Founded in 2003, SIDESTAR, a foursome made up of singer Ryan Andrews, twin brothers Thad and Ted Rask on guitar and bass, and drummer Josh Skins are a mainstay in Portland pop/rock. After hitting the scene with a few impressive shows over the summer of 2003, including The Bite of Portland and MusicFest NW, Sidestar quickly began work on their first album, “Something More”. The album is a collection of finely crafted pop/rock songs that earned Sidestar the right to claim the title of the most unapologetically mainstream rock band in Portland. Sidestar took advantage of this angle and since the release of their debut album in 2004, Sidestar has been busy riding the wave of success, touring and enjoying national radio airplay.

Performer Magazine - West Coast

Sidestar – Something More

Since the release of their album Something More, Sidestar have found much success in venues with their radio-friendly style of pop-rock. They open their album with the upbeat song “Take Me Out” that screams it’s the weekend and time to rip up the town. It’s got a poppy energy to the beat and the pacing is nice with an alteration between fast, bang-in-your-face rhythm and a few lows of mellow, laid-back reflection. Another zinger on the track listing is “Lose Ourselves.” Besides just being a great tune, it was the first song the band wrote when they came together for their very first practice. If this was the first song that they put together, just imagine what’s to come with their next album after they’ve toured and had some more experience with recording. It’s just the beginning folks: although they’ve set quite the freshman standard for themselves, it can only go up from here.
For a band that is just about two years old, Sidestar are doing quite well with shows in the Northwest ranging from MusicFest NW and Cycle Oregon to playing in the Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. The boys are hoping to get out there even more this summer with exposure at colleges as well as venues up and down the west coast. Their music is perfect for those days you’re down and need a pick-me-up or one of those summer road trips or a barbeque where you’re just loving life. They put on a great stage show; you wouldn’t even guess that they’re still “freshman” in the area. If you get a chance to check them out, Sidestar is well worth your time.

NW Radio.com Review

At a recent Sidestar gig, two attractive women strategically stationed near the stage joyously shook and sang along to every word of the handful of potential hits the band blew through. The women looked like they were having the time of their lives. Listening to Sidestar’s 11-song debut Something More, it’s not hard to understand the concert-going duo’s ecstatic demeanor.

Lead singer Ryan Andrews has an incredible voice reminiscent of Robbie Williams, though Ryan sounds neither British nor so obviously in love with himself. It’s all about the range: Andrews jumps octaves like Spider-Man leaping from rooftop to rooftop. The rest of the band, twins Thad and Ted Rask on guitar and bass, respectively, and drummer Aaron Brown, provide a muscular musical backdrop for Andrews’ vocal theatrics. Think any number of fine mid-to-late ’90s alt/pop-rock radio mainstays and you won’t be too far off in your assumptions. Sidestar alternates easily between straight-ahead and mid-tempo rockers to more reflective ballads. The lion’s share of Something More’s lyrics deal with the aftermath of a doomed romance, and Andrews’ heartache is the listener’s gain.

"Take Me Out," the blazing lead-off track, shows Franz Ferdinand and the rest of the world that there’s plenty of room in the musical realm for songs with exactly the same title. And unless you have a death wish, you’ll probably prefer Sidestar’s definition of "take me out." "East L.A." tells the tale of a jaded girl who’s lost her way in an uncaring world and boasts a chorus that begs to be played at full volume, preferably while traveling in a fast car during the summertime. "Lose Ourselves," "Sweet Letting Go," and "She’s Gone" offer more of the same highly melodic, heavy-rotation-worthy radio kicks, albeit at a slightly less breathless pace.

If you’re longing for something more in your car radio or shower sing-along choices, look no further than Sidestar’s latest.