Starpainter is a folk rock band from Lethbridge, Alberta. They wear their influences on their sleeves, showcasing strong songwriting and an affinity for gently psychedelic alt-twang tones. “Low-Hanging Fruit” is the lead single from a forthcoming full length titled Rattlesnake Dream, to be released June 2nd via Neon Moon Records. The song builds on the band’s strengths–old-school songwriting craftsmanship and imaginative arrangements–but funky piano, fuzzy lead lines, and bold percussion choices also push the band’s sound into new sonic territory on this song.
Starpainter has been growing a following over the last few years on the strength of a debut full-length titled Bury Me By My Family (2020) and a 3-song EP titled Blood in the Snow (2021). They have been featured on CBC’s Key of A and spent time on CKUA’s Top 10 chart, as well as Earshot’s Canada-wide Folk / Roots Top 10 chart. The band’s forthcoming record was self-produced at home. The songs were mixed by Jon Anderson (Andy Shauf, Aiden Knight) and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova (Feist, Father John Misty).
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Starpainter Feature hosted by Juno-winning Celeigh Cardinal, “Key of A” | CBC Radio 1
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“. . . what I found in Starpainter was a sound that was new, but felt so familiar and almost intuitive. It’s folk rock, alt-country, whatever you want to call it: it has that very classic sort of prairie Alberta sound.”
“The Return of Live Music: Biloxi Parish vs. Starpainter” | Cups n Cakes
“Starpainter is a group of experienced alt-rock aficionados and psychedelic troubadours who don slides like wedding rings as they swoon and sparkle with jangling guitars and driving drums . . . Starpainter feels like visiting the family farm, sun-soaked nostalgia, lemonade served on the porch. Leaving the city just long enough to put the worries of capital in the rearview mirror.”
“Cemetery” Music Video Premiere | Cups n Cakes
“On their fantastic 2020 album, entitled Bury Me By My Family, Starpainter soak up the very essence of the prairies and deliver it back to the listener with 34 minutes of exquisitely crafted folk-rock peppered with subtle psych and americana that veers in and out of pop territory.”
Starpainter and the illusionary garden rock beauty of "Blood In The Snow #3" | American Pancake
“Blood In The Snow #3” made me cast a large wide smile. The pedal steel sway, back bar piano, the absolutely stunning earnest lyrics and melodies, the spicy country porch folk blues electric guitar work, the sound of those amazing drums and most especially a vocal aesthetic that shot a Jackson Browne arrow right through my heart, took me back and forward at the same time. Absorbing and expansive . . . a great, great track that I hope to fall asleep to tonight sparking dreams of bygone times and of cold surf in Northern California waters. You can conjure up your own visions.”
Starpainter - “Mark of Cain” | If It’s Too Loud
“Starpainter has created an impossibly laid back song with "Mark of Cain." It exists in the quieter side of power pop (without being a ballad) but leaning a bit more towards pop . . . it's a completely compelling song that draws you straight in. "Mark of Cain" has that Song of the Summer feel and a truly familiar sound that you can't quite place.”
Starpainter releases new single, “Wild Azaleas” | Canadian Beats
“‘Wild Azaleas’ exhibits old-style harmonicas and bittersweet guitar strumming that somehow makes you dwell on both your happiest and saddest memories.”
Starpainter “Slammin on the Brakes” | AmericanaUK
“Starpainter are kind of reticent about who they are, as if they just want the music to speak for itself. And maybe that’s no bad thing. ‘Slammin’ on the Brakes’ describes an actual car accident – but, hey, it could be a metaphor about slowing down and appreciating this fast flowing thing that we call life before it’s all over and done with.”
STARPAINTER
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Joel Stretch - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Colby Stolson - Bass
Mickey Hayward - Drums
Joel Gray - Guitar, Slide Guitar
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FOR MORE INFO VISIT STARPAINTER.CA