Soulful folk pop group Star & Micey will be performing three shows in St. Louis on Sept. 17, 19 and 20, one at MoKaBe’s Coffee House on Arsenal Street, right in Saint Louis University’s backyard. The Memphis-based band is touring in support of the release of their new, self-titled album by Ardent Music. Josh Cosby, guitarist and lead vocalist for the band, talked to The University News in an interview this week, discussing the band’s aspirations, sound and how a childhood without Halloween sent him on a search for music that spoke to him. For more information about Star and Micey or to hear a sample of their music, visit their website at www.starandmicey.com or their MySpace at www.myspace.com/starandmiceymusic.
Were you raised on a lot of music that shaped your sound?
“As silly as it sounds, I wasn’t raised on music because my parents were pretty strictly Christian . When I say strongly Christian, I mean in the ridiculous sense . You couldn’t even talk about Halloween . But once I got older, they kind of let me go on my own way.”
So, what music did you get into once your parents became less strict?
“It was mostly commercial stuff that was going on at the time, like R&B . [And] I found out that my grandfather and my uncle were lovers of Hank Williams Jr. . He really opened my eyes that you could sing comical songs while still really meaning it . Neil Young, the Fleet Foxes, and The Beatles still do it for me.”
When did you start performing and writing music?
It kind of came natural to me . I ended up falling in love with a girl who introduced me to stuff that made me want to write songs. It brought out melodies in me, and I got a guitar and started writing.”
How did the album come about?
“We definitely didn’t plan on making an album. It kind of just happened slowly . We always said that we would go into a studio and record an album . We were like, “OK,” with our shoulders shrugged. We’d never done anything like that before, and we recorded three songs . Then Ardent got involved.”
How did Ardent Music become involved in the album?
“We were all kind of blown away by what happened with those first three songs and brought those songs to the brass at Ardent . It was really just piece by piece, and Ardent just said, ‘Why don’t we just release a whole album? It was a very friendly and family-like process . We brought in a lot of musicians that we knew.”
How would you describe the sound of the group?
“We make music with a sincere, positive but at the same time kind of shaky sound . When I listen to some of the songs, my voice feels kind of shaky and nervous . But the people involved are trying to make the best music possible, which I think really comes through.”
How are you feeling about the upcoming tour?
“It’s really weird how everything just keeps falling into place for us to go. It’s scary, but, at the same time, I’m pumped . This is the first time we have gone out of this city long term to do something like this . I’m just going to pray for the best and hope that I can handle this.”
Why did you decide to go on tour?
“We grew up with our heroes like Bob Dylan. They just dropped everything and went for it . We’re slowly trying to let go of our jobs and our comforts . Hopefully, we can end up living gig to gig. Eventually, we want to decide if we really want to do this . You either get lucky or you work your ass off. We’re going to work our asses off.”
What can people expect from your live show?
“It won’t be loud and explosive. It will be more soothing and mellow . It’s mellow and folk-y. At times, it feels a little spiritual . It’s definitely not a pop show, which is what you’d expect from the CD. If you want the live show on CD, we don’t have it at the moment, [but] the feelings you get from the album, you’ll get them from the live show.”
