Stars Go Dim

Yvette: What have you guys been up to since your last visit to Akron, Ohio?
SGD: Busy! We have been playing a lot of shows and working on our new record called , “Between Here and Now.

Yvette: SGD will be playing at The University of Akron in a few days! We have been counting down the days since we heard of the show!
SGD: Yeah we can’t wait. Looking forward to it.

Yvette: Let's talk about the new EP dropping on October 4th. Any explanation to the meaning behind the title Between Here and Now?
SGD: Between Here and Now is the moment when time stands still and life becomes reality. There are moments in all of our lives when we realize that we are no longer invisible or we realize that life is more than what we have and our needs. It’s a record about what happens after we have these between here and now moments. What we do with our lives and the choices we make.

Yvette: Your album cover is so unique, and even includes fan-submitted photos. How do those photos compliment the title of the EP?
SGD: They are moments of time. We asked our fans to submit photos that captured a moment in their life that showed happiness or a moment with the people they love. We are all about love and we love our fans and without them we wouldn’t be a band. They are as much a part of this band as we are.

Yvette: What are some tracks you are really looking forward to your fans hearing?
SGD: All of them. We are extremely proud of this record and we hope our fans will relate to the lyrics and hear our heart in each of these songs.

Yvette: I have seen you guys perform 'Hesitate,' and it always really pumps me up, I love it! What track really gets you going while you are performing?
SGD: We love playing Hesitate but we also love to jam. There are a couple of songs we play each night that are just fun jams. We just let the music take us where it wants to take us. Its our time in the set to be a little selfish and lose ourselves in the music.

Yvette: Your last album had a lot of great ballads. 'Crazy' is one of my absolute favorites! Is there a ballad on Between Here and Now that really stands out to you?
SGD: For the most part we kept this album more upbeat since the last album had so many ballads, The only “ballad” on the record is “Seventeen” and that song is based off a true story.

Yvette: What are some major inspirations for the tracks on Between Here and Now?
SGD: I think the world in general. We are all facing challenges in life and we all at sometimes feel hopeless. This song is about hope. That we are not alone and that we all need each other to make it through this life. We recently teamed up with an amazing organization called Convoy of Hope. They help people in need all over the world. Recently they took us to Haiti to see what they’ve been doing over there. While we were there we filmed a music video for Between Here and Now and it turned out great. Hopefully the video will help create awareness to what Convoy of Hope is trying to do… ultimately to give hope to the hopeless.

Yvette: Chris, first, congratulations on your recent engagement! Is there a song on this EP in particular that focuses on this step in your life?
Chris: Thanks! There isn’t a song on this record that reflects this step in my life.

Yvette: Do you think your sound has changed in any way? How has Stars Go Dim grown since Love Gone Mad?
SGD: Our sound will always change but the essence of Stars Go Dim won’t. We like to write honest songs and songs that hopefully can relate to a large audience. This album is little more upbeat than LGM. But again we just write what we feel at the time. No agenda just write what we feel.

Yvette: Looking at your calender for the rest of 2011, your schedule looks pretty packed! Your tour covers everywhere from Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Illinois... anywhere in particular you are really looking forward to playing?
SGD: We love the states but honestly we are looking forward to our trip to the Philippines. We have had a couple of number 1 songs over there and have been trying to find a way to get over there for some time now. We are going to be doing a 2 week tour this November. Should be fun.

Yvette: We can now even hear Stars Go Dim playing at Abercrombie stores! What can we expect from Stars Go Dim in 2012? Any future plans you can hint at? :)
SGD: We are always making moves! Probably more placements and tours but we will always be creating new music and exploring new territories.

A BIG thank you to the guys of Stars Go Dim: Joey Avalos, Chris Cleveland and Michael Wittig for taking the time to speak with me about their latest projects. Also, this would not have been possible without Jennifer Allison. Thank you!

Interviewed on Sept 14, 2011 by Yvette Cherkala.