Starfucker coming to Pullman

Photo by Sarah Cass

Stereopathic and BellTower have teamed up to bring the electronic band Starfucker [STRFKR] to the Bell Tower with Rhythmmemory and Yarn Owl tonight. Tickets will be available at the door for $13. Doors open at 8 p.m. and admission is open to all-ages.


STRFKR consists of vocalist Joshua Hodges, Ryan Biornstad on guitar and turntables, Shawn Glassford on bass, and Keil Corcoran on drums. Each band member also dabbles in a few other instruments.


The band released their sophomore album "Reptilians" on March 8, 2011. The album produces a solid blend of pop and electronic sound with plenty of synthesizers and beats to satisfy both the need to relax and to dance. The album found fast hits in “Julius” and “Bury Us Alive,” with the Pitchfork Review calling the latter, “the kind of rabbit hole that bands like 'Bear in Heaven' should think about heading down more often.” Their sound has garnered comparisons to the bands Passion Pit and MGMT with occasional similarities to Of Montreal peeking through on tracks like “Reptilians.” STRFKR has a history of memorable, high-energy performances—some occasionally involving stage diving and women’s clothing. They focus heavily on audience interaction and attempt to make every performance a party.

“It's weird that people even come to shows now that XBOX and the Internet exist," Hodges said to Seattle Weekly in 2009. "It's really easy to find entertainment without leaving your house. That's why we try to make our shows as fun as possible."

Reptilians was met with mixed reviews by critics, with the main complaint being the band’s choice of name. Pitchfork claims, “...it’s almost as if they picked the name to dare people to listen to their record.” Such blogs as Pretty Much Amazing and The AV Club can’t seem to get past STRFKR's moniker although AV Club managed to rate the album an “A,” stating that “really good bands can have stupid names.” Hodges insists that the name was unintentional.

“I didn’t think it was going to last more than a few shows,” Hodges said. "It was just a small project. I named it Starfucker because people always make up weird phrases and shit like that. Had I known I'd keep getting asked to play, I wouldn't have chosen such a stupid name."

They attempted to change their name several times, trying out PYRAMID and Pyramiddd, before settling on STRFKR again, not wanting to backpedal the recognition the band had already earned. Their self-titled first album received public attention when Target featured their song “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second,” in its 2009 “Pink Pepto” commercial.

The band has also undergone a lineup change, with Ian Luxton added to the band to play a variety of instruments including flute. When they sat down with the blog Buzzine for an interview last week, they made it clear that they aim to expand their sound, but that fun is still their number one priority.

“We like to let people forget about their mundane life for a minute,” Biornstad said. “Just let go for a second, and enjoy themselves and not think about work or Japan falling into the ocean, or all the BS that’s going on.”