Michigan rock band, The Stellars, will be releasing a new record this September. This Ann Arbor-based band is comprised of members Erez Levin and Dan Sagher. They have already released two singles titled “I’ll Be The Trophy” and “Don’t Wanna Sit Around” from the forthcoming album, Interthestellars. The album consists of eight total tracks and is set to be released on September 23rd. Learn more about the band from their responses and be sure to keep an eye out for the new album.

How would you describe your music to others?

We are in love with just about every decade of pop music since the 50s, and have soft spots for distortion and funk beats.

What is the story/meaning behind the name, The Stellars?
I liked that it was both classic, and funny, because anyone that knows us knows that we’re just a couple goofballs making loud guitar noises in the basement. (Erez)

Who and what influences your music? Why?

Weezer, Green Day, The 1975, John Mayer, Vulfpeck, Arctic Monkeys, the list goes on and on. We love danceable music with unexpected lyrics. Also we aspire to be professional heartthrobs like John Mayer.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Getting gains, both physical and emotional. (Dan)

What are you currently listening to?
Last night we were revisiting some of the progressive metal we used to listen to in middle school. Dream Theater and Tool. Today I was listening to The Cure. (Erez)

How often and how long do you practice together?

It depends. Sometimes we go on writing spurts that last a few weeks, sometimes we just jam for fun, or sometimes we’ll go a little while without guitars and just hang out. (Erez)

How would you describe your writing process?

Some songs we wrote from scratch sitting on the floor of Erez’s basement, and others were songs he’d already written that he’d come in and say “What does this need?” And we’d bring it to life from there. (Dan)

From start to finish, how long did it take to create the new record?

We started recording in September 2015, and got the finished masters in early June 2016. (Dan)

Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest single, “I’ll Be The Trophy”?

Dan brought that riff in to a rehearsal, and we jammed on it and every melody in the song came out of that one session. I wrote the lyrics months later sitting in a history lecture. (Erez)

How would you compare this new music to your previous releases?

The two of us have been in bands together since middle school, and after years of changing lineups, this is the first time we just said “Screw it, we’ll do it ourselves.”  (Dan)

Do you play covers at practices or shows? If so, which ones are your favorites?

We usually do play at least one cover at every show, and some have become staples in our set, like “Say It Ain’t So” has been played at just about every show for the past year. We also like covering songs our audience might not expect, like a Taylor Swift song or a random one-hit wonder. (Erez)

What do you typically do post-gig?

We hang out with whoever sticks around after our set, or other bands on the bill. Then we go home and crash. (Dan)

What has been one of your biggest challenges?

Convincing our friends that we’re a real band. (Dan)

What has been your funniest or craziest fan/show experience?

One time when we played a house party a belligerently drunk girl kept trying to grab the microphone and then tried to fight our sound guy Ben, who mixed and engineered our album.

What is something odd you want fans to know about you?

My favorite book is the Lord of the Rings. That’s not odd, but I think people should know that about me. (Erez)

What else can we expect from The Stellars in the coming months?

We’ll be releasing a couple music videos and new singles, and then our album comes out this fall!