Starflyer 59 is an indie rock band from Riverside, CA founded in 1993 by Ja… Read Full Bio ↴Starflyer 59 is an indie rock band from Riverside, CA founded in 1993 by Jason Martin, the sole songwriter, guitarist and singer.

The band's sound has varied considerably over the years. Loud and lush shoegaze, heavy guitar rock, dream pop, chamber pop, new wave, synth pop, post-punk, garage rock, pop rock, soft rock, lounge music and blues rock all play significant roles in SF59's ultimate sonic palette.

While Martin has written all of Starflyer 59's music and is the principal musician, the band has included numerous contributors over its life. For the better part of 15 years, beginning in the mid-00s, SF59's lineup stabilized with Steven Dail on bass and Trey Many on drums. In recent years, drumming duties have been handled by Charlie Martin, Jason's son, who was 16 when he recorded on SF59's 2019 album, Young In My Head. Other notable contributors over the years have included Jeff Cloud, Richard Swift, Frank Lenz, Josh Dooley, Wayne Everett, and others.

Starflyer 59 was signed to Tooth & Nail Records, their original and current label, after Jason Martin gave a demo to Brandon Ebel when the two met at a music festival in 1993. Shortly afterwards, Ebel contacted Martin and offered him a record contract. By the end of the year, Starflyer 59's debut album, Silver, was recorded and released. In 1995, Starflyer 59 released their sophomore album, Gold. Both of these albums are actually eponymous releases, but are colloquially known by the colors of the plain, monochromatic album art.

Starflyer 59's next album, Americana (1997), continued with the minimalist cover art, but marked the first of many significant sonic shifts for the band. While Americana is still loud, heavy and guitar-forward like the previous releases, layered ambient shoegazing is replaced by crunchy, catchy blues rock-inspired riffs and more traditional song structures. Several changes to the band lineup were also made for this album. Bass player Andrew Larson departed, replaced by Eric Campuzano (The Prayer Chain). In addition, Wayne Everett (The Prayer Chain) became the band's studio drummer, a role previously held by Martin. High tensions in the studio during the recoding of the album led Campuzano to leave the band before it began touring to support the new album. Replacing him was Jeff Cloud, who had been Starflyer's touring manager.

The release of The Fashion Focus in 1998 signaled a major change in the direction of the band's sound, largely due to the influence of Gene Eugene. Where previous albums had emphasized guitars and loud, shoegazing rock and roll, The Fashion Focus was a significantly softer album, drawing its main influences from pop rock, loung music, arty indie rock and synthesizer music. Everybody Makes Mistakes, released the next year, continued in the same direction as The Fashion Focus.

On Nov. 21st, 2000, Starflyer 59 released Easy Come Easy Go, a two disc set that contained songs from throughout their career up to that point. 2001 saw the release of Leave Here A Stranger, Starflyer's next full length album. It saw the band's sound continue to soften. After the untimely death of Gene Eugene, Martin called on long-time musical hero Terry Scott Taylor to take over production of the new album. In an effort to be different, Leave Here a Stranger was recorded in mono. In addition to Martin and Cloud, Leave Here a Stranger featured Josh Dooley on keyboards and Joey Esquibel on drums.

Beginning in 2003, Starflyer 59 would release one full length album every year for three years, all of them self-produced. The first of these albums was Old. Old features heavier guitars than Leave Here A Stranger; however, the music was still significantly softer than the band's early work. In 2004, I Am the Portuguese Blues was released. With this album, Starflyer 59 returned to the heavy guitar format that was so prominent on their early albums, as well as the monochromatic album covers that had characterized these albums. I Am the Portuguese Blues was not a true follow-up to Old, but instead was a set of older songs that Jason Martin had written for a follow-up album to Americana. The material was originally shelved when the band shifted gears and instead recorded The Fashion Focus. This was a treat for fans of Starflyer 59's older material, but confused many newer fans and critics who were familiar with Starflyer 59's more recent pop-friendly work.

2005's Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice saw the band change their sound yet again, to a style that seemed a more natural follow-up to Old than I Am the Portuguese Blues had been. For this album, Starflyer 59 was cut down to two members: Jason Martin and drummer Frank Lenz. It would be the first studio album since Americana to be recorded without bassist Jeff Cloud. Despite having only two band members, the songs on Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice have a full sound. This is largely due to the inclusion of guest string players on many of the albums tracks.

Also in 2005, Starflyer 59 re-issued digitally re-mastered versions of Silver and Gold with bonus tracks. The re-issue of Silver came with the tracks of the band's follow-up EP, She's The Queen. Gold was reissued with the "Goodbyes Are Sad" 7 inch single and three of the four tracks from the Le Vainqueur EP.

In September 2006, Starflyer 59 released their latest album My Island. My Island is yet another evolution in the Starflyer sound. While Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice relied on the warmth of synthesized bass and live strings, My Island's"strength comes from its catchy guitar hooks and live bass.

Jason Martin's side projects have included Bon Voyage with his wife, Julie, Enemy Ships (formerly known as The Emergency), Pony Express, The Brothers Martin with his brother Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric fame, Neon Horse, Low & Behold, Lo Tom[/artist), and others. The Martin brothers also worked together in Morella's Forest (1998 band, not to be confused with the 90s band of the same name) and Dance House Children, which predate their famous solo projects. Jason has also produced albums for Fine China, MAP, and Upside Down Room and performed work as a studio musician and guest musician on several albums.

Their official website is located at www.sf59.com. Their official myspace is located at www.myspace.com/starflyer59.

Christmas Time Is Here
Starflyer 59 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all, that children call
Their favorite time of year

Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times, and ancient rhymes

Of love and dreams to share

Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
Joyful memories there

Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
Joyful memories there

Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near

Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Starflyer 59's "Christmas Time Is Here" are a sentimental portrayal of the joy and happiness that comes with the holiday season. The first stanza sets the tone for the rest of the song, describing the excitement that children feel during Christmas. The lyrics speak of happiness and cheer that is prevalent during the holidays and the sense of fun that children experience. The second stanza is evocative of a romanticized and nostalgic version of Christmas. The imagery of snowflakes and carols fills the air and conjures up images of an idyllic holiday celebration.

The third stanza continues the nostalgic tone, invoking images of an enchanting Christmas evening by the fireside, perhaps with loved ones gathered around recounting past memories. The repetition of "sleigh bells in the air" and "beauty everywhere" conjures up a sense of wonder and magic of the holiday season. The final stanza encourages listeners to embrace the Christmas spirit throughout the year, reminding us that kindness and love are feelings that should be experienced all year round.

Overall, the lyrics to "Christmas Time Is Here" convey a sense of hope, wonder, and unity, characteristics that are often associated with the holiday season.

Line by Line Meaning

Christmas time is here
The holiday season has arrived

Happiness and cheer
A time of joyousness and warmth

Fun for all, that children call
A time of playfulness that delights the young

Their favorite time of year
A season that holds special meaning for them

Snowflakes in the air
Tiny crystals of ice drift through the sky

Carols everywhere
Songs of the season fill the air

Olden times, and ancient rhymes
A recollection of years gone by

Of love and dreams to share
A time for expressing and pursuing our deepest aspirations

Sleigh bells in the air
The jingling of bells as a horse-drawn carriage goes by

Beauty everywhere
All around us, we see the wonders of the season

Yuletide by the fireside
A cozy moment spent in front of the fireplace