How did you band get started?
DL: STARFIRE traces its roots back to 2005 as a music project I started so that all of the music I had been producing since 1995 could have a home, figuratively speaking. Once I got it into my mind that there would be live performances, I spent the last several years recruiting the outstanding musicians I work with for the shows.
What style of music do you play?
DL: "A.O.R." or Melodic Rock with an emphasis on love, passion and intimacy. Vocally, I've been compared to Howard Jones and Elton John, musically, I've been compared to everything from Elton John to Prince and even Bon Jovi.
Tell us about the band members?
DL: My drummer, Blake Paulson, is my band leader; steady timing, great chops and knows his stuff. He's a real pro with a lot of great ideas and useful suggestions that have helped me put on very tight, high-energy shows.
Greg Pajer is our main guitar player and has a great bluesy style, but easily adapts to the more technical works I've composed. He has saved my ass more times than I can count live when it comes to my own guitar rig and has such a great attitude.
Then there's my bassist Andrew James who also has about the greatest personality in the world; genuinely enthusiastic about the music and just loves what we do. He has played all over the world and has had numerous TV gigs like the Rachel Ray Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to his credit.
As for myself, I've been playing for over 25 years, with my first public gigs as corporate events on the piano over 10 years ago. I do a lot of my own engineering and producing and write all my own lyrics and compositions.
What makes your band unique?
DL: We get compared to the 80s a lot and I treat that like a good thing even though we're definitely not a carbon copy; there's no spandex or big hair here. Just awesome-sounding music. When I'd get into conversations about what we now call classic rock with people, I would always hear the same question, "Why don't they make it that way anymore?" They'd tell me that they miss the sound, or that 80s all they ever listen to anymore. While there is a healthy supply of new rock I enjoy, I tend to feel the same way, and so I appeal to those of us who miss rock with detailed, nuanced guitar technique, drums you can hear, harmonies in choruses and songs that acknowledge the existence of major chords. There's a reason it became so popular in the first place.
Where has your band played?
DL: Throughout southern California including Studio City's Aura Nightclub, Burbank's Park Bar & Grill and most recently SummerFest at Venice Beach right on the boardwalk!
What was your favorite gig and why?
DL: Believe it or not, our Blue Cafe appearance in Huntington Beach because in spite of the weather and other factors, the sound in there was great. The house engineer was a great guy who knew what he was doing, and couldn't have been more helpful. There was also plenty of space and one of the only other shows where we had superb lighting.
What lesson did your band have to learn the hard way?
DL: Get everything in writing. Can you believe we had to cancel a show because the club owner forgot he booked us and as a result, didn't show up to unlock the bar? Stupid but true. That situation turned sour in a hurry.
What advice would you give to a newly forming band?
DL: You've got a lot of people pedaling books, seminars and workshops at the so-called D.I.Y. musician. The reality is, everyone is a D.I.Y. musician--especially when they first got started. I sincerely doubt, however, that David Lee Roth, Robert Plant or James Hetfield spent one dime on any of these books that claim to hold the key to success in the music business. They focused on being excellent musicians and then having terrific showmanship first. There is a little bit of education that helps prior to dealing with people like making sure everything is in writing, and learning about contracts before signing things that are bad. However, picking a good PR agency will come from networking with other bands that can refer you to someone you can trust. Otherwise, you could end up spending hundreds or even thousands on a self-certified social media guru who is only taking your EPK and running it through Constant Contact, which usually ends up unread and delivered directly into a spam folder. In the end it is going to take lots of time and even more money to get any kind of traction, especially in the super-saturated, hyper-connected world of today.
What do you like about living in NoHo? What changes would like to see in the district?
DL: I'll be honest; I came here because my wife's family lives in the valley and she wanted to stay close. So when we got married and moved in together, I wanted to be as close to the subway as I could to stay close to metro L.A. Since then, we've discovered lots of little awesome things like how there seems to be a pilates and yoga studio on every block, and my rehearsal studio is literally blocks from where I live. The biggest improvement I would love to see to the district is repaving Tujunga Blvd. between Lankershim and Burbank, and Sarah St. and the US 101 Highway.
For more information about Starfire, check out...
http://www.youtube.com/starfiremusic
http://www.facebook.com/starfiremusic
