green-shifting Stars

Stars is the latest in a growing list of bands teaming up with the Maine-based organization Reverb to make their fall tour as green as possible. Reverb (started by Gusterrhoid Adam Gardner and his environmentalist wife Lauren Sullivan) helps bands to mount big, bad tours with as little environmental impact as possible, offering services that range from recycling guitar strings to supplying biodiesel for buses and vans.

With the help of the sale of offset-buying stickers ($5 suggested donation) Stars' fall tour aims to be carbon neutral when all is said and done.

The music touring business isn't going anywhere soon, and it's encouraging to see big bands and small bands taking a hard look at the way their business impacts the environment. If only all businesses were so conscientious...

For more about Reverb, check out this NYT article or this profile on TreeHugger.

Who doesn't like Stars?

Canadian group Stars sparked a conflagration of blog entries when they put their new record In Our Bedroom After the War up for sale online 4 days after its completion, despite a September 25 release date for the physical disc. It was an if-you-can't-beat-'em... sort of move, but for my money it was the right one. I bought it on eMusic and I think it's quite good. "Personal" gives me chills.

Anyway, they just posted this EPK, giving me an excuse to weigh in on a story that I was too busy to write about the first time around. The video doesn't look too hot, but is an interesting watch for superfans that crave a little access to the people behind the music. Especially dig the explanation of the album title choice at the end.

[In Our Bedroom After the War on eMusic, iTunes]