4/15/2006 Alva Star at the 400 Bar

After a year-long hiatus, John Hermanson's "sweet and timeless" power-group, Alva Star, has reemerged on the scene. Their first album, Alligators in the Lobby, earned them Best New Band at the Minnesota Music Awards in 2001. Their next album, Escalator, debuted four years later to favorable reviews. A departure from Alligator's soulful art-pop, Escalator is a lush concept album featuring dreamy stream-of-consciousness tunes written and recorded simultaneously. Alva Star's hibernation was partly due to the band's busy who's-who line-up: Hermanson (The Hopefuls, Storyhill) in lead; Darren Jackson (Kid Dakota, The Hopefuls) on guitar; Erik Appelwick (The Hopefuls, Vicious Vicious) on bass and either Ian Prince (Kid Dakota, Story of the Sea) or Eric Fawcett (Spy Mob, The Hopefuls) on drums, depending on the night. Their first gig back on the scene was April 15th at the 400 Bar, where they played to an attentive and nostalgic crowd with Fawcett on drums, and Brian Roessler (Electropolis, Fantastic Merlins) on bass. Their next show is May 5th at the Kitty Cat Klub. They will also be headlining the HowWasTheShow 4th Anniversary Party on Saturday, May 27th at the Turf Club.


Photo by: David de Young
Text by: Zosia Blue

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