LOCAL HEROES (Westender)

Star Collector

The Sound:
Ultra-melodic mod rock, with pumped up Beatles, Oasis and Jam references.

Self-description:
"We get our bread and butter from the '60s, chees from the '70s and sauce from the '90s," says bandleader Vic Wayne.

Illuminating fact:
The band's name is borrowed from a Monkees song.

Roots:
Vic Wayne (vocals, guitar) and Steve Monteith (ditto) met a decade ago at the old South Granville White Spot, where Wayne waited tables. "He was in my section and I overheard him talking about music," recalls Wayne. "It was an instant bond." Later, the pair performed in State of Mind and dear god before arriving in Star Collector, which includes drummer Rene (Ringo) Lafleur and bassist Gary Vincent.

Recordings:
Demo Model 256, out since March 1999. "We're almost finished another one," says Wayne. "It should be out by the end of the year. We're waiting for GGGarth (Richardson) to produce again, so hopefully...."

The pain of publicity:
"We have a video (for Skyscraper) on Much Music and we've done the VTV breakfast show, which was quite painful. The wake-up call is 4:30 and the gear has to be unloaded at 5:30. YOu can only imagine what my voice sounds like at that time of the morning," says Wayne, whose pipes are deep to begin with.

On rock'n'roll parenthood:
"I exist on very little sleep on gig nights," says Wayne. "But there's nothing better than parenthood. My little boy, Julian, is the coolest kid, I swear. He's into heavier music than I am--Pearl Jam, Nirvana. He takes his little plastic guitar with him to daycare every day. We can't get it away from him."

Gigging:
Star Collector has secured a slot for the New Music West, on Thursday, May 11 at the Marine Club. Later, the band hits the Railway Club on May 27 and again July 1 with Orchid Highway.

--Tom Zillich