Casio’s Cut Podcast Episode #118: Dustin Bates of Starset

Casio talks to Dustin Bates of the Band Starset, live at Sidetracks Music Hall in Huntsville, Alabama Starset was formed in 2013 by Downplay vocalist Dustin Bates, who is also the band’s lead singer, songwriter, and keyboardist. Bates’ interest in astronomy was first fueled when acquiring his masters in electrical engineering as he studied at Ohio University. He completed research for the US Air Force and also taught at the International Space University. Bates created the fictional backstory for the band that forms the thematic basis for their music and multimedia. In the backstory, Starset was formed as part of a public outreach initiative by The Starset Society. The Society’s aims were to alert the public about the contents of “the Message“ the society obtained from a mysterious signal from space. Starset treats their backstory and The Starset Society as real in interviews, with few exceptions.