Several days ago, we made the decision to free Jason Ross Martin from his role and responsibilities within oddSTAR. The factors that contribute to such a decision are varied and complex and are never taken lightly, but we remain confident that this will be the best arrangement for both the band and for Jason personally. Some of the underlying considerations included fundamental stylistic differences as well as inconsistent visions for the future direction and focus of oddSTAR. Despite those considerations, the split was amicable and, as it turns out, mutual. We feel confident that we have all learned and grown as a result of our collaboration over the past year. However, we also ultimately realized that additional support on guitar is no longer a requirement for the band at this point in our development.
In fact, oddSTAR performed at Asheville's Black Ball over the weekend and, based on our own appraisal and the warm response we received, we were quite pleased with the result. Ryan picked up a few additional duties on guitar to compensate, and the net effect was one of the best oddSTAR performances in recent memory. I am confident that those in attendance can attest to the fact that nothing was obviously lacking in our overall sound...which is exactly what we were hoping.
As for Jason, he is a very talented individual in his own right, yet some of his greatest talents were underutilized in the context of oddSTAR. It is our hope that he will now have more time to devote to expanding his own artistic endeavors and we strongly encourage you to support him in his solo efforts. You can catch him performing his own act at Cinebarre in Asheville this coming Saturday (6/27/09) and again at the Boiler Room on August 22nd. Keep up with him on his MySpace page at: http://www.myspace.com/jasonrossmartin