It's 8 p.m. in Hotung, and as the laugh track from That '70s Show blares I suddenly turn my attention to the personable gentlemen sitting across the table. They are Brad Callow and Josh Friedman, two-thirds of the band Stellar.
The trio, composed of Friedman (guitar and vocals), Callow (drums) and Brian Friedlich (bass), made their debut in Hotung last fall. Friedman is a senior and an American Studies major form Los Angles. Callow, a psychology major from Boston, and Friedlich, an environmental engineer from New Jersey, are both sophomores.
The group got together after Callow responded to an ad placed by Friedman looking for band member. Friedlich, who lived in South Hall with Callow, later joined the group and Stellar was formed. The band was a month old when they made their debut at Hotung.
"It was great," recalled Friedman. "There were over a hundred people who came that night." The band has been busy ever since, spending the past four months writing 25 new songs.
"We once recorded for 17 hours straight," said Friedman
"I fell asleep on the floor," added Callow. Their first album should be released in April.
Despite their accomplishments, the band is only able to practice once a week for a few hours because of schedule conflicts. When preparing for a show, however, the group will practice for at least two hours every other day.
The band has had several shows around the Boston area, their favorite having been at Brandeis University for a charity event. Over two hundred people attended. Their least favorite was their performance at Brown and Brew.
"We don't think of ourselves as an acoustic band," Callow explained. Friedman was also ill that night. The group will be performing again at Hotung next Thursday and offers their services at parties for free.
Callow describes their sound as "... alternative/rock with a slight influence of jam and punk. It's a fusion of popular styles." Both Friedman and Callow both immediately and reverently said lauded "Dave"(referring to Dave Matthews) as their main source of musical inspiration. "Because he's god," commented Friedman.
"He's just so talented," added Callow. They also sited influences range from Third Eye Blind to New Found Glory to Vertical Horizon to Fuel. Individually the band members favor many different styles of music. Friedman is into indie rock, Friedlich is into jam rock and Callow is a pop rock fan.
The trio's short-term goal is to get into the Battle of the Bands this spring "and hopefully win." The band bears no ill will towards their competition, however, discussing other acts favorably.
"We like the Boston funk band " states Friedman.
The group would like for campus bands to have more opportunities to play around the school. "The thing that pisses me off is that Hotung and Brown and Brew only have one music night," says Friedman. Stellar would like to encourage students to start coming out to more campus shows and supporting local music.
The future of the group is uncertain, as Friedman prepares to graduate. What they do will depend on whether Friedman decides to remain in the area. Nevertheless, the band is confident in their potential growth. "We feel that we have a really strong band. We have a pretty good following and this spring we expect the following to increase."
The group does like the Boston music scene. "Coming from LA it's a lot smaller but there are a lot of good opportunities," Friedman said. They also say the college scene is what makes playing in Boston the most worthwhile.
"That's who we really want to reach out to, that's our demographic." said Callow
In watching music trends the band is gratified by the rise of indie rock groups. "Independent rock is getting more prevalent today. It's great bands like Saves the Day and Jimmy Eat World are getting recognition," Friedman said. They also appreciate the resurgence of harder rock and alternative groups like Incubus and Hoobastank. Like many they anxiously await the fall of boy bands and cheesy pop Like Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Said Friedman, "they're on their way out."
The guys do have lives outside the band. Callow snowboards, plays " too many" video games, and runs; recently he has participated in a marathon. Josh owns a record label in LA called Precision Entertainment. Both go to the gym regularly and, of course, are concerned with keeping up their grades.
