Ringo Deathstarr

Ringo Deathstarr is an American shoegaze band from Austin, Texas, formed by singer/songwriter Elliott Frazier in 2007. The name of the band is a combination of the Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and the Star Wars Death Star.

Ringo Deathstarr
Live at The Globe, Cardiff, November 23, 2010.
Background information
OriginAustin, Texas, U.S.
GenresShoegaze, noise pop, alternative rock
Years active2007–present
Labels
  • SVC Records
  • Custom Made Music
  • Club AC30
  • Sonic Unyon
  • Vinyl Junkie Recordings
Websiteringodeathstarr.org
Members
  • Elliott Frazier
  • Alex Gehring
  • Daniel Coborn
Past members
  • Dustin Gaudet
  • Renan McFarland

History

Ringo Deathstarr was started by Frazier in 2007 in his Texas hometown, Beaumont. After he moved to the busier city of Austin, a band lineup stabilized consisting of Frazier, bassist Alex Gehring, guitarist Renan McFarland and drummer Dustin Gaudet.

The band's debut five-song EP, Ringo Deathstarr, was initially self-released in fall 2007, and then issued on SVC Records in the UK (and later reissued in 2009 by Fan Death Records).[1]

The EP was followed by a string of 7" singles, including "You Don't Listen" (released September 2009 on Custom Made Music), "In Love" (released on September 14, 2009 on SVC), "Tambourine Girl" (the B-side to a split single with the Depreciation Guild, released in 2009 by UK label Club AC30) and "So High" (released on January 31, 2011 by Club AC30).

On November 4, 2009, Japanese label Vinyl Junkie Recordings issued a compilation album, Sparkler, collecting the debut EP, the two tracks from the "In Love" single, and two additional tracks.

The band's debut full-length album, Colour Trip, was first released by Club AC30 on February 14, 2011 in the UK, then licensed to Sonic Unyon for release in North America, and Vinyl Junkie Recordings for release in Japan.[2] By this time, McFarland and Gaudet had departed, and Daniel Coborn had joined on drums. Another EP, Shadow, followed on November 2. They toured with the Smashing Pumpkins in the winter of 2011–2012.

Ringo Deathstarr's second studio album, Mauve, was released on September 19, 2012 by Club AC30, Sonic Unyon and Vinyl Junkie Recordings. It was previewed by the release of the first track, "Rip", as a CD single on September 5 by Vinyl Junkie and a 7" single on September 14 by Club AC30.

The mini-album Gods Dream was issued on December 18, 2013. The band's next album, Pure Mood, was released on November 20, 2015, with The Reverberation Appreciation Society taking over as North American distributor.

Style

Ringo Deathstarr has been compared to earlier shoegaze bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Ride, the Jesus & Mary Chain and Medicine. AllMusic described them as "shoegaze revivalists from Texas who play it pretty straight, but aren't afraid to add extra noise to the mix".[3]

Discography
Ringo Deathstarr at the Tel Aviv Barby, August 2013

Studio albums
  • Colour Trip (2011, Club AC30/Sonic Unyon/Vinyl Junkie Recordings)
  • Mauve (2012, Club AC30/Sonic Unyon/Vinyl Junkie Recordings)
  • Gods Dream (2013, Vinyl Junkie Recordings)
  • Pure Mood (2015, Club AC30/The Reverberation Appreciation Society/Vinyl Junkie Recordings)
  • Ringo Deathstarr (2020, Club AC30/Vinyl Junkie Recordings)

EPs
  • Ringo Deathstarr CD (2007, self-released/SVC Records)
  • Shadow CD/10" (2011, Club AC30/Vinyl Junkie Recordings)

Singles
  • "You Don't Listen" 7" (2009, Custom Made Music)
  • "In Love" 7" (2009, SVC Records)
  • "Dream About Me"/"Tambourine Girl" 7" split with the Depreciation Guild (2009, Club AC30)
  • "So High" 7" (2011, Club AC30)
  • "Rip" CD/7" (2012, Club AC30/Vinyl Junkie Recordings)

Compilation albums
  • Sparkler (2009, Vinyl Junkie Recordings)

References
  1. "Sonic Unyon Records : Ringo Deathstarr". Sonicunyon.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
  2. Mason, Stewart. "Ringo Deathstarr at Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  3. Stewart Mason. "Ringo Deathstarr | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
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