I walked into the colorful and dramatically lit club, Purgatory, in Brooklyn. Everything about the space screamed Bushwick— offbeat aesthetic, yet not lacking any cool whatsoever. Daytona Starsky was performing tonight for an arriving crowd. I had the pleasure of briefly speaking with both him and his management. More on his album, Reality Station, and live performance at Purgatory below.
Reality Station begins with distorted sounds that wobble and pan like a train approaching on the intro “En trance,” before moving into the funk sounds of “Mr. Action.”
With all the production around Daytona’s voice, his punchy, clear vocals still shine through as the main act, striking a delicate balance between style and talent.
Daytona Starsky’s voice sounds as if he is comfortable also singing other genres as well, or may have begun his career doing so—-in some ways reminiscent of multi-talented acts like Lenny Kravitz, Pink, or Pharrell. Overall, Reality Station is a consistent mixture of mainly pop-rock, hip-hop soul and funk, with moments of rnb vocals––my personal favorite track from the album being “Movie Star.”
From his album cover and music production to his live performance, Daytona Starky’s image is very polished. After speaking with his manager Rich Morales, it became clear that Starky’s apparent ‘readiness’ isn’t a coincidence. My conversation with Rich and Daytona below.
(Rich walks over to the bar to meet me)
Rich Morales (Manager): Thank you for coming out to the show.
Roderick Thomas: It’s my pleasure
RT: I’m excited to see the show. Why this venue though?
Rich Morales (Manager): We wanted to do something intimate, but also fit the ecclectic feeling of the music.
(Daytona Starsky approaches the bar after his sound check)
RT: Hi Daytona, congrats on the album. You’re very talented. How did Reality Station come about?
Daytona: Hi! Thank you. We spent five years working on the music, and honing in on the right feeling. This wasn’t an overnight process. Also, the pandemic was an opportunity for me to be creative and make something meaningful.
RT: Rich, artist development isn’t as common these days, but it’s clear you and Daytona have worked on the music and its overall presentation.
Rich Morales (Manager): We took our time, the music definitely evolved. We could have put out a project earlier, which would have leaned more hip-hop, but it wouldn’t have been what it is today, nor would it fully represent Daytona as a musician and artist.
RT: Some artists thrive in the digital space, but don’t have the same impact live. Daytona, how important is live performance to you?
Daytona: Live performance is crucial. The studio is one thing, but a live show is an opportunity to let the music be heard in a different way.
RT: I heard that Daytona Starsky is actually your real name
Daytona: [laughs] It is.
RT: [laughs] You were born for showbiz. Well, Daytona I’m excited to see your show.
Daytona: Thank you for coming, I hope you enjoy it.
(Daytona walks upstairs)
About 20 minutes later, I walked upstairs to the see Daytona perform. The opening act was closing and the crowd was steadily growing in numbers. Purple lights bounced off the walls and lit the stage, Daytona and his band were ready, and shortly after a brief mic check, the music began. Immediately, I was impressed by his stage presence, skill as a guitarist and live vocalist. He sounded just as good as the recorded versions of his songs, perhaps even more boisterous and aggressive.
Daytona starsky performed what must have been a nearly hour-long set to an attentive and engaged crowd. Everyone, including myself, fixated on him and his band, as we listened to the music emanating from the stage and vibrating off the walls in the packed space. His live performance gave a new perspective to his album, and demonstrated that he has star power—-the coveted “it factor.”
Reality Station is a well-crafted, cohesive body of work that possibly marks the beginning of a very long and successful career for Daytona. Check out Reality Station by Daytona Starsky on streaming platforms.
Author
Roderick Thomas is an NYC based writer filmmaker
