“I think we got lucky that it actually turned out to be interesting. Instead of just a remake, it’s different enough that people can just enjoy it for its own merits. If Pink Floyd are the granddads, we would be the dads, and Stardeath and White Dwarfs would be the sons.”
Wayne Coyne on covering a Pink Floyd classic with Stardeath and White Dwarfs
“A lot has been made of the connection between Stardeath and The Flaming Lips, so let’s go ahead and get that out of the way so we can move on. Yes, they are from Oklahoma, where the waving wheat sure tastes sweet, etc. And, yes, head Dwarf, Dennis Coyne, is the nephew of head Lip, Wayne Coyne. And, yes, three of the Dwarfs (Casey, Matt and Dennis) once formed the core of The Flaming Lips’ road crew. And, yes, they have played many a show with The Flaming Lips (and will probably play many more in the future).”
–Kliph Scurlock’s bio for Stardeath and White Dwarfs
Stardeath and White Dwarfs are no strangers to Flaming Lips’ fans. Aside from sharing the same label and maneger and collaborating on covers of “Borderline” and Darkside of the Moon, Stardeath has supported many Lips’ gigs over the past few years (Noisepop March 2006, several spring 2007 shows, Wakarusa and New Year’s Eve 2008, Rites of Spring 2009, The Flaming Lips 2009 summer American tour, overseas last mid-November and this past New Year’s Eve where they not only opened the show, but also played the last set with The Flaming Lips covering Dark Side of the Moon)… but their recent tour with The Flaming Lips stands apart. Until last summer, Stardeath hadn’t released an album and were relatively unknown. In the past year however, they’ve refined their playing and “loudness” attack, expanded their visual presentation, generated more interest from audiences and mastered some excellent songs off their début, The Birth. What’s more, this is the first tour since releasing (and performing in the first hour of 2010) Dark Side of the Moon with The Flaming Lips .
The combination of all the above mentioned factors made them the ideal opening band for The Flaming Lips’ April 2010 batch of shows (and two shows a month earlier: Austin Music Hall and Denton’s North by 35 festival), and the perfect collaborators for The Lips on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (Stardeath’s national television début, Dennis Coyne ditching his signature jumpsuits for the occasion). Stardeath began the April shows covering Black Sabbath’s “Sweat Leaf” (“all right now!”) and closed their set taking on “Borderline” (with Kliph helping out). In between were highlights from The Birth (“New Heat,” “Keep Score,” “The Sea is On Fire,” “The Birth,” “Those Who Are From the Sun Return to the Sun,” “Age of the Freak and I Can’t Get Away”), plus their Dark Side speciality, “On the Run” (also with Kliph). Wayne could regularly be seen on the side of stage, rocking out! Likewise they joined The Flaming Lips for their encore, “Brain Damage/ Eclipse.”
Leading up to the April gigs, twitter.com/futureheartday posted a Stardeath and White Dwarfs song and quote of the day everyday for a week. For the complete posts check the twitter page for April 10-18, 2010. Here are some highlights:
- Commentary from New Heat director Wayne Coyne
- Justin Duda’s “The Sea is on Fire” footage
- Their CMJ 2007 set, including “Keep Score” (6:40) and “The Birth” (9:29)
- Country Ballad
Stardeath is touring on their own throughout May (including a handful of shows with the Besnard Lakes at the end of the month) but they rejoin with the Lips in June at Bonnaroo (the two will repeat their live presentation of Dark Side in its entirety) and in July at New York’s Artpark and Central Park, and Massachusettes’ Mountain Park. The current headlining tour promises new tunes (“Gearing up for the next leg of our tour. Learning new songs to play for you!” 10:31 AM Apr 29th via Facebook) and a splendid time. All humans are urged to attend!
May 2010
4 – Lawrence, KS – Jackpot
5 – Iowa City, IA – The Mill
6 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean
7 – Indianapolis, IN – Radio Radio
8 – Louisville, KY – Glassworks Rooftop
10 – Nashville, TN – The End
11 – Birmingham, AL – Bottle Tree
12 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
15 – Tallahassee, FL – The Engine Room
18 – Austin, TX – Mohawk (with The Besnard Lakes)
19 – Houston, TX – Walter’s on Washington (with The Besnard Lakes)
21 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom (with The Besnard Lakes)
22 – Columbia, MO – Mojo’s (with The Besnard Lakes)
“When you work for a band like The Flaming Lips, you learn that hard work can take you a long way. When Wayne decides he wants to do something, he just does it; he doesn’t wait for someone to tell him it’s okay. We are the same way. We are willing to work harder than everyone else in order to put on a crazy show, even if we’re playing to only four people.”
–Matt Duckworth as quoted by Kliph in Stardeath and White Dwarfs’ bio
Psych Explorations of the Future Heart is a forthcoming publication. Interested in this blog? Find out more and spread the word!
The Future Heart 
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