The Starlight Set – “Motels of Wildwood”
Americana Highways brings you this premiere of The Starlight Set’s song “Motels of Wildwood” from their forthcoming album More Than A Touch of Class, which is set for release March 21. The Starlight Set is a new alias for a particular by Phil Gammage, who produced, engineered and mastered the album, which was recorded at Chelsea Studios in NY, NY.
“Motels of Wildwood” is Phil Gammage on vocals, guitar, bass, and harmonica. Anybody familiar with the Jersey Shore? This song is a tribute to the town of Wildwood out there. We had a brief chat with Phil about the song.
Of the song, Phil tells Americana Highways: “‘Motels of Wildwood’ is a romantic and nostalgic song about the Jersey Shore town of Wildwood. The Shore is one of my favorite places to visit in the summer, and I sought to catch its vibe. The recording is me the one man band … I’m playing everything, wrote the song, and produced it.
“The new album from which the song comes is More than a Touch of Class from my side project The Starlight Set. It drops March 21 and is inspired by the lounge, exotica, and pop music of the 1960s and 70s – all presented with a modern sensibility and sense of humor. Think rat pack, femmes fatales, dark streets, crime jazz, smoky lounges, potent martinis, etc.
“I love this stye of music and have been writing these kinds of songs for years. After penning a few more last year, I decided to launch the side project with the release of this album. It’s fun music, and evokes a fun era.
“So take a sip of your highball, remember the good times, and give a listen to ‘Motels of Wildwood.'”
Phil, as The Starlight Set, is creating within a unique niche of nostalgic music. It’s a sort of musical continuation of “noir” into the ’60s, with loungey seductresses, cigars and martinis, and shadowy gambling joints. You can picture a Dragnet episode crackling in the background of this song of summertime and drama. “Up and down the board walk on bicycles til noon, we’d lay on the beach all the afternoon…”
Order: https://thestarlightset.hearnow.com/more-than-a-touch-of-class
Pre-save: https://philgammage.bandcamp.com/album/more-than-a-touch-of-class-album
Purchase of the album More than a Touch of Class at Bandcamp includes three exclusive bonus tracks.
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Phil Gammage “Redeemed”