A Chat with The Star Prairie Project (30.04.24)
The brainchild of songwriter Nolen Chew Jr, The Star Prairie Project has been described as eclectic, masterful, captivating and “a great experience that you are going to love” (Which Coast). Joined by various musicians across the globe, this music collective weaves insightful lyricism into moving melodies. We speak with founder Nolen Chew Jr about their latest album The Shining Ones, what music means to him, future plans and much more.
OSR: How did The Star Prairie Project come about?
Chew: The Star Prairie Project started in 2014 when I began recording my original songs in my friend’s house. He had assembled a homemade studio in his basement, nothing fancy but very functional. I’d use local vocalists and musicians to help record my songs, guys I had met through these Thursday night jams that took place in the village of Star Prairie. We had hit it off on stage, so it made sense to include them.
We made a couple of CDs like that and had a lot of fun but never released the music on streaming platforms. In 2019, I decided to take The Star Prairie Project to the next level and hire professional vocalists, session musicians and producers. This is how I met Rudiger and Marcello Vieira, and in 2020 we released our first album together Panacea! Six albums later here we are.
OSR: You released your album The Shining Ones a week or so ago. What can you tell us about the album? Is there a particular concept or theme?
Chew: The concept of the album emerged over the winter of 2023. We literally started from scratch, with a clean slate. We wanted to write a concept album that dealt with the legend of The Shining Ones, featuring pre-diluvian societies and ancient shamanic priests. This was done to examine the boundaries of our firmly established core beliefs. Did our history happen the way it’s written? Or is it merely a collection of facts that the ruling elite wanted us to believe?
The myth of The Shining Ones suggests that there were others who existed alongside us in the ancient past. These were mysterious, advanced beings that were human-like, but not quite human. These beings helped us repeatedly over time and emerged from the seas to assist humanity after the cataclysm. Some sources claim they may have had a role in our creation. They are known as Angels, Annunaki, Elohim, Watchers, Feathered Serpents and by many other names and appear in fragments of the Bible, especially in The Book of Enoch and other apocryphal literature.
The Shining Ones is a very spiritual topic that requires a lot of self-awareness and curiosity from the listener. In fact, to be able to write the songs, I also had to let go of my beliefs and assumptions. The logic was that if I didn’t, how was I ever going to be able to get the job done? So, when the album was taking shape, I would meditate before each writing session. After meditation, I’d quickly pick up my guitar before my physical senses had fully awoken and see what came flowing to me out of that relaxed state. And voilà, the result is the thirteen-song concept album we’re discussing.
OSR: If you could change one thing about The Shining Ones, what would it be and why?
Chew: Hmm … that’s an interesting question. I say that because nothing immediately comes to mind. In fact, I know there isn’t anything I would do differently. I’m pleased with the album just as it is. I’d like to see it made into a musical however! I think it has great potential as a show. Having said that, the album does a good job standing on its own. I think all the songs on the album can exist on their own as well. If you listen to all the pre-release singles off the album, you’ll release that you can listen to them separately and you can listen to them as part of a whole. I think this is why they’ve been so popular on Spotify, having gained hundreds of thousands of streams already. I think the featured song from the album, ‘I’ll Fly Away’ and the accompanying music video is my personal favourite.
In fact, thinking about this now, there are thirteen songs on the album, so there’s plenty of material there, but I guess if I’d change anything, I’d make The Shining Ones a double album and add another half a dozen songs or so. But you know, had we taken that approach, it might have been too much of a good thing. How many times have you listened to The Beatles’ White Album in one sitting? Or The Who’s Tommy? Now, in this more compact incarnation, The Shining Ones is easier to digest and take in and perhaps, considering its message, that’s more important than rocking a tad longer. Sometimes less is more. Hard to say. I don’t know. I love it the way it is!
OSR: What do you hope people take from The Shining Ones, and what does the album mean to you?
Chew: I hope listeners will give it a serious listen. It’s a concept album, so as I sort of just implied, it’s designed to be listened to as a collective whole. That said, music is all about playlists and individual songs these days, which is why it’s so important that the individual songs stand on their own.
Here’s what this rock’n’roll doctor would recommend! Settled down on your favourite chair with a beverage, queue up The Shining Ones, put on your headphones, press play and go on a journey deep inside your mind. Personally, this album means a lot to me because it has set me on a personal quest for these deeper mysteries. I’m exploring them now through the medium of music and lyrics. The story of The Shining Ones is historic, actually pre-historic, and ancient in a metaphysical sense. And what it has taught me is that if we always accept the truth exactly how it is presented to us and don’t question it, we will never truly understand what is happening around us or where we are headed.
OSR: If you were to introduce a new listener to The Star Prairie Project, which song would you recommend?
Chew: That’s a great question. It’s so hard to recommend one song because our body of work is so diverse. If I were to recommend one right now, I’d say our song ‘Music is Gnosis’ off the new album. It’s an eclectic song that talks about the power of music and its ancient existence with man. The song is soothing and enigmatic and sends out a clear message: Man and music go hand in hand and can together reach for a higher realm!
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Chew: Well, I believe music is gnosis. Just like the song says. All existence sprang from sound, the sound of creation. For instance, it’s fascinating to examine the connection between music and math and sacred geometry. Name a civilization that did not practice music. There’s music in the rhythm of our heartbeats, our breathing and the vibration of our vocal chords.
I entered into my music career after I was 50. I had been an avid listener my entire life and spent decades listening to thousands and thousands of songs. For years I wrote poetry but never music to go along with that. When I learned to play guitar and write songs, I immediately realized that I’d spend the rest of my life putting poetry to music. I had so many songs inside me. Still do! They need to be expressed and shared.
OSR: What makes The Star Prairie Project unique?
Chew: I think we’re unique for a couple of reasons. First, we are a recording project, not your traditional band. Second, we cross over several music genres. It is not uncommon for artists to cross over from their primary genre, but it is unusual to have four songs featured on four different Spotify Editorial playlists, each representing different genres (pop, folk, rock and country). We’re also a music project that represents artists internationally. Currently, The Star Prairie Project consists of members from the United States and Portugal and I’m also working with Tom Tikka on a project and Tom’s living in Finland.
OSR: Has your taste in music changed in the last 10 years? If yes, how?
Chew: I think my taste in music has changed in the last ten years. I think indie music has influenced me a great deal. I’ll listen to a lot more country, folk and acoustic now than I used to. And though I’ve always enjoyed rock, the range of rock that I listen to these days has gotten a lot broader. But nothing has surprised me more than the musical affair I’m having with pop! I’ve enjoyed working with Ivy Marie on some indie-pop recently and it’s been invigorating. I never saw that coming, but I enjoy those songs very much.
OSR: What is the strangest food you have ever eaten? Also, did you enjoy it?
Chew: I ate rattlesnake once in Tuscon. It was good. Sort of tasted like chicken.
OSR: What can we expect from The Star Prairie Project in the future?
Chew: Right now, I’m involved in a couple of fun projects. I’m finishing up an album with Rudiger and Ivy Marie called Little Gems. It’s a collection of Americana and indie-pop songs. I have ten songs complete, and I think we’ll probably add two more. It’s similar in style to our previous album New Day at Dawn.
I’m also involved with Tom Tikka on an album that started out with a couple of singles and has now evolved into a full-length album. We have about five songs complete now and the album is starting to take shape. There are a couple of songs Tom and I have written that I’m really excited about. In addition, Marcello Vieira, Ricardo Dikk and I are in the planning stages of a new album that is going to be really exciting. So, stay tuned because there is a lot happening.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Chew: It’s all about the music! The music is my message. Without listeners the music is worthless. A heartfelt thank you to our fans. Those of you that listen to our music and those of you who are just discovering it now. Thank you!
Many thanks to Nolen Chew Jr for speaking with us! Find out more about The Star Prairie Project on their official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
