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.
The Starflyer 2000 Reprise
Starflyer 59 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd wish you know
For days, I've thought of you so
Burned out in style
I wish you wouldn't go
Behind the old house
And wait and wait and wait
This is the last stop
Just take me for a ride
Come now
Come for the last drop
Just take me for a ride
It's always you...
Burned out
I'd wish you know
For days, I've thought of you so
Burned out in style
I wish you wouldn't go
Behind the old house
And wait and wait and wait
Hope for now
This is the last drop
Just take me for a ride
Come now
Come for the last stop
Just take me for a ride
It's always you...
The lyrics to Starflyer 59's song The Starflyer 2000 Reprise are open to interpretation and can mean different things to different people. The lines "Burned out, I'd wish you know; for days, I've thought of you so" suggest a feeling of exhaustion from thinking about someone constantly. The line "burned out in style" could mean that the singer is feeling drained but still putting up a front of being stylish or cool. The lines "I wish you wouldn't go, behind the old house and wait and wait and wait" could suggest a desire for the person being thought of to come back or return, but also a feeling of helplessness or inability to reach them.
The second half of the song brings a shift in tone, with lines like "hope for now, this is the last stop, just take me for a ride" indicating a willingness to let go and move on. The line "it's always you" is repeated several times throughout the song, suggesting that the person being thought of remains a constant presence in the singer's life. Overall, the song may be about dealing with the aftermath of a relationship or a deep connection with another person, and the struggle to come to terms with those feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Burned out
Feeling exhausted and drained
I'd wish you know
I wish you understood my current state
For days, I've thought of you so
You've been on my mind for days
Burned out in style
I feel drained but stylish at the same time
I wish you wouldn't go
I want you to stay
Behind the old house
In a hidden or secluded place
And wait and wait and wait
Waiting for something or someone
Hope for now
Feeling hopeful for the moment
This is the last stop
This is the final destination/point
Just take me for a ride
Take me on a journey
Come now
Urging someone to come closer or arrive soon
Come for the last drop
Arrive or participate for the final moment
It's always you...
You are always on my mind or involved in my life
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Celestino Moya
This is my favorite song. Ever. I’m 46 years old and this song has been my morning alarm for probably 7-8 years. I listen to it almost every day and have never gotten sick of it. Ha. Thanks so much to J. Martin. He’s given me so many gifts to cherish since I first heard his music back in 1996. I became a Christian happily pledging to God that I would gladly endure all His crappy musicians for the rest of my life. I had no idea there were bands like Starflyer out there at the time. Ha. One of many pleasant surprises I’ve discovered since becoming a part of God’s family. I only wish more people got to hear some of these songs.
12rockandrollforever
I honestly love both versions.
Patetico Recordings
<3
Tranzor55
❤
Jason Chesley
Hello Jeff.. remember the underage pedestrians?
Jeff Wiersma
Oh yes, my very first band!!!