Outerstar

Singer/songwriter Nat Schellin and multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Chris Martin were both struggling to pursue careers as musicians when they met before forming Outerstar in 1999. Both were in bands they felt were going nowhere, and both were frustrated by the slim prospects of finding other musicians who would help them realize their goals. After hearing them talk incessantly about their situations, a mutual friend insisted they would hit it off, and arranged for them to meet. That night in a Hollywood bar, Nat and Chris made an instant connection, and both found the musical partner they were looking for.

Nat was raised by hippie-movement parents in Miami, FL. As a boy, his parents divorced and Nat began living a split-life. His mother provided structure and discipline during the week; his father offered a party-time weekend escape. Nat cherished the time he spent listening to music with his father and his eccentric friends. “My dad would let me turn the stereo way up and I would just get up and sing one song after another all night. I was obsessed with singing. I loved it.” It was an environment that awakened the music artist in Nat. His love of music grew, drawing from some of his father’s favorites such as Dylan, The Beatles and Beethoven, and finding his own heroes in bands like U2 and singers like Tom Waits and Sinatra. People began discovering his voice, and their encouragement led him to pursue his talent at The New World School of The Arts. At school he was classically trained, but at home he began searching for his own voice and writing original songs. After graduating, Nat moved to Los Angeles to attend the USC School of Music, but left early to pursue his music career.

As Nat was experiencing the hippie lifestyle with his father in Miami, Chris was being raised in the conservative environment of Orange County, CA. His parents both had a love of music – classical, 50’s music and The Beatles were regulars on the stereo. Chris developed an early talent for music, and studied piano from age four into his teens. In high school he soaked up everything from rock to jazz to punk. His desire to break out of the conservative mindset of Orange County only fueled his dream of writing his own music and pursuing music in Los Angeles.

Operating under a “no rules” philosophy, Chris and Nat worked relentlessly to develop their sound. While Nat provides the vocals, lyrics and melodies, and Chris plays multiple instruments, they work together to write the instrumentations. They experimented by incorporating a variety of traditionally non-rock instruments as well as electronics into a pop/rock foundation, creating a blend of modern and organic sounds. “As artists, we want to grow, to keep trying new things and allow the music to evolve,” says Nat. “We wanted to take what we’ve learned, change it up and create something we can call our own. I think people can respect that we’ve made the record we wanted to make – one we made without compromise.”