Turtles and Yves Altana who has played in the Chameleons. Also Denise Johnson from Primal Scream sang with us which was truly cosmic. We found our sound in those sessions. One of the things a lot of people say when they speak about us is our sound. It’s often said we are a combination of the golden age of rock n roll. We sound like everyone and no-one. You can hear psychedelic vibes, mod sharpness, hippy Lyrics, glam Riffs, punk anarchy, soulful grooves & beautiful music…lot’s of beautiful music!
“There is a story that runs through every track”
What’s the story behind your latest release, ‘Velvet Elvis the Only Lover Left Alive’?
This new album should have been out years ago! I’m not going to get into the reasons why it didn’t arrive but I wrote it over five years ago! Lyrically it follows straight on from ‘Sonic Candy Soul’. The main character Velvet Elvis is mentioned in ‘136’. ‘The Only Lover Left Alive’ is taken from a failed 1966 documentary about Stones. The lyrics in ‘136’, Track 1 on ‘Sonic Candy Soul’, talk about being influenced by Elvis and the Stones while getting a rock n roll band together. Sex & drugs shape the future! After the success of the bands album and various tours, the singer Velvet Elvis begins to unravel in the public eye. It’s not a concept Album as such, but there is a story that runs through every track. There are references and stories inside stories woven into every lyric. For instance the end of ‘136’ finishes with ‘Life is Rock n Roll’. The last line of the new album is “Rock n Roll saved me”. Even the artwork in the booklet is glued to the lyrics. In real life Elvis had a pet monkey called Scatter. In our booklet there is a monkey, but he looks like he’s on acid! There’s a monster, a demon that runs through the new album. It appears on ‘Red Velvet’ inside the booklet. It’s a twisted tale for sure. There is social commentary mixed in with sexual perversion, heavy drug use and depression, lustful attraction and a devastating break-up. There’s even room for a kick at the modern day pop puppets. ‘Velvet Elvis: The Only Lover Left Alive’ is a religious rock n roll romance. It’s a story of survival against impossible odds. It’s a testament of what music should be about. There’s a little bit of Velvet Elvis in all of us. He’s Jim Morrison, Bowie and Jagger. He’s Moon the loon. He’s Iggy and Lou. He’s me and you! This is a story that can only be written if you understand what rock n roll REALLY means. It’s a trip 100%.
How would you compare it to your previous releases?
It’s a more mature album yeah, but that’s not being derogatory to anything else we have done! We don’t release bum songs. Everything we have done I’m proud of. But this new album is offering a darker more stripped version of The Electric Stars. In parts a more devastating band. But on some songs a very fragile sound. ‘Suicide’ is dealing with difficult subject matter, but the delivery allows the band to bare it’s soul totally. ‘I Left My Soul Out In The Rain’ is very dark, but the discovery of a way out, the light shining through the darkness is beautiful man! Before recording I listened to a lot of good stuff ya know… Velvets, MC5, Love, Bowie, Pretty Things, Doors and of course the Stones. Beatles yeah, but the Stones can take you deeper. I watched ‘Performance’ a lot! I’m a ‘Performance’ freak anyway but that soundtrack is killer, ya know. It’s an album that will push the band to recreate live. We have already been asked to play the album in full for a live performance after lockdown!
“I think in colours and smells”
How do you usually approach music making?
Pretty simple really. I write the songs on acoustic guitar. Go to see Andy and he works his magic. He will look at chord shapes and inversions to add depth to the tune. I work in a more dreamlike style. I think in colours and smells. Andy is a technical guru in the studio. He is fab on Hammond and piano as well. Once the song feels good the boys will come in and do what they do best and sprinkle the stardust all over it!
Do you often play live?
As much as we can but this pandemic is a total drag man! People are dying and the world is in a real mess. Playing live will have to wait until we get rid of this terrible virus.
Tell us about some of your current and upcoming projects?
Well, the next album is already written. In fact it was finished as ‘Velvet Elvis’ was being mastered by the wizard Pete Maher. He has mastered for the Stones and White Stripes so he uses gold dust for the final gloss coat ya know! This next album should be out this time next year. We are already being linked with festivals for Summer 2022. Nothing is going to happen this year unfortunately because of Covid.
I hope the pandemic will be over soon and that you will be able to hit the road.
Yeah, we are desperate to get back on stage. The Electric Stars live are a dangerous animal man! We can handle anything. We have no fear. But we’re not just a knuckle dragging ROCK band. We are a rock n roll band. Much more passion, sex, energy and love in our performance. I hate dumb rock & metal. Just turning up loud and playing lots of notes really fast doesn’t impress me!
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
I’m listening to the new album by the Moons right now. It’s cool, good songs, quite mid period Beatles. Macca’s new album as well. It’s a bit patchy but you can’t be too critical of a Beatle! But, whenever I need a rush of inspiration, I always lean on these to sort my head out…’Electric Ladyland’, ‘Ziggy Stardust’, ‘Sunflower’, ‘Forever Changes’, ‘Morrison Hotel’, ‘Sticky Fingers’, ‘White Album’, ‘Raw Power’, ‘There’s a Riot Goin On’, ‘Disraeli Gears’, Led Zep ‘II’, ‘Transformer’, ‘Village Green’, ‘Tommy’, ‘Piper at the Gates of Dawn’, ‘Blonde on Blonde’, ‘Head’ soundtrack, ‘Performance’ soundtrack, Woodstock and plenty of Ennio Morricone! I could go on all day, haha. Beautiful music for beautiful people! Thanks for listening man and keep the good stuff coming! Peace, love and rock n roll. Jason Edge
Klemen Breznikar
The Electric Stars Official Website / Facebook / Instagram
Brilliant interview, always a good listening to Jason giving his all on the Electric Stars and all things rock n roll. Velvet Elvis is the album of the year for me and i find it hard to think anyone will release a better one. Carnt wait to see The Stars performing this album in all its live and dangerous glory.