The Curse by Stark

What makes them a great f-ing band is that the songs are songs, the guitar rocks and the lyrics are more than interesting. Lani laughs, cries, hollers, wiggles, writhes, smokes, drinks, passes out sweets, all the while rocking her P-Bass and singing her ass off. Then, you’ve got Josette wailing on her Les Paul, with her wild hair flowing and blowing around like a wild-woman’s. She supports Lani, antagonizes her, leads her deeper into her frenzy while playing kick-ass guitar leads that make your jaw drop. In the meantime, Sweet Rob Endemann is rocking out the drums with a big smile and a solid stare, like he just might barrel over the drum set and start dancing or beating on the heads of the sweaty, sexed-up, drunken, stoned audience. Well, yes, there was the topless incident at Piano’s, the smoking fiasco at Grand Central Bar, and the shattered bottle as Pyramid, but all in all STARK’s rowdiness is nothing compared to the in-your-face rock and roll the band pours out of it’s soul at every show for every audience member every f-ing time! The sparse arrangements and honest lyrics will make you laugh, cry, dance, drink and get nasty. Influenced by blues, country, punk and hard rock, STARK can't be labeled as easily as most, but they play straight-up rock and roll, mostly described as Pretenders meets Patti Smith…or if the B-52’s and The Stooges had babies.

Not of woman borne, STARK blasted onto the NYC scene in 2003, Before that, it’s 3 original members spent a year and a half kicking around together at open mics and playing together in a couple of other bands. STARK then formed and played the NYC club scene for 4 years with Lani always out front, busting up the norm and lifting hearts everywhere with her dirty, intelligent, harsh, honest, and funny lyrics and huge voice. In 2004, the band recorded its debut CD “The Curse”, instantly making fans out of big players in the NYC rock and roll scene and beyond from Patti Rothberg to Handsome Dick Manitoba with the music they call Punk-try. With a growing support base, international airplay, and sheer determination, Lani welcomed Josette and Sweet Rob Endemann into the fold. In 2006, STARK became harder and more punked out with fun, dark, groove-based songs that will blow your dress up! STARK has teamed up with JBTC Entertainment for tour management.

“STARK featuring Lani Ford has style. Lani has a wonderful, deep sexy voice. This is a knockout CD. Rich and heartfelt that reflects her cool Texas heritage. You can hear a wonderful twang in the painful lyrics. "The Curse" brings it all home. A definite must in any sound station.”-- New York Waste

STARK is a New York City rock trio with old school roots and original tunes! We make purgatory fun by sleazing up the NYC rock scene embracing our bad luck and traumatizing people everywhere we go! The party band…with feelings. STARK calls it Punk-try!

DISCOGRAPHY:

"The Curse" LP, released May, 2004

Tracks with airplay: Cryin' In The Mornin', Somewhere, White Trash Rock & Roll Diva, Summer Girl, Look at Me, Beautiful Mistake, Slut

"The Morgue The Merrier", LP, Poptown Records (2005)

Compilation CD of New York City Bands--featuring STARK’s song "Slut"

"Live at CMJ", EP, limited release 2005

"Lani Ford Acoustic Live", EP, limited release 2006

STARK’s CD "The Curse" is available at:

CDBaby.com

Apple itunes

Virgin Megastore

Subterranean Records and Cds

Bleecker Bob's

NYC Hardcore Tattoos

Amazon

TowerRecords

May 2004 New York Waste magazine–Starr Tucker:

“STARK featuring Lani Ford has style. Lani has a wonderful deep, sexy voice. This is a knock out CD. Rich and heartfelt that reflects her cool Texas heritage. You can hear a wonderful twang in the painful lyrics. The Curse brings it all home. A definite must in any sound station.”

AWARDS:

ASCAP Songwriting Award 2005 (Lani Ford)

ASCAP Songwriting Award 2006 (Lani Ford)

Featured Artist on Treblenation.com 2007

The Deli, Summer 2004

“Leading lady Lani Ford, nursing a serious Chrissie Hynde infection, has got an impressive set of pipes. Ranting female orgasm slut speak, she has the kind of mouth that Tipper would love to slap a sticker over. A little bit honky-tonk, from the Lone Star state.”-- Maria Schettino

SA Express-News, March 9, 2007

“There's nothing subtle about STARK. Led by Texas-bred, New York-based singer, songwriter and bassist Lani Ford. The trio plays all-out brassy rock. STARK's ‘The Curse’ includes songs such as ‘Wrong Guy’ and ‘Slut’ that won't get aired on commercial radio (or non-commercial radio, for that matter) but will fire up crowds.”-- Jim Beal, Jr.

PRESS:

The New York Waste Magazine

The New York Post

The New York Daily News (Featured 2006)

The Deli (NY)

Village Voice (NY)

More Sugar (NY)

San Antonio Express-News (TX)

WNYW, Fox 5-TV, New York

WGBB, Long Island

WPLJ-FM, New York

Go Girls Music Website

Bassgirls Website

WXPK-FM, Westchester

New York Sugarzine

Black Angel Promotions

Horrorwood Babbleon Website

RADIO:

WBAB's Homegrown show with Fingers (Long Island, NY)

WGBB (Long Island, NY)

ISON LIVE RADIO (ILR), Australia

WXPK (Westchester, NY)

WDTS in Georgetown, DE (CMJ/Top 30)

WRPI in Troy, NY (CMJ/Loud Rock report)

College/non-commercial radio: Cuts from “The Curse” can be heard on over 50 stations throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia

TV:

WNYW, Fox 5-TV (New York City)

Mark After Dark (NY)

Mango TV (NY)

Vidocity (NY)

Indigo TV (NY)

ILR (Australia) INTERNET:

From Mango-TV's Peter Barnard:

"Check out STARK tonight at CBGB's to hear cool songs about death, pot and fucking."

FILM:

Fillbilly--"Cryin' in the Mornin'" (2007)

Zombie Cult Massacre (Lani Ford co-wrote “I’m Evil”) 1996

INTERNET:

Indie Limelight Show (Indie Artist Radio)

www.wnyu.org

Crystal Blue Radio

Local Music Now Radio

Podrama (DJ Burnout)

'nette radio (Dallas)

Roots Rock Radio

Indie Music Explosion

Radio X

Radio Gets Wild (UK)

Music-Islands (Japan)

Wild West Rocks Radio

“’Explicit lyrics’ and ‘hard rock’ don’t begin to cover Stark’s full-length CD, ‘The Curse’. Scorching guitar licks, screaming yet melodic vocals, and driving bass lines make this an irresistible CD. The CD covers the gamut of feelings a sexually liberated woman feels over the course of a bad relationship from horny to angry to sad to glad-to-be-free. A couple of tracks show the band’s softer side and its wide range. Pick this one up if you want to let out your wild child and cruise around with the girls.” --GoGirlsMusic.com

SHOWCASES:

CMJ 2005

Battle of the GoGirls 2006

Girls Rock and Girls Rule 2006

GoGirls Invasion of SXSW 2007

Payback I and II, 2006 (Strike First Music Corporation)

Trainwreck 2007 (SFMC)

Summer 2004 New York Waste magazine:

“CD Release parties! The best one so far, this year, has to have been for STARK’s new release, The Curse. Lani Ford bounced back from an emergency appendectomy with energy and life to spare, giving a really burning performance. If Debby Harry had been there she could have satisfied herself that the rock music she believed in was in good hands.”—Mighty Aphrodite

SPONSORS & ENDORSEMENTS:

Sam Ash

GoGirls Music

Woman Rock

Bass Girls

Girls Rock and Girls Rule

Rock Star

March 2004 New York Waste magazine:

STARK, fronted by the tremendous Lani Ford, was a wet and down deep, dirty-sweet sound experience.”—The Mighty Afrodite

NEW YORK CITY CLUBS (selected few):

CGBG’s

Don Hill’s

Arlene’s Grocery

Continental

The C-Note

Meow Mix

Otto’s Shrunken Head

Knitting Factory

Kenny’s Castaways

Pianos

Snitch

Scenic

Tobacco Road

Hogs & Heifers

More Sugar, March 2007

"In a nutshell, if you combine Joan Jett and Shania Twain and a dash of NYC attitude, you have Lani's vocals. Meanwhile, Josette with her Les Paul just plays some of the best licks I have heard.”-- Bob Schaffer

TOURS:

Amsterdam, Netherlands

New York State

Maine

Texas

New Jersey

CHARITIES:

Habitat For Humanity Women Build SuffolK County

Red Cross

Caring Bridge

The Kids Rock

Hep-C Awareness

Blank-Fest X 2006

Porn4Peace Darfur Benefit 2007

Princeton Hospital June Fete Benefit 2007

ASCAP (Kicking and Screaming Music)

SAG/AFTRA

On "THE CURSE", Dylan Grewen played guitar and wrote White Trash R & R Diva, Greg Schiff played drums, Lani Ford played bass, sang and wrote the 12 remaining songs.

Average Customer Review: