by Kenyon Hopkin
Portland, OR's Stars of Track and Field made the adjustment from an indie rock quartet to a rock trio with electronic pop flourishes before their debut EP, You Came Here for Sunset Last Year, produced by Tony Lash (the Dandy Warhols, Elliott Smith) and Jeff Saltzman (Stephen Malkmus) was released in May 2005. A full record, Centuries Before Love and War, was originally scheduled for release in June 2006 on Sidecho, but was held back after the band -- Kevin Calaba (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Jason Bell (guitar, vocals), and Daniel Orvik (drums, programming) -- signed a three-record deal with Wind-Up, known for such big names as Creed and Evanescence. Another big break for Stars of Track and Field came when they went on tour with Jeremy Enigk of Sunny Day Real Estate in summer 2006.