Welcome to Day 2 of February's Three Stars. Yesterday we spent some time with The Hint, tomorrow we'll talk to Shortstack, and today we're featuring The Apparitions. A slight disclaimer before we get started: The Apparitions are not exactly a D.C. band. However, their lead singer lives here and the band held their album release party here last week. Since they're sure to be major presence at local venues in the coming months, we bring you The Apparitions.

The Apparitions, originally out of Lexington, Kentucky, have adopted D.C. as a second home and are making an impression on the city's musical landscape. Frontman Mark Heidinger is no stranger to the District, having previously made an impact as the bassist for D.C.'s These United States. Recently, the Apparitions introduced the world to their new LP, As This Is Futuristic, at Arlington's IOTA, though I first heard them while browsing at DC9 last Thursday. They took the stage five-strong and broke into "Electricity and Drums”, beckoning the audience with handclaps and boisterous vocal harmonies. Performing live, the band displayed an energy and chaos that the album version simply doesn’t capture; you could hear the panache and punch of the drums, each pre-chorus crack a flourish for the band's loud singing-cum-yelling.

"Motor Skills" followed the opening number, though its nasal-pop vocals on the album were toned down in the live version. On the other hand, the sound of the Apps' three guitars, uncensored by studio production, filled the room and bounced off each other. The heavy, but short-lived distorted strum of the song was paradoxically calming, each droning riff making way for another bright chorus. The club’s acoustics complemented the briskness of Heidinger's delivery without drowning out the music.

After "Cemeteries," a Franz Ferdinand send-up and their new single, the Apparitions cut into new territory. Adding their merch seller to the line-up on synthesizer, they played more danceable and spacey tunes. The song’s combination of keyboards turned up to a Theremin-high whistle and the yelling Apps, all set against the red glare of the DC9 stage, were simply surreal.They wrapped up the show with more new wave drumbeats, throwing sinuous guitar work into the mix. On the third to last song, the catchy and quick chord progressions worked the audience into a fervor that literally got the floor shaking.

The last song, “God Monkey Robot” was all about the percussion section. Carrying the first 30 seconds of the song, the Robby-Robbie duo of drums and bass laid the foundation upon which the lyrical and musical plots climbed, steadied themselves, and eventually stood tall. Before the last chorus, the guitarists’ started a hand-clap that the crowd quickly mimicked. When the clapping had spread amongst the audience, they took back to their instruments, there was a guitar screech signaling to start the charge, and the chorus finished everybody off.

Visit Them at: http://www.theapparitions.net

See Them Next: April 7th at IOTA

Questions for Mark Heidinger:

How did the band start?

The Apparitions have officially been together since late 2002 in Lexington, KY. Three of us played together in a previous band, but The Apps essentially began with recording sessions for our first, self-released record, Oxygen Think Tank. We started much like any other band, I guess... combating boredom. In Lexington there are few better things to do than pick up a guitar and write a song.

Did you guys all grow up together?

Eric Smith, one of our guitarists, and I have known each other since we were five years old. We were locker partners in 6th grade, actually... the rest of us met at different points along the way - during college and beyond...

What were your influences, and were they filtered through the music and culture of Kentucky?

Oh, most certainly. Our influences vary considerably from person to person, but most everyone in the band has a soft-spot for old country - the good kind, like Cash, Waylon, Willie, etc... Eric and Robbie Roberts (bassist/singer) actually had an impromptu "name that old country tune" kind of trivia face-off one trip and for almost an hour neither one could stump the other. I was stunned.

I cut my teeth on Michael Jackson, the Jackson 5, Madonna, etc. as a little kid and then moved on to typical classic stuff like The Beatles and Pink Floyd. By college I was really digging into a lot of newer Brit-pop and indie-rock acts, with the help of some friends of course... Drummer Robby's a Bob Dylan expert and unabashed Ramones follower from way back. Justin, our other guitarist probably leans more toward the Brit-pop side of things. I know he's a big Radiohead fan too... He's new to the band though, so I haven't learned all his dark secrets. If I catch him listening to Foghat or Journey I'll make sure we let you know...

Why did you move to DC? How do you find it? What is your work with These US like?

I moved to DC in July 2004 with my wife. She's in graduate school at Georgetown so we packed up and moved accordingly... I actually really like DC. Adjusting to the cost of living increase was a challenge, but it feels like home now. And I've been catching a lot of great local bands lately. Initially I was surprised that there weren't more live music venues in town... But there are some amazing bands in town, and that excites me..

These United States is a welcomed departure from The Apparitions. With the latter we have this wall-of-sound, many voices, triple guitar approach... It's not heavy at all really, but it's just very loud and very full. With TheseUS I get to play bass, and the concept is quite different. Jesse writes amazing lyrics, and the songs sort of play themselves. We intentionally try to keep it stripped down and simplified to emphasize the words. It's a delicate sound, but with rough edges.

Living here, what local shows and bands do you like?

Jesse and I started a collective in town called The Federal Reserve with another friend of ours - Chris Walker. Chris has a fantastic band called Kitty Hawk. I'm a big fan of all the Fed Reserve bands - Revival, Rose, TheseUs... I've got a solo project called Vandaveer that I'm partial to... Other bands... hmmm... The Bonapartes, The Nethers, Laura Burhenn, The Cassettes. I just caught The Hard Tomorrows at Galaxy Hut - that was great show... DC has a lot of great bands...

Do your bandmates have any plans to move here or elsewhere?

Not anytime soon. The Apparitions still call Kentucky home and it makes more sense to use Lexington as our base. DC has served as a viable satellite home and we'll certainly continue to bring the band here.

What inspired "God Monkey Robot" and "She Burned Out Their Eyes"? Religion, myth-making, popular consumer culture?

We have three songwriters in the band, but Robbie Roberts primarily wrote both "God Monkey Robot" and "She Burned Out Their Eyes." While the songwriting process is collective - we all pitch in and help complete ideas within the band - both songs are very much Robbie's creations. He's got a sci-fi storytelling side to him that surfaces in his songs. We've always been fascinated with the idea of the future, the influence of religion, and all things Orwellian, so these songs are just a natural extension of that interest. We actually thought about naming our band The Futurists at one point.

Pictures courtesy of Jason Hamacher~Blue Flame Media. To check out some of his other work go to The Adventures of Jason Hamacher.