Runners rocked to their beat

BY JESSICA LYONS

Monday, November 16, 2009 12:52 PM EST

RockStellar kept the energy high while performing at the ING NYC Marathon on November 1, and will perform again for the Queens community during some upcoming shows.

Three years ago, drummer and singer Jimmy “F” Hobbs, a resident of Park Slope, put an ad up on Craigslist looking for band members. Guitarist Phil Reeves, who lives in Manhattan, responded.

The band played together for a while with a different bass guitarist. However, the most recent addition has been Long Island City resident Steven Egar, a bassist who also does vocals. Hobbs found him because he knew someone who was college friends with Egar’s uncle.

According to the band’s web site, RockStellar’s music is a “mix of old school rock style, boundary-busting songwriting, and musicianship found lacking in today’s popular bands.”

Reeves explained that the band has a classic rock flavor, but that they bring in other elements that are mixed into the sound they create. Other genres that can be heard in their music are swing, blues, reggae and funk. The band members also come together to write their own original music.

RockStellar performs mainly in the five boroughs and on Long Island. They have already recorded one rough demo and are now working on material for a second recording.

The band recently showed off their sound when they played during the NYC Marathon as runners made their way through Long Island City. Last year, RockStellar made their marathon debut when they performed during an early leg of the Marathon in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Reeves had a friend who ran in the Marathon, so he reached out to someone about having the band be one of the acts to perform along the route. It was decided their music would be good for the runners, which is how RockStellar got involved.

Because of the long distance of the Marathon, Reeves said that it is important to have ways of energizing the participants. As the runners passed RockStellar, many gave a thumbs up or showed other forms of acknowledgement. That, along with seeing members of the community dancing to the music, was the best part for the band.

The immediate goals of RockStellar are to settle into the local scene, build a following and have a good time while doing it.

RockStellar has two upcoming performances in Queens. They will be at Traditions Pub, located at 84-28 164th Street in Jamaica, on Saturday, December 12 at 10 p.m.

At 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 19, they will perform at WunderBar, which is located at 37-10 11th Street in Long Island City.

For more information on RockStellar, including a complete list of upcoming performances, visit www.myspace.com/rockstellarbk.

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Reader Comments

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of queenscourier.com.

Gmac wrote on Nov 16, 2009 8:04 PM:

" It's so good to see the support for local musicians! Wish I could say the same of the media here in Alberta Canada. Unless it's country, thrash, or young kids, local musicians are virtually ignored here. Too bad because there are some great ones here who deserve to be heard! "

steven wrote on Nov 25, 2009 4:34 PM:

" I was surprised to see ROCKSTELLAR playing a gig like this. Good for them. And kudos to Queens Courier for covering. Now I'm on the band's mailing list. I am really looking forward to the upcoming ROCKSTELLAR shows in Queens. "