Living in a city surrounded by music, and musicians, each with their own voice, screaming to be heard, makes it difficult on any one group to be noticed. Stellar Rock, however, is a band with the initiative, independence, and the drive to get their voice heard, and to get their message to as many people as possible. A suburb of Cleveland, Ohio is the birthplace of Stellar Rock, formed by veteran members Ricky J. Reece (lead vocalist / guitarist) and Rob Reece (lead guitarist). They have since grown the reputation as being “one of the hardest working Christian bands in the Cleveland area” (Bruce Brenneman, Promoter – PROJECT 18).
When asked to describe their sound, Stellar Rock always replies the same way…“Rock”. Their influences vary, from Pillar, Kutlass, and Incubus, to Kirk Franklin, Finch, and Underoath. …and that’s just barely scratching the surface. But at the end of the day, Stellar Rock is just that. Rock. Maybe the specific style will change from song to song, but that’s the enchantment of the band. Pop-Rock, 80’s Rock, Alt. Rock, and Melodic Rock are all very much noticeable with Stellar Rock. The band fuses screaming guitars, with powerful solos, catchy bass hooks, and hip-hop influenced drum beats that you can’t help but groove to, with catchy lyrical hooks that will stay in your head for days to come.
Internal dilemmas and line-up changes occur in any band, and Stellar Rock was no exception. However, in the midst of going through drummer after drummer, and bassist after bassist, the band managed to release two full-length albums and a few unreleased demos.
Grayson Latimore Jr. joined the band in 2005 as Stellar Rock’s newest and final drummer and the group immediately hit the studio to record their latest album, “Welcome to the S-Rock Show”. Produced by Jason Lustig (METROSYNC STUDIOS – Story of the Year, blink-182, Sugarcult), Stellar Rock felt that this album needed to be a turning point for them, and viewed its release as a reintroduction to the “new” Stellar Rock. As production of the album came to an end in the summer of 2006, Grayson called on his old high school friend, JD Smith, to fill in their still-vacant slot as the permanent bassist.
On stage, Stellar Rock puts on an intense and extremely entertaining live show, which has been sought after all over the state of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Walking the line of rocking out hard, while still managing to have a good time and interact with the audience, can often prove tricky for most bands, but not Stellar Rock. They do it flawlessly, and make it appear effortless. Charisma and charm, both on and off stage, is a definitive quality of each S-Rock member, and audience members who come in not knowing the name of the band, will leave the show as true Stellar Rock fans.
Read more...