Kostars: The Alternative Pop-Rock Side Project That Defined a Creative Moment in the Mid-90s
Sometimes the most compelling music is born not from careful planning, but from an irresistible creative impulse. That was precisely the case with Kostars, the alternative pop-rock side project that emerged in 1995 when Luscious Jackson members Vivian Trimble and Jill Cunniff found themselves brimming with ideas that simply couldn't wait. While headlining a tour with their main band, the two musicians discovered they needed an additional outlet for their songwriting energy, and so Kostars was born.
Rather than stepping away from the tight-knit community they had built with Luscious Jackson, Trimble and Cunniff kept their creative circle close when it came time to record. The duo laid down their tracks at the home studio of Luscious Jackson drummer Kate Schellenbach, giving the sessions an intimate and collaborative atmosphere that shines through in the final product. Schellenbach herself contributed drums to the recordings, while fellow Luscious Jackson member Gabrielle Glaser added her distinctive guitar work to the mix.
The recording sessions for Kostars also became a landmark moment for another musician in the indie rock world. Josephine Wiggs, renowned as the bass player of The Breeders, took on the role of engineer and recording overseer for the project, marking her very first full-length engineering endeavor. Her involvement added yet another layer of indie credibility to the album, and the professional relationship she forged with Trimble during these sessions would later blossom into a full collaboration when the two released a self-titled album together as Dusty Trails.
Adding even more color to an already vibrant roster of collaborators, Gene and Dean Ween of the cult-favorite band Ween contributed to the recordings, giving the album an eclectic, anything-goes spirit that perfectly captured the adventurous mood of mid-90s alternative rock. The resulting album, Klassics with a "K", was released in 1996 on Grand Royal, the same label that had championed Luscious Jackson's rise to prominence. The playfully misspelled title hinted at the band's sense of humor and refusal to take themselves too seriously, even as they crafted genuinely compelling music.
Alongside Klassics with a "K", Kostars released the single Hey Cowboy, which further showcased the duo's knack for infectious, hook-driven songwriting rooted in the alternative pop-rock sound that defined so much of that era. Though the band's active years were brief, spanning only 1995 to 1996, the distribution rights to their releases were later acquired by GR2 Records, ensuring their work remained accessible to fans long after the project had run its course.
The story of Kostars carries a bittersweet weight today. On April 4, 2023, Vivian Trimble passed away at the age of 59 after a battle with cancer, leaving behind a rich musical legacy that stretched from her foundational work with Luscious Jackson to the warm creative burst that was Kostars. Her contributions to independent music, whether as a keyboardist, songwriter, or collaborator, helped shape the sound of an era and inspired countless listeners who discovered her work along the way.
