The Georgia Straight
Single review in “Van Jams” column
November 7, 2025
“Pile of Ash” is proof that sometimes, simple ideas are the best ones….an indie-rock song with a hint of haze, clear-eyed and catchy with just the right amount of spice.
Quockerwodger Media
Instagram spotlight
October 13, 2025
Meet John Lucas: writer, musician, and frontperson of The Starling Effect — a Vancouver indie-rock quartet pulling from classic alternative, post-punk, and shoegaze.
UNSIGNED BC
Live performance and interview
September 13, 2025
Includes “unplugged” performances of “Pile of Ash”, “Farmhouse”, and “The Killing Moon” (cover of Echo and the Bunnymen).
Support the Scene
Q&A
February 28, 2025
Musically, we have a number of touchstones that reflect our varied individual backgrounds and influences, from prog to punk to shoegaze, but if I had to sum it all up, I would say we’re a melodic indie-rock band with a penchant for atmosphere and dynamics and a fondness for effects pedals.
Wham! Bam! EAST VAN!
Video interview
Posted to YouTube on November 25, 2024
Video version of the CJSF interview posted below.
Wham! Bam! EAST VAN!
Pre-recorded interview on CJSF
November 7, 2024
DJ Medy meets John, Alex, and Greg at Starling Effect HQ to chat about music, shoegazing, and even shoes.
PARTS UNKNOWN
Pre-recorded interview on CiTR
September 2, 2024
John discusses the history of the band and reflects on his time as a music journalist with Parts Unknown host Chris-a-riffic.
UNSIGNED BC
Live performance and interview
June 29, 2024
Includes “unplugged” performances of “A Strange Habit of Disappearing”, “Home (When the World Is Noise)”, and “Blueskiesgrey”.
INDIE MUSIC DISCOVERY
Q&A with Joshua Smotherman
May 7, 2024
In this interview spotlight, I chat with The Starling Effect about their latest project (A Strange Habit of Disappearing), AI in music, dream collabs, and more…
VANCOUVER GUARDIAN
Five Minutes With the Starling Effect
May 3, 2024
True musical chemistry is elusive. It’s that almost magical balance of discipline and freedom that lets you walk out onto a limb, sonically speaking, with full confidence that someone will be there to catch you if and when the bough breaks. It’s a precious thing, and it explains why certain musicians choose to work with each other time and again. Take the Starling Effect as an example…
THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT
What’s in Your Fridge?
April 18, 2024
What’s In Your Fridge is where the Straight asks interesting Vancouverites about their life-changing concerts, favourite albums, and, most importantly, what’s sitting beside the Heinz ketchup in their custom-made Big Chill Retropolitan 20.6-cubic-foot refrigerators.
ALIENATED IN VANCOUVER
Interview with Allan MacInnis
April 15, 2024
The tone is more epic and sweeping, there’s not much hint of Springsteen (who can be heard creeping into the Dream Syndicate’s sound), and there’s more of a spacy shoegaze quality to the music, but lyrics like “Now you’re in another place/ No one knows quite where” seem very Steve Wynn-like…
CANADIAN BEATS
Five Questions With the Starling Effect
April 15, 2024
The Starling Effect has unveiled their highly anticipated digital single, “A Strange Habit of Disappearing” b/w “Blueskiesgrey.” The Vancouver-based band is poised to make waves in the music scene once again…
THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT
Interview with Allan MacInnis
December 12, 2019
The Starling Effect is an evocative name. It suggests something that happens to the environment whenever there are too many starlings around, or perhaps the means by which a murmuration of said birds co-ordinates its flight…
MAKE A SCENE CANADA
Podcast hosted by Cherelle Jardine
November 5, 2019
Cherelle interviews John about the band…finds out what the name means and it’s very cool btw, plays a new track and on top of it all, you get to find out where and when they’re playing locally...
The Starling Effect 