Despite that small caveat, I’m super stoked to talk to you guys!! A lot of readers at Global Punk Review are anxious and determined to see/hear more of the ghastly chants from the horror punk/psychobilly/rockabilly scene, especially from those bands here on the West Coast. You guys fit snug in that arena. Albeit it is my duty to attempt coverage of the So Cal region (specifically, the OC and surrounding areas) and you guys hail from Nor Cal, a lot of your gigs are played down South. And since you guys are back from your super-exciting tour in Europe (we shall get into that in a bit), I was hoping our little informal one-on-one could introduce or perhaps enlighten our readers of your band’s more “stellar” approach (if you will) to the genre, as well as some of the shows you plan on performing this summer. So…let’s get started.

GPR: Which Corpse am I talking to anyway? What’s your role in the group?
- Hi this is Dusty Grave, lead singer & lead guitar player.

GPR: How/why did you guys come up with the name “Stellar Corpses?” In other words, what’s the premise of the band’s name?
DUSTY: I actually got the idea from an astronomy class. The name means “dead stars” like super novas, neutron stars and black holes. Dead stars could also refer to famous stars who died- like Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Vampira, and also those of us who are dead but never seem to get off the stage!

GPR: You guys hail from Santa Cruz, right? When/How did ya’ll meet?
DUSTY: We all know each other from going to shows and just being into the same shit in the same town. It’s a small town and we all stand out quite a bit so it was hard to miss each other.

GPR: Your psychobilly/horror punk music is phenomenal. I’ve had the chance to see you when you guys perform at the Hollywood Key Club last May and really, you guys were stunning! The crowd went nuts for your sound! What are some of the band’s major influences, if any?
DUSTY: First I must say that Hollywood is one of our very favorite places to play because of the crowd! About our sound, we all have our own individual influences and many that we share in common. For example, we all love the Misfits and Demented Are Go. My personal influences range from Elvis to Ozzy to Depeche Mode and of course tons more like The Doors, Johnny Cash, and the Damned.

GPR: Do you think your sound is attributed to any other type of musical genre? Or are you guys whatever you want to be?
DUSTY: I like what I like and I don’t listen to what any scene says. Following rules is so boring… not rebellious at all. For me as a songwriter, listening to music outside my own musical genre ensures that I write songs that don’t sound exactly like everyone else in the same genre. We’re all about blurring lines between “the scenes.”

GPR: Your debut EP is called "Respect the Dead" on Hairball8, right? Tell us a little about that album.
DUSTY: It was intended to be our demo and in many ways we still consider it to be our demo. It’s six songs that we thought represented us best at the time. I think we were all pleasantly surprised at the response we’ve gotten from that one EP. We actually sold out of them on our Euro tour!

GPR: Have any more coming out? When and where can we get these ferociously fierce lil' creatures?
DUSTY: Haha, ya we’re currently working on a new monster in the Stellar Laboratory located in the haunted forest of Ben Lomond at a place called The Compound. It will be a full-length album that will be released on a certain European label (Don’t think I can say who yet)!!

GPR: Do you guys go on very many tours? How often?
DUSTY: We’ve been on two big tours, one in the US and one in Europe. We hope to be touring full time very soon!

GPR: Any bands you tour with more than others?
DUSTY: Our favorite bands to tour with have been Rezurex, TheCreepshow, and Koffin Kats. Those bands made a big impression on us. They are great bands and great people.

GPR: You guys just got back from Europe, correct?
DUSTY: YES!!!

GPR: Was it your first time going to Europe? How long was that tour? Where did you end up going?
DUSTY: It was our first time. It was a five-week adventure through almost every country in Europe from Spain to Finland!!

GPR: Tell the readers about any off-the-wall incidents, which band you enjoyed touring with or anything you’d like to share with the little people about your experience.
DUSTY: We went with Rezurex! They were so cool and now they are like brothers to us. There were many off the wall situations. We laughed so fucking much on that tour. I miss them already. One particular thing I remember was when a few of us partied in a graveyard in Germany. We were heading back to the hotel but stumbled into this awesome cemetery with big tall hedges all around it. We partied there until the sun came up and then slept all day on the way to the next town!

GPR: Are there any places you haven’t toured but would like to tour or plan on touring?
DUSTY: I can’t wait to get back to Europe! I’d also like to get over to Australia someday, oh and Japan too!

GPR: Any incriminating photos I can steal for this interview?
DUSTY: Yes, there are plenty on our myspace/stellarcorpses page as well as on our personal pages.

GPR: Now that you’re back in the states, you guys are going to be playing a lot more West Coast gigs, more importantly (of course), Southern California. How often do you guys play down here anyway? When was the last time? Is there any venue in particular you like the best?
DUSTY: Yes, we will definitely be playing more West Coast gigs as well as the entire US. We’ll actually be in Norwalk, CA (Orange County) at the end of this month, May 31st. The last time we played in So Cal was in Corona at The Showcase Theater with The Quakes. It was an amazing show! We’ll miss that venue, I hear it’s closing down. Key Club and Knitting Factory are my favorite places to play in LA because they are big but still cozy and the Key Club has a cool broken down old bus that is used as part of the back stage area.

GPR: What dates/locations can your fiendish So Cal fans look forward to this summer? Are there any other dates/locations you plan on doing other than what we can see from your myspace/website? (More specifically, in the OC?)
DUSTY: MAY 31st in Norwalk with Los Creepers, Ghost Storys and more!! Then we will do a West Coast tour in July including CA & AZ. After that we will be playing the Dead Are Go Fest with Calabrese in Hollywood!! Then we are scheduled to tour with the Caravans around Halloween in CA.

GPR: For our ghoulishly global crowd, will you be having any more tours elsewhere throughout the summer? Any big festivals you’re looking forward to? Any other gigs you’re particularly excited about? Any other plans this summer?
DUSTY: We will hopefully be touring Europe again when we release our new album! That should be sometime in the Fall.

GPR: Well, I appreciate all the time and effort you put forth in enduring my grueling inquisition. I will make sure I send you a link to this interview for all your ravenous readers to review.
DUSTY: Thank you so much for the interview. And thank you to the readers!! Drop us a line sometime!!
Death Wishes,
Stellar Corpses

Now wasn’t that fun?? I thought so…don’t forget to add The Stellar Corpses to your myspace, check out their website and buy some cool shit. Be sure to read the upcoming issue for my review on the Ink and Iron fest taking place at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA June 6-8. Tons of rockin’ bands, including the Koffin Kats, are scheduled to appear. Don’t miss this one for sure!!

If you’re interested in any Hollywood gigs at some cool venues, click on the corresponding links for Key Club to check out upcoming shows. Also, just a little side note on the rumor that the Showcase Theater may be closing down: it is just that, a rumor. They are not closing but moving to a new location. Which still kind of sucks because the Show Case in Corona was a home away from home for me when I was a rebellious teen. Get the skinny about the future of this rackety little venue here! Interested in some other shows going on at this awesome little shack? Go to Showcase.com and get all the gigs you can gargle before they move!

Questions, comments, complaints? E-mail me here ..if I feel up to it, I just may send a reply.

Until next time… ROCK LIKE FUCK!!!!