Northstar (band)

Since the band's inception, they have had around five guitarists and three different bassists, have been a three-piece, four-piece, and a five-piece. Due to a lack of a dedicated music scene in the Huntsville area, the band decided to start touring the country in 2000. They booked their first tour, bought a van, and set out on the road.

After two years of booking, promoting, and producing everything themselves, the band signed a deal with Triple Crown Records of New York City in June 2002. By this point, the only original member in the band was drummer Gabe Renfroe. Their line-up solidified with Nick Torres on lead vocals and guitar, Tyler Odom on guitar and Shawn Reagan on bass. The band released their debut album Is This Thing Loaded? in October.[1] It was promoted with a few headlining shows in October,[2] before joining The All-American Rejects and Motion City Soundtrack on their tour in November.[3] After this, the band went on tour with Taking Back Sunday and the Starting Line in November and December.[4] In April, the band appeared at the Skate & Surf Fest,[5] followed by a tour with Senses Fail in May, and contributed the track "To My Better Angel" to the soundtrack of Beer: The Movie.[6] In July, the band supported Rx Bandits on their tour.[7] In September and October, the band supported Rufio and Motion City Soundtrack on a co-headlining cross country tour.[8] They toured for over a year until Jake Fisher replaced Reagan.

The group released their second album Pollyanna in April 2004.[1] Following this, they went on tour with Moneen in April and May,[9] before going back on tour again in June with Piebald and the Jealous Sound.[10] The band then appeared on select dates of the 2004 Warped Tour.[11] The band also made a brief visit to the UK with Modest Mouse. In October and November, the band went on tour with Hot Rod Circuit, Say Anything and Straylight Run.[12] Following this, they went on hiatus in December[13] and later re-grouped in February 2005 for a co-headlining tour with Lucero.[1] They were supported by the Honorary Title, Circa Survive and Communiqué.[14] The band then broke up on April 11, citing "personal reasons";[15] they performed at The Bamboozle festival the following month.[16] A video album The Uncomfortable Camera appeared in June,[1] and included the band's music videos on the release's second disc.[17] Torres and Odom created Cassino;[1] the demos for it were recorded with Matt Squire and used drummer Will Noon of Straylight Run.[18]

A collection of demos and alternate recordings, entitled Broken Parachute, has been announced by Nashville-based Speak Music Media in November 2005, initially as an five-track EP.[19] It was then expanded to a nine track full-length and released on January 8, 2008.[20] Cassino later released their debut a few months later.[21] Dikembe released a cover of the band's track "Two Zero Two" in July 2017.[22]