Stellate

AP&R Review

You like? You'll like: Hey Monday / Paramore / Ivoryline

The story so far:
Last year, an Atlanta band named Helios had a slick website, printed merch and a growing fanbase - until a lawyer contacted them and told them another band had the name. "Luckily, we always had the name Stellate in our back pocket," says frontwoman Carly Kane. It's a good thing they did considering how much momentum the band are gaining. They've shared a stage with Panic! At The Disco, been contacted by 5 TV shows for song licensing and were even featured on CNN.

Why You Should Know 'Em:
While the main attraction in Stellate is definitely Kane's voice, the band pack a distinct punch with their melodic pop. In fact, they may have invented a genre for themselves. "I call it rock-pop," says Kane. "'Pop-punk' makes me think of the candy [Pop Rocks], and while we tend to explode onstage, we're not that sweet." - AP Mag, Issue 256, November 2009

In order to fully appreciate this record, I have to go back remember what was playing on 99.1 HFS (D.C.'s equivalent of 99x) when I was still a radio listener. This was the age of Bush, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Dave Matthews Band. The year was 1996. More importantly, bands like No Doubt, Garbage, and Alanis Morisette ruled the charts. My first concert ever was Radiohead opening up for Alanis Morrisette on The Bends tour that year. Can you imagine? No Doubt, Elastica, and Garbage led the way for female vocal bands like Luscious Jackson and Sleater-Kinney to end the underground riot grrrl movement and allow mainstream girl bands to flourish. Helios released their EP, Move Me, nine years after No Doubt's "I'm Just a Girl" was number one on the charts, and in the world of girl music, things haven't changed a whole lot. Sleater-Kinney still releases albums to their dedicated audience and Garbage plays the Atlanta Music Conference, where Helios has also played. As a whole, the album is precisely what it promises. The songs are safe and tragic, the sound is tight and well performed, but this EP rarely gets away from the radio rock formula, which is perfect for their audience. The first song, "You Don't," opens like a Pearl Jam song, with distortion pedals on full blast, guitars strapped on firmly below the waist and the rock stance assumed. It's surprising to hear the female vocals at first, but they eventually blend in nicely with the rest of the radio sound. Rhyming words like "disinformation" and "fabrication," the lead singer, Carly Kane sings her heart out like a true believer. These rhyme schemes make it easy to memorize and sing along with the song. She has a gift for connecting with her audience. Kane often sounds like she is slightly out of her vocal range. I kept wishing she'd sing a little lower because it would give her a sexy, sultry, balanced voice, instead of sounding like she's straining to have a "rocking" voice. "So Me," the poppiest song on the EP and the one that stands out as the strongest, has potential but lacks in the lyric department. The chorus, for example, says, "I used to dream everything that I could be now I can't believe this is me, how did I come to be so me." Again, Kane knows how to reach her audience, if 15-year-old girls are the ones that buy records they hear on the radio. It has potential to be an anthem of insecurity to provide an alternative to Ashley Simpson for fans who want something a bit more rock and roll. I could see myself at that age trying to mimic Kane's voice belting out, "I'm so afraid of my own appearance," because as a younger person that's exactly what you want to be able to say, but can't yet articulate. There are bands out there that are trying to "make it big," and there are bands out there that are trying to make something new. Helios seems like the type of band that wants to play big stages to sell-out audiences and have MTV feature their video onTRL. If this is what they want, then they are doing a good job at focusing their talents on a popular medium, giving teenagers a voice for their angst, and marketing their record towards those that still buy CDs.
- Athens Exchange

Stellate is a great american band from Atlanta America and they are seriously good and have played with some of the biggest bands in America right now such as Paramore,Garbage,Panic At The Disco
They were worthy of publicity so read on.

Stellate Website

1. Are you happy how the EP turned out?

I'm thrilled with how the EP turned out. The studio is amazing, the producers are fantastic, and the songs really mean something to us. The way everything came together is just awesome. Can you tell I'm excited about it?!? The only thing that is a let down is the fact that we had to wait until later to do more songs. But that's just something to look forward to.

2. What was the inspiration for the EP?

Well for us, each song has it's own inspiration. When we chose to do those songs and looked back at how they fit together, I noticed something. Each song is inspired by a seriously strong emotion. When you fall in love, or have a crush, or when your heart gets broken for that first horrible time. Or even the experience of freedom; they're all intense emotions. So we took the line "I get a rush," and made it the title. It just made sense. It's that feeling of being overcome by an emotion.

3. What inspires you when writing music?

Anything and everything. We get ideas from each other, from books we read, from things we experience in our own lives. Our friends and family have to watch out as well or we'll write about them. ? If there's something that sparks a thought, we grab it and run with it. If it doesn't work, we trash it. If it works, we love it.

4. How has radio helped with your music?

Well, right now it looks like it will be getting us exposure in countries other than our own. Regional stations have also been big supporters of our career. Between airplay, festivals, and putting us on stage with national artists, they've backed us and believed in us. It's been a great relationship.

5. How did the band form?

That's always an interesting question for us because everyone has a unique story and we came from everywhere. I met David (guitars) in college and it turned out that we lived in the same neighborhood so we starting songwriting together. We met Adam (guitars) through MySpace. We met Jon (bass) through Craig's List. We met our drummer through a friend of a friend after a very long and serious search for drummers. As you can tell, we're definitely not one of those band where we all grew up together, we were all actively looking for someone to play with who had a similar vision for the music we wanted to make.

6. What has been the highlight of the band so far?

There are so many highlights in what we do it's hard to choose. The Ireland tour was amazing. Warped Tour was awesome. And I'd say the most recent highlight was making this new EP. It was the perfect time to be doing these songs, in the right studio at the right time, it was like a dream…literally.

7. Why did you change names?

Well, in the US, there is a saxophone quartet that already holds the Trademark for Helios. We can't legally use the name Helios in the music industry without infringing upon their rights of ownership, so we had to go out and get a new name. I kind of like the new one though ;) I think we're going to stick with it this time.

8. Has the internet been a great help with getting your music out there?

Absofreakinlutely! It's been really great as a tool for getting our songs out there so that more people all over the world can hear the them, verses only the venues you play and the radio stations who are willing to play you. It's almost been the downfall of the music industry, but at the same time, in doing that, it has forced the industry to go back to what it was about in the beginning; not money, but the music. It is a big part of the equation in getting exposure for us.

9. What is on the cards for the band in 2009?

We're lining up our next tour dates and they're going to be a little unconventional so we're excited about that. Writing more songs, recording more songs. If we can line the details up, we'd love to introduce our live show to the Aussies ;)

10. Who would you most like to collaborate with?

I haven't really thought of anyone by name, but I really like working with great songwriters and I'm always up for anything. I feel like I still have a lot to learn from collaboration as well. So now that you bring it up, I think I'll start a list…

11. What do you think of record labels and 360 deals?

Mmmm, that's a tough subject for me. Record labels are struggling more and more yet they're also taking more and more from the artist. Naturally that's not going to sit well with me. There is somewhat of a good side to it though. If the label gets a percentage of multiple areas, then they want the artist to succeed in those areas, not just in record sales, so they're likely to be more supportive of the artist in all of those areas. Can you tell I'm torn?

12. Do you think that sites like Perez Hilton who plug music are a good or a bad thing for the music industry?

Well, I actually didn't realize that he plugs music on his site. But I'm not sure that I see a bad side to it. He has a ton of visitors to his site and if he puts new music up there from new artists and currently hot artists, it's only more exposure for the artists right? Getting your art our there to new fans is always a good thing. If there's a bad side, I haven't heard about it yet.

13. Are you happy for the new found recognition as Atlanta's hottest rocker?

Ha ha ha, I totally didn't think you'd ask a question about that. I am very flattered and honored because people had to vote for a winner. And the chicks involved were all attractive chicks. Looks aren't really my thing, music is, so I was shocked when I won! We were flooded with emails and website messages of support. People were stopping me on the street saying that they saw the TV ad and voted for me. I was shocked! But what I loved more is that people were also talking about the music and how much they loved our stuff. And that really means something to me - www.parx-e.com (Austrailian WebZine)

Last fall, an overwhelming number of Metromix fans voted Carly Kane Atlanta's Hottest Rocker Chick. It's obvious to see why; she is blonde, cute and hot. However, there is a lot more to Kane than her looks. The lead singer of Stellate, which was formerly called Helios (the band changed their name in January 2009 due to a legal issue), has just released more power pop hits. She's also adding her voice and support to several great local causes.

With an already smoking career that includes opening for Garbage, Switchfoot, and Panic at the Disco, Kane is looking forward to an even brighter 2009. Stellate's new EP, "I Get a Rush," which was produced by ZK Productions and mastered by Sterling Sound, recently hit iTunes. Kane is anxious to share the songs live with her fans.

"Our songs have lots of energy and are very passionate in one way or another," Kane says. "Live, they are a whole lot of fun and I love singing them. They're really energetic and really catchy, but they don't have the typical hook that's repeated over and over because listeners are smart. They want something catchy but not too simple."

You can catch Stellate at some of Atlanta’s hottest musical venues like Vinyl and Smith's Olde Bar. However, the group also has a large following among the under-21 crowd too, which was evident with their performance on 2007's Warped Tour. In an industry that often times manufactures provocative pop stars only to revel in their defects, Kane is breaking the mold and cherishing her role as a positive young leader.

"I will always sing and write. It's in my bones," Kane says. "I also think, though, that a lot of people are looking for someone to look up to. There are some, but too few. I want to help be one of those people."

Kane's positive, yet hip, demeanor and her powerful songs make her the perfect candidate. Her energetic presence onstage shows kids of all ages the power and excitement of doing what you truly love. It's also clear that Kane uses her music as a way to express emotion. Tracks like "Sing, Sing" and "Heartbreak" do just that.

"I absolutely love 'Sing, Sing' for its energy and how much fun it is to perform," says Kane. "I also love 'Heartbreak' because it’s such a heartbroken and passionate song. It feels really cool inside to sing it out and express all that emotion."

In addition to writing music and performing, Kane is involved with several local charities. Friends Helping Friends is a local organization that raises funds to help children who are suffering from cancer. It's a cause close to Kane’s heart. She also feels very strongly about creating a positive environment and outlet for orphaned children, and hopes to further work on turning this idea into action.

So there you have it. With all of Kane’s musical and personal passions, it's easy to see what makes her so hot. Looks like all those Metromix voters were right. - MetroMix.com