Major Stars

These New England-based purveyors of Richter Scale-tipping psych have had two primary lineups, both centered on guitarists Kate Village and Wayne Rogers. Evolving out of their previous act (the highly regarded Magic Hour) in 1997, Major Stars recorded several full-length face-melters as a quartet on their own Twisted Village label. After a few-year hiatus, the group re-formed as a sextet around 2005 with former bassist Tom Leonard switching to guitar and the additions of chanteuse Sandra Barrett, bassist Dave Dougan, and drummer Casey Keenan. With subsequent releases on Important Records and Drag City, the act remained hypnotically pummeling, opening up third eyes across the noise-psych underground.