The Starters is an indie-Motown-rock band from Los Angeles, created by brothers John and Paul Ferrigno and Blakely Berger. Their live L.A. shows in the mid-2000s caught audiences by surprise, featuring a Memphis-style horn section and set lists that included James Brown and Stevie Wonder tunes sprinkled in with their own songs. In 2007 they recorded their first CD, The Starters, in their Santa Monica rehearsal room. The songs revolved around catchy melodies, Motown-inspired bass lines, and punchy horns. The 2013 release of the CD Soul Clap Its Hands takes the Motown and Memphis soul elements even further, both in writing style and production. If you know what to listen for, you’ll hear the musical references to Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, and Marvin Gaye. The Starters recorded and mixed Soul with the talented Pierre de Reeder, bassist of Rilo Kiley, who has recording, mixing, and producing credits with Jenny Lewis, She & Him, Vampire Weekend, and Julian Casablancas. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.