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OtherStarPeople
In 1996, after nearly a decade with L7, guitarist/vocalist Jennifer Finch was looking to try something new. As luck would have it, former Chalk Circle vocalist-guitarist Xander Smith was thinking the same thing. A chance meeting between the two old acquaintances in sunny Santa Monica led to discussions of a collaboration -- Finch providing the idea of a boy/girl guitar/vocal team, and Smith providing some early demos. Smith recruited Tokyo-born bassist Junko Ito, while Finch brought along Wool drummer Chris Bratton, and the new band was christened Lyme.

Starting as a dance project, the band quickly switched to a more melody-driven pop/rock approach, but brought together a diverse set of influences that became known to the band’s fans as the “CaliPhonic Sound.” Lyme quickly won a following, and just as quickly learned that a Florida heavy metal band already had dibs on their name. After struggling to come up with a moniker, the group decided that non-native English speaker Ito should rename the band, as she was most likely to come up with something unique. The ploy worked, and Lyme became OtherStarPeople.

Swiftly gaining major label attention, OtherStarPeople signed to A&M Records, and carefully worked out a schedule that would not compete with Finch’s responsibilities to L7 and Bratton’s duties in Wool, working in mini-tours with the likes of the Beastie Boys, Rancid, Foo Fighters, and Redd Kross. It was during this time that Finch made the decision to quit L7, citing creative differences and a desire to finish her degree in American Studies. By this time, OtherStarPeople had also attracted the attention of high-profile producer Roy Thomas Baker, who agreed to produce their debut album.

As OtherStarPeople began recording what would become their debut album, 1999’s Diamonds in the Belly of the Dog, Bratton (who’d already quit Wool a few months prior) announced that he was quitting to become a guitarist; however, as he didn’t wish to leave the band in the lurch, he played most of the drum tracks on the album before being replaced by former Juliana Hatfield 3 drummer Todd Philips. Another switch saw Jennifer Finch changing her first name to Precious (her family nickname), in honor of the passing of her father. Their line-up and identities secure, the band remains active, and recently recorded a new song, “Holiday,” available exclusively at MUSICBLITZ.

-- Julio Diaz

Julio Diaz is the Music Editor for Ink 19, the largest music magazine in the Southeast US, and the third largest regional magazine in the country. He is the former Webmaster of The Florida Ska Web Page! and the former Vice President of A&R and Marketing for Citrus Records. His work has also been published in Focus magazine and translated into French for Dig It! magazine.


OtherStarPeople	Holiday	MP3	Alternative, Pop
Don your shades and take a Hollywood-style “Holiday” with this slammin' blast of glammed up pop/rock from OtherStarPeople, featuring Jennifer Finch of L7! Another fabulous MUSICBLITZ Exclusive!