Stars Below

"The stars are underground And the proof is flying overhead"


from "Stars Are Underground" by The Frames

Sometimes a band's name is the result of an inebriated brainstorming session or maybe a phrase from a movie. Other times a group's moniker is an accidental turn of phrase that simply sticks.

But with some bands, like Huntsville rock foursome Stars Below, the group's tag has some deeper meaning.

Born in dublin, the band's lead singer and guitarist Judah Merriman has experienced a smidgen of rock 'n' roll stardom. He ans his brother dave toured the U.S. as Exit. But the bottom fell out when the band's management pulled their support.
"Going from where I was coming frin in Dublin and in L.A. and living a certain lifestyle," Merriman explained, "and then to living in Cullman and no one even knowing my band" was a contrast.

When Gabe Renfroe joined the Stars Below a year and a half ago, he and Merriman found common stories about the highs and lows of the music business.
"
Gabe and I have and I have had the same experiences," he said.

Renfroe, a graduate of Lee High School' manned the drums in the popular huntsville band Northstar, who toured exhaustively around the country, cut two records and even a live DVD.
But Northstar, like Exit, ended without fan-fare.

"Getting messed up in the music business like Gabe and I have with good things happening, good things happening... And then you are sitting watching 'Oprah' and doing nothing," Merriman said.

Merriman couldn't help but identify with fellow irish muscians The Frames and their song "The Stars are underground" about going from hero to zero in the rock business.

Merrimans's personal interpretation of the song produced his new band's name - Stars Below. The name stuck more than two years ago. Then, though, the band had completely different membership.

The Current roster includes bass player Chase Shelton, who used to DJ on WRTT-FM 95.1, and lead guitarist Neal Durbin, who joined the band full-time in january after responding to a myspace post seeking a new guitar player.

"The second guitar player has opened up a lot for us, " Shelton said about Durbin.

"Neal has added a whole new dimension sonically," Merriman added.

Since January, Stars Below have played about 10 gigs around the state, including a set in front of a packed house at Crossroads in March.

After a Nashville preproduction session with producer Tomas Costanza a few weeks ago, Stars Below now plan to head to Los Angeles to record what will be their debut LP in August or September.

THe foursome already has 20 songs in contention for the record and about a dozen the play consistently live, including the athem "Take Me Home" and the usual set-finishing crowd pleaser "Atrophy."

We are very serious about what we do," Merriman said. Spoken like a musician hurt by the business but undaunted by the craft, "We see ourselves doing this forever he said." - Ryan Hickman - The Huntsville Times