Genre: Hard Rock/Metal
Hometown: San Diego, CA

Starlady represents San Diego's latest contribution to the Tribute Band genre, performing original interpretations of the 1970's Doom Metal godfathers PENTAGRAM.

PENTAGRAM is widely recognized as a pioneer of their sound, cited as one of the Big Four of Doom Metal alongside Candlemass, Saint Vitus and Trouble. With an early sound not wholly unlike that of the more commercially successful Black Sabbath, PENTAGRAM rose to prominence from the early 70s through the mid-1980s. Their music experienced a resurgence in the 2010s in part due to the 2011 award-winning documentary Last Days Here, and they continue to perform and record through the present day.

Enter: Starlady, named for the song of the same name appearing on PENTAGRAM's 2004 album Show 'Em How. Starlady is a power trio comprised of Richie Hernandez (vocals, guitar) [Hippy & The Goods], David Wilburn (bass) [Red Wizard, Bedlams Edge], and Shane Kepler (drums) [Red Wizard, The Great Electric Quest], all long-time fixtures in the San Diego area music scene.

Where Starlady separates itself from many star-clones of the Tribute Band realm--who often aim to play songs picture-perfect, note-for-note--this group incorporates each member's individual musical style and creative license. Hernandez explains, "We use PENTAGRAM's music as a foundation of song structure and we sing the lyrics faithfully, but then our personal influences enter the picture. Every guitar solo is somewhat altered, of course staying true to important melodies. But Starlady often adds new sections to songs and at times improvise new melodies on the spot, channeling our members' personal influences from Jazz, Blues, and RnB within a heavy metal context."

Staying true-to-form, Starlady carefully crafts their sound by selectively choosing era-appropriate instruments and gear. By fusing together important elements of PENTAGRAM's legendary sound with creative additions brought forth by these long-time fans of the band, Starlady puts on a show that both pleases the most critical PENTAGRAM fans while also keeping each Starlady performance fresh and compelling for all audiences, night after dark night.

Bio by Wiley Koepp