Wake Up Songs is the 7th offering from Rich Mattson and the Northstars, an American Cosmic Rock band based in the nether regions (Iron Range) of northeast Minnesota (Sparta, to be precise). The music explores the outer limits of their cosmic sound, with exploding drums, hypersonic guitars, slippery bass syrup, and soaring over the top of it, as always, the sweet harmonies of Rich Mattson and Germaine Gemberling.

Their last full-length record, "Out There," was released in 2022, followed by the 2024 single "Rendezvous With a Star" and 3-album set of solo acoustic versions from Mattson (“Spartan Tracks Vol. 1-3”). The group was invited to open for the mighty Built To Spill on a tour from Minneapolis to Pittsburgh. The new Northstars rhythm section of Chris Petrack (drums) and the young Calvin Lund (bass) were ready for action, and the tour was a rocking success.

Over the course of his long and illustrious career sprouting from the same teal backwater as Bob Dylan on northern Minnesota’s Iron Range, Rich Mattson came up learning songs from John Denver to Van Halen with a little Elvis Costello and Neil Young tossed into the mix. Add in some heaping handfuls of U2, the Replacements, and CCR and blend until the ingredients come splattering in bits and pieces and you have around 500 tunes and this fella’s discography. Now residing in Sparta with his partner Germaine Gemberling, the two have been writing, recording, and performing together since 2010. Their many albums have received rave reviews and high praise from the indie rock/americana/jangle-core crowd. The Northstars perform all around Minnesota and beyond and have been invited to share the stage with such notable acts as the Built To Spill, Minus 5, the Jayhawks, Drivin’ and Cryin’, and Trampled By Turtles. Somewhat of a Minnesota music staple, Mattson is well known for his songwriting and outstanding showmanship as well as his work with literally thousands of artists at his Sparta Sound recording studio.