Album Notes

Twinstar evolved from the ashes of Los Angeles bands Revolux and Chihuahua in 1997, performing two shows at South by Southwest and North by Northwest respectively. The band took a long hiatus from live performances soon after, holing up in various recording studios around LA to begin what would eventually become their self-titled CD.

At the core of Twinstar is vocalist/guitarist Keith Joyner and bassist Chris Candelaria. Keith cut his teeth in the Athens, GA band Seven Simons, releasing two albums and one posthumous CD with Seven Simons vocalist Nathan Webb. Chris played in various bands in San Francisco and LA before forming the critically acclaimed Chihuahua in the mid-nineties. Completing the lineup are the newest additions Michael Chaves (Iggy Pop, Marianne Faithful, Rufus Wainwright) on guitar and Vancouver transplant Rob Kurzreiter on drums.

Studio drummer Andy Kubiszewski (Crowded House, NIN), whom Keith met while both were playing in Matt Johnson's The The for 1993's Dusk tour, became an integral part of the Twinstar sound during the recording of their album, incorporating his fluid drumming style with inventive loops and sequences; one un-named individual suggested it was the sound of the inner workings of Andy's brain. Only Andy knows.

Other notables lending their talents to the Twinstar album were Keith's former band mate from L.A.'s Revolux and Fonda, guitarist and studio owner David Newton (The MIghty Lemon Drops) and guitarist Jeffrey Cain (Remy Zero). When the recording sessions came to an end, Keith and Chris were left with the daunting task of mixing the damn thing. There was only one man who could master that chaos and turn it into something sublime. His name was Jack Atlantis, known more for his outlandish performances at the monthly Los Angeles club MakeUp than for his pristine mixes (though he will surely be a name to be reckoned with much sooner than later).

It is no easy task describing the sounds on Twinstar. The band doesn't wear their influences on their sleeves. It is at once pensive and wistful, melodic and hopeful, yet still tongue-in-cheek. Though, when all is said and done, it remains a cohesive collection of timeless songs not to be overlooked.