Star Destroyer

Bassist Miles Hardcastle and his cast of musicians have always been solid at naming a band.

From the collection of brains that previously brought you Glueeater and the nonsensical Trixy Disco, comes Star Destroyer (aka STRDSTR).

“A few of us are huge Star Wars fans,” Hardcastle said. “We wanted to go with something that was nerdy, but could be interpreted in a couple different ways. American culture is so obsessed with the personal lives of celebrities. So many people are famous for the wrong reasons. I guess the band name encourages the idea of just demolishing all that garbage.”

The band’s knack for dreaming up thought-provoking names isn’t meant to take away from its ability to actually play music. But, admittedly, the group hasn’t made a ton of progress, consistently shaken up by lineup changes since its inception in 2005.

“We’re pretty difficult to work with, which has resulted in lots of drummers and singers coming into and out of our band,” said Hardcastle, who is joined by his brother, Joel, on vocals. “We’re constantly writing, so each time we start over, it’s been a combination of new songs and older songs. Starting over with a new drummer as Trixy Disco was becoming such a lengthy process that we decided to just start fresh again.”

The Hardcastle brothers are joined by guitarist Rajan Radite, Ross J. Kuhn (keys) and Jacob Ewert (drums).

And with the new project comes something Hardcastle and Co. have been eyeing for some time — releasing a solid album to help the band build some momentum.

STRDSTR’s forthcoming EP, which adopted the working title “Trixy (a collection)”, will drop May 12 at The Globe Theatre in Kalamazoo. The work will be presented as a free album distributed only digitally.

The album will be between four and six songs in length, mostly comprised of material written between 2008 and the present. For those already familiar with some of the classic Trixy Disco songs can sink their teeth into brand new ditties “The Damsel of the Vine St. District” and “Johnny Havana.”

The goal for this album? Quite simple.

“What we want this album to do is blow people away and then make them come back demanding more, which we will then provide,” said Radite, who has been the one fixture alongside Hardcastle the entire time.

With a newfound energy and motivation, STRDSTR will take on a fresh slate of shows this spring along with tempting the idea of embarking on a few mini-tours. The band is also mulling over the prospect of collaborating with Kalamazoo punks Zombie Apocalypse NOW! to release a split EP.

But this time, they’re doing it the right way.

“We do all the recording ourselves, so we’re trying not to rush anything,” Hardcastle said. “We tend to get over-zealous about making music and take on more ambitious projects than we can handle.” - West Michigan NOISE!