If you�ve ever assembled a team, you know the importance of the intangibles. Call it chemistry, the X factor, or voodoo, but when the right people are in the right room at the right time things happen that elevate the whole beyond the sum of its parts. Chicago�s STARCH MARTINS are living proof of this principal. The core of the band is the songwriting and vision of guitarist/vocalist Dick Prall, who recorded their latest release �Dressing Up The Failure� (White Rose Recordings) with producer Rick Barnes and a cast of the best players Chicago has to offer. The CD is a hook-laden celebration of car radio rock and roll that combines driving guitars, Beatle-esque melodies, and Prall�s pure pop poetry. The band did not, however, begin to build the momentum it currently has until the current lineup (Prall, guitarist Paul Stebner, drummer Derek Crawford, and bassist Nic Bell) came together in 2002. Since then, the X factor has been in full effect, transforming four musicians into a touring and performing entity that is staking its claim as one of the front runners on the Midwest rock scene.

The bands� sound is a mix of Cheap Trick-style power pop with a touch of Replacements-ish ragged glory. It is at once timeless and up to date and has allowed STARCH MARTINS to sell 3000+ CDs on the road and through their website. The group also appears on Aware Records 2002 CD �The Aware 9 Compilation.� Live, the band sheds some studio sweetness and brings the rock instead, resulting in a live show that continually wins new fans. They are won over by the conviction and chemistry that only comes from four people wielding a common intention to connect with each person in the crowd and make them believers. STARCH MARTINS are having a good time just being the band that they are and, because of that, good things are happening to them. Give them a listen and let something good happen to you.