Albany's Count the Stars are taking off. The four piece rock/punk band recently signed with Victory Records and are mounting a touring assault on the world with the hopes of being able to soon count themselves, stopping this Wednesday at the Cruise Inn in Lackawanna with Madcap and Flash Light Brown.
Lead guitarist and interview rookie Adam Manning spoke about the process of picking a label. "We had a few real small indie labels, a few Victory sized labels, and the big sized majors. We didn't want to take the pressure of a Major, where we could sell 100,000 copies and be done for. Victory came up and were more like friends than anything else. We liked that."
Along with the label comes a whole lot of work. The news page of the band's site reads more like a jam-packed itinerary and/or highlight reel. They will be releasing their Victory debut, "Never Be Taken Alive" on Feb. 25 nationwide. They'll be celebrating this disc with a huge hometown show with hometown bands on March 1.
So, being fresh off a tour with The June Spirit, and a hot Buffalo show last summer that saw Planes Mistaken For Stars rock the Backstage Pub, will they be taking a short breather now that the record is done?
Not a chance. Count the Stars is going to be finishing their current tour with Madcap, then joining another one with Taking Back Sunday before playing 14 dates on the Warped Tour this summer.
"It's what we asked for," Manning admits. "There are so many really good bands that get lost in Albany. The audience can be really scarce. That's why we wanted to do this release show with our good friends, become a closer unit. I mean, other than that, we're seeing the country and playing our music, which is great."
The band also just finished shooting their first video for the single "Taking It All Back" for MTV2 with acclaimed director Major Lightner. Originally they were going to film it at a live show in Albany with Brand New, Christiansen, and the Movielife, but opted for a different approach after thinking about it.
"We just kind of wanted to do something more focused on the actual band, and we did a studio live video. We shot it in Williamsburg, which is in the New York City area, and it's amazing the things they did with it."
Count the Stars is a self-described mixture of pop, rock, emo, and speed. While this may have people thinking Jimmy Eat World meets Whitesnake, it's more like '80s big hair attitude, but punk. Touring with Madcap, described as Dropkick Murphy's meets older Mighty Mighty Bosstones has been an experience for CTS. "Their crowd draws amazingly every night, and they do a great job. It's nice knowing there are still young kids who love music, and kids will always love a good show," Manning added. Also joining the tour for the first night in St. Louis was the pop rock band Flash Light Brown, who were "more along our style than Madcap."
The band is living their dream out on the road and working harder than they ever have. Manning listed various influences as Kurt Cobain, Pete Townshend (of the Who), Bjork, Jimmy Eat World and The Juliana Theory when asked who has affected him. If any combination of these rockers come across in a Count the Stars live show, it will be an event worth taking in.
Count the Stars will play at Lackawanna's Cruise Inn on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6 for this all-ages show.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
