like Custom ? We do too. But INSTAR's someting different. New rock and acid folk with killing lyrics and a fresh sound that you might just have to have. Free music is to be had at instarmusic.com, as well as lots of free MP3s just waiting for you to download. Oh yeah, and some videos and life song performances as well. We did a pretty cool soundtrack for Pat Smith (formerly of MTV Animation ) - his animated films Drink and Delivery featured a rock score by instar. So, there you have it, free mp3s, quicktime movies and more. Check out our stuff!

What's instar? Instar's an indie rock "band" from Boston, MA. We actually don't sound much like any of these guys, excepta bit of Ben Harper. But, the key thing is Custom aren't giving you mp3s for free. I'm sure they's love to, but they can't. So we'll do it for them - stop on by INSTARMUSIC.com and we'll hook you up.

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Here's a quick bio:

Music style:
Rock, electro-acoustic experimentation, acid-folk, loops

Sounds Like:
U2 on a less 'beautiful day', getting beaten up the Afghan Whigs while Radiohead sulks around in the shadows.

Compare with: Custom

London's NME magazine called the EP "Excellent", and many other positive reviews followed. To date over 11,000 MP3s of songs from Rich Girls have been downloaded from the band's website, http://www.instarmusic.com.

On the heels of that success, Karl recorded the soundtrack for "DRINK", an innovative short film from MTV Animator / Director Pat Smith (Daria, Downtown, Beavis and Butthead). The film explores the bizarre transformations that overcome a teenager who imbibes a mysterious liquid. "Drink" won Best Debut Film, 2001 New York Film Expo., Winner, "Oz" Award, 2003 Chicago Animation Festival, and 2nd Place, 2001 ASIFA-East Animation Festival.

Von Kries next scored Pat Smith's edgy follow-up film "Delivery", which won the AFIFA-East Animation Festival in 2003.

Karl and INSTAR recorded songs for a new album released in early March '05. "Secret Services" takes the melody and power of the critically acclaimed "Rich Girls" EP even further. From the distorted pop grind of the opener, "Son of Sam", to the swirling metal waltz of "New York", to the romantic electro-beat build if "J", to the deceptively simple "Silverlake" the steadily takes you deeper into an alternate future for rock music.

Sure, download a few tracks. But this record is best appreciated at 2 am, when you're too tired to fall asleep, or when you've got 400 miles of open freeway to drive. Put it in, ease the seat back, and press play. Ready? Go.

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Instar lands "Drink" soundtrack, wins international praise

BOSTON, October 16, 2000 - MTV Animation Director Pat Smith, best known for his work on "Beavis and Butthead", "Downtown", and "Daria", has released a new short film entitled "Drink". The soundtrack for the film was created by the Boston-based rock band INSTAR.

A swirling melange of disturbing visuals and pounding audio, the film has won acceptance into the prestigious Austin Film Festival and the CMJ Film Festival in New York City (October 19-22).

Two years in the making, Pat Smith wanted something different for his masterwork. "Animation often falls short in the audio department", explains Smith. "Animators get so focused on the visuals that they forget how key the sound is... I didn't want to make that mistake".

Karl von Kries of INSTAR produced a complex but compelling score that blends traditional Foley (environmental sounds synced with on-screen action, such as footsteps) and sampled drum loops, screamed vocals, found objects used as percussion, and straight-ahead rock.

"I wanted something that would drive the film the first time you see it, but has enough depth to make you want to go back and hear more", says von Kries. "Pat gave me a lot of freedom to create something without the usual ?directorial' constraints".

INSTAR plans to add elements of the DRINK soundtrack to the band's live performance, and even re-mix some of the music as an audio-only release. INSTAR has had over 11,000 MP3 downloads in the past six months from the bands website, www.instarmusic.com, and expects the DRINK soundtrack to drive traffic even higher. You can find Instar and contemporaries Customon iTunes and Napster as well as other major on-line services.

Links:
main instar website
LPE.net
cdbaby ordering page
boston bands site
myspace instar page
garageband.com site
last.fm instar page