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Oshkosh – When they became friends, they were “two goofballs” in Fond du Lac’s middle school jazz band.
As alternative pop duo The Astronomers, they were FaceTiming each other in dorm rooms on the two campuses of the University of Wisconsin, 160 miles apart, as they worked to get the band back on track in 2019. I started listening to their music on WIXX-FM. Record label and watch monthly listeners on Spotify skyrocket to 700,000.
“It grew quickly,” says Baker. “There was never really an end goal. It’s always about how far you can go.”
They released their debut full-length album “The Occasion” on November 4th. I bought my first van in December. A 1999 Ford E-150 van, Stensland calls it “vintage look and sound.” They named it Howie (as in “How to Get a Place”) and toured with his manager Jack Lindahl at the wheel, launching its first tour outside Wisconsin in 2023, primarily in Ohio. Played at his 200-person venues in states, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Iowa.
The series of dates included three shows at The Rock Boat XXII. This was a voyage that set sail from Miami to the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Passenger votes secured The Astronomers a spot in a line-up featuring national acts like Sister Hazel, Need to Breathe and Neon Trees.
In Minnesota they played at 7th St. Entry. This is a smaller, more intimate venue connected to the iconic music club First Avenue.
“We had never been to Minneapolis, so it was really crazy to see 200 people who knew the lyrics and were fans,” said Baker. “People came up to us and said they were going to get a tattoo of our lyrics and showed us the drawings they had done for us. , all these cool stories about how they found our music.”
The infectious and catchy “Overthinking” that helped launch The Astronomers when it hit #1 in Top 9 @ 9 Top 9 on Northeast Wisconsin’s mighty radio station WIXX this Christmas 2020 Songs like have cultivated fan bases of all ages.
“It’s not just younger audiences,” said Baker. “Moms and dads come with their kids and they’re fans. Wild.”
Ahead of an April 1 concert at Green Bay’s Meyer Theater with Ike Holtzman on bass and Josh Guy on drums, Baker and Stensland are proud of their hometown, UW-Oshkosh Roots, And we talked about why they do that. Click as a duo.
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Dorm Year Begins in UW-Platteville and UW-Oshkosh
Their first musical connection was in a junior high school jazz band that played saxophone.
“We were kind of two goons in the sense that we like playing good notes and don’t really care about anything else.
They were in a cover band together at a high school called Orange Afternoon, but when Baker went to the University of Wisconsin-Plattville to study construction management and Stenslund went to Oshkosh College for a radio TV film, The band eventually went to the roadside.
Back in high school, Baker, who was doing solo work creating copyright-free instrumentals for the gaming community, wanted to start a duo to make music with lyrics. He contacted Stensland and the Astronomers were born. They’re named after his 2018 solo song titled “The Astronomer,” which Baker published on his YouTube and his Spotify.
They worked on music via FaceTime in that first year, became roommates, and set up a studio in their dorm until Baker transferred to UWO. It was a game changer for them. Music has become a daily endeavor.
The secret to success as a duo
“We work well together because we know what each other is good at,” says Stensland.
While they’ve been learning since the beginning, Baker has honed his production skills behind the computer with Logic Pro software. Stensland devoted himself to writing songs and lyrics. They both worked hard for a long time.
“It created a lot of fluidity within the group. I made it.
That creative process has evolved over the years and now both feel comfortable on both sides of the process. It takes over and provides insight into the lyrics.
They released two EPs last year, ‘Thinking Ships and Story Tales’ and ‘Guess It’s Just Life’, before their ‘The Occasion’ album.
Make music and be proud of Fond du Lac’s hometown
I often see comments on social media and YouTube channels about how the Astronomers put Fond du Lac on the musical map and are proud of their hometown. They didn’t come into the project with that intention, but they say it’s always been about making music and they love it.
“If there are enough people who support us and think of us as such, we will be truly grateful and humbled. We will not hide that we are from Fond du. Rack. We respect that very much and make it a part of us.”
A busy summer of shows is coming, but first is the graduation ceremony.
A year ago, The Astronomers had about 30,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. That number ballooned to 692,000 thanks to songs like “Skywalking,” “Hotel Rooms,” and “Bad Type.” They recognize that many people remain happy. With Baker graduating from his UWO in May 2022 and Stensland graduating in May of this year, the two are looking forward to dedicating themselves to music full-time.
“Really put your head down and start working really hard to make this happen,” Baker said.
They have shows scheduled throughout the summer in Wisconsin, the Midwest, and possibly the West Coast, but have yet to announce a schedule. They also met with record labels and got other parties interested. A far cry from the early days of FaceTime.
“It’s great to see how far it has come,” Stensland said. “It’s a very complete circle.”
Fish with the Arts Fishing Club at the Mayor Theater
The Astronomers will open at The Arts Fishing Club in Nashville, Tennessee and play April 1 at 7:30 PM at 117 Washington Street at the S. Mayer Theater. The box office of the Resch Center. $25 for his day on the show.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or her kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. follow her on her twitter @Kendra Meinert.
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