James Stelfox had fascinating insights on his hometown of Lancashire, England during a recent phone interview: "It's quite shitty there, really." He had other good things to say too. Here's what I had to say about his band in the San Diego Union-Tribune Thursday, Feb. 12:
SAILING IN THE GENE POOL
Starsailor earns a spot in the Brit-pop family tree, new-generation branch
By Chris Nixon
FOR THE UNION-TRIBUNE
February 12, 2004
Brit-pop's storied history stretches back to rock's beginnings: The Beatles begat the Byrds, who begat the Stone Roses, who begat Oasis, who begat Travis.
From Mersey Beat to modern psychedelic pop, British bands used infectious melodies embedded in the guitar rock context to continually challenge America's musical dominance.
Welcome to the next generation: Starsailor.
Named after a 1970 Tim Buckley album, the British quartet broke out in 2002 with its Capitol Record release "Love Is Here." The album featured the singles "Fever" and "Good Souls," and immediately established 22-year-old singer-songwriter James Walsh as one of rock music's best young talents.
The shift from unknown underdog to heavyweight contender transformed Starsailor, but the band's worldwide success wasn't guaranteed from the start.
"In England, we knew it was going to be successful because the papers were talking about it for quite a few months before the album came out," said Starsailor bassist James Stelfox, who along with Walsh, drummer Ben Byrne and keyboard player Barry Westhead will play the Epicentre in Mira Mesa tonight.
"But we didn't think we'd sell any records in Europe, Japan or America even. It was amazing for us, to be honest. It blew us away. We can actually sell albums in America. That's like a kid's dream growing up when you're in a band. "I don't know why America has such power for the British bands, but that's just the way it is."
Starsailor's prosperity centered around the single "Good Souls," which reached the charts at No. 12 on the UK singles chart and gave Starsailor a foothold in the U.S. market. "Love Is Here" eclipsed that at No. 2 on the UK album charts. Both the album and the single gathered a devote following in the States.
"I don't think we're ever going to get great success in America," said Stelfox in his thick British accent. "I don't think we'll have the success of Coldplay, for example.
"That's good for us, really. We can come over and play for 1,000 people or 500 people. That's still a great achievement for us, even if we're not playing Madison Square Garden. We're just happy to come across the pond and play."
The band's much-anticipated follow-up, "Silence Is Easy," released stateside last month, found the band working with and firing a legendary producer.
While in support of "Love Is Here," the band made a stop in Los Angeles. In a chance meeting with Phil Spector's 21-year-old daughter, Nicole, the band discovered the producer wanted to work on the subsequent album.
"It was great working with Phil, I've got to say that," said Stelfox. "He's not worked with a band for 20 years or so. For him to come out of his retirement and say he wants to produce our record, we were just mesmerized."
The last time Spector had turned the knobs in the studio, the band he was producing left fearing for their lives. And this wasn't just any flimsy pop band: This was the Ramones.
Spector's love for guns spooked the leather-clad punk quartet during the recording of the 1980 release "End of the Century." After the Ramones album, Spector quit the business and lived in seclusion for the past 22 years.
Sparked by the newest generation of rock bands, Spector expressed interest in Starsailor after hearing "Love Is Here." The legendary producer helped out on two tracks from the new album ("Silence Is Easy" and "White Dove"), adding his trademark strings and orchestral flourishes.
Spector expected to produce the whole album, but Starsailor wanted to invoke their own sound for the remainder of "Silence Is Easy." They fired Spector. A few months later, the 62-year-old producer was arrested and charged in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson (Spector is free on bail).
"We knew how we wanted the songs to sound, and they were going in a different direction with Phil," said Stelfox. "He's got his own sound, doesn't he? Which is cool, a good producer needs to have his own particular sound.
"He's known and respected by the sound that he gets. It's just on the rest of the tracks, it wasn't the sound we wanted. So we had to be brave and we had to say it wasn't working and we carried on. We're happy we moved on. I think it's a great sounding record now.
"We knew what we were doing in the studio," continued Stelfox. "Not to sound arrogant, but we knew what we were making was a good piece of art."
Despite the Spector controversy, Starsailor continues to pick up high-profile fans, including R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and Beach Boy Brian Wilson.
The quartet continues to combine the best British sounds of previous generations and an unrestricted sense of shucking cookie-cutter songs while blurring boundaries between genres.
For Stelfox, chart success and sales are secondary: "I just want to make good music with Starsailor as long as it feels relevant."
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
