Jag Star, a band featured on MTV’s hit reality show, “The Hills,” dropped by for a concert at Gatsby’s Friday night. The lead singer, Sarah Lewis, from Knoxville, is featured in the March edition of Seventeen Magazine and is currently the new “Fresh Face” girl for the Wet n’ Wild cosmetics.
MTV’s producers have used Jag Star’s music in several other MTV shows such as Laguna Beach and The Real World. ABC has also has placed their songs in the hit ABC Family show “Beautiful People.”
“It is great exposure for the band. Most of our fan base comes from the shows,” says Lewis.
“Jag Star began as a hobby, and then became something big,” says Lewis. They began in the summer of 1998 and released their first album titled “The Beginning.” They have released four albums since their career began. Their latest album, “The Best Impression of Sanity,” was given rave reviews from Vanity Fair, Enigma, and Metropulse.
Lewis said that she came up with the name of the band by the actual meanings of the words Jag Star.
“Jag Star means a girl just singing to herself in her room, which isn’t a well known fact.” says Lewis.
This sums up the kind of music that the band plays. An indie pop mix that everyone loves to listen, and sing to while they are in their rooms.
Jag Star was accompanied by another band from Knoxville, called Thoroughfare.
Thoroughfare was formed in 2004, and has just released their first CD called “Portrait of a Daydream.” They are signed to the Allure Media Group label. “Making Portrait of a Daydream was intense and easy at the same time,” says lead vocalist Jordan Beach
Their song “Candace” was an immediate regional hit. Beach said that, “musically and lyrically, the material we’re writing today has more substance . they’re not just catchy tunes, we’re singing about our lives, and our experiences.”
They just recently worked with Grammy nominated producer David Ivory, who has helped produce albums for the Roots, Erykah Badu.
You can check out Jag Star by going to www.jagstar.com, or go to their MySpace at www.myspace.com/jagstar
Their CD is available on their website and can be purchased at Cats Music Locations, and Knoxville Disc Exchange.
Their songs are also featured on the Hills soundtrack as well, which is available at www.mtv.com.
Thoroughfare can be contacted at www.thoroughfareband.com or though their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/thoroughfare.

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