Shooting Star to rock The Horny Toad this weekend

By Randall Yelverton/LakeExpo.com
Published: Friday, August 28, 2009 12:11 AM CDT

The Horny Toad Entertainment Complex is bringing long running rockers Shooting Star to the lake this Sunday. Led by vocalist/guitarist Van McLain, Kansas City’s own Shooting Star has been thrilling audiences with their rock anthems since their formation in the late 70s. Notable Shooting Star songs include MTV hit “Touch Me Tonight,” “Summer Sun,” and rock cautionary tale “Hollywood.”

McLain, like many rockers before him, experienced an epiphany while watching the seminal 1964 Beatles appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. With dreams of rock stardom, six-year-old Van and neighbor Ron Verlin began playing along to Beatles records. While in high school, the two formed a 50s cover band to capitalize on the nostalgia for the bobby sox era. With names inspired by Billy Haley and the Comets, the two formed The Shooting Stars featuring back-up dancers The Galaxies (no longer with the band.)

The group put together a demo of original songs which landed them a record deal with London-based Arista records. In a 2005 interview, McLain describes what happened next: “.We did a demo of a song I had written called “Take the Money and Run.” Arista/Bell records signed us on the strength of that song and we recorded a single... About three weeks before it was to be released Steve Miller came out with his song ‘Take the Money and Run,’ same title different song, and that killed our record deal.”

McLain and Verlin returned to Kansas City and the now renamed Shooting Star became the first American artists to land a record deal with Virigin Records.

Shooting Star became a staple of the newly formed Album Oriented Radio (AOR) known for its reliance on deep cuts off rock records. AOR fans embraced Shooting Star songs like the Moody Blues-inspired “Last Chance” and the violin-centric “Tonight.” The band’s songs, particularly on their first album, are notable for the distinct sound of electronic violin in solos and as a backing instrument. Shooting Star continued to record throughout the 80s, but finally broke up in 1987 after many years of recording and touring.

The group reformed briefly in the 90s and continued to play occasional concerts. Van McLain, after recovering from esophageal cancer, played a special concert and decided to reform the band. About the inspiring concert, McLain says, “In 1998, after I recovered, Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger and Jim Peterik of Survivor asked me to come to Chicago and play a cancer benefit for a young boy... I was so blown away with the crowd’s response to my songs that I decided to put the band back together and record another album.” The band recorded Leap of Faith which included the song “Let’s Roll,” a tribute to United 93 passenger Todd Beamer. This song was later adopted by Florida State University who made “Let’s Roll” the motto of their 2002 squad.

The band has featured many vocalists and members over the years, but McLain and Verlin are still together and rocking more than 30 years later. Shooting Star will perform 9 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 30, at the Horny Toad as part of the entertainment complex’s ongoing Benefit Concert Series. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or at Tropical Sunsations on the 1st Floor of the Horny Toad. For more information, visit ToadCove.com or contact 573-365-5620 to reserve a table for the show.

Link to original story.