About
The Causeway Stars project began in 2015 as a kind of self-imposed challenge. I thought it would be fun to rework several original songs and set them in the style of late 1970s Disco. I would keep the arrangements faithful to the genre without descending into parody. It would allow me to use sounds and textures indicative of the period, such as horns and strings, clavinet, and electric piano, not to mention the funky rhythm guitars that graced so many recordings of the day. Working with various singers and instrumentalists who helped bring the project to fruition was a pleasure.
When I completed the first album, I immediately began working on a follow-up, Pineapple Twist. Keeping Disco at its core, I wanted to infuse the music with elements of New Wave, West Coast Pop, and what might now be affectionately called “Yacht Rock.”
I had many unfinished songs that definitely would not benefit from a “Disco makeover.” Some dated back 20 years or more. I even wrote a few ideas in the 1980s. Rather than shoehorning them into a Disco setting, leaving them in their original form was best. I decided I will always be “retro” somehow, so why not let the next Causeway Stars project give the nod to 80’s Arena Rock? The 2021 album, Third’s A Charm, also contains some 70’s singer-songwriter style Pop.
So, as 2022 came to a close, I was excited to release the fourth album, Magic Places. It had been over a year and three months in the making. It was fun to dive back into the styles displayed on the previous albums while adding some fresh takes. Some of the song ideas dated back as far as 1979, while other songs were "morphed" from their humble demo origins. For example, "Tidal Wave" started as a bombastic prog-rock song. I kept the bombast but set it in a musical style closer to what ABBA sounded like circa 1980. At least, that was what I strived for.
Here we are in 2026 with a brand new album, Downtime. I think this album sums up all the styles of the Causeway Stars projects. While holding on to the retro aesthetics of Disco, 70s and early 80s music, I wanted to infuse the lyrics with humor and playfulness. I was pleased to be able to continue to work with a great cast of rotating vocalists and instrumentalists.
To anyone and everyone who has visited this page or taken the time to listen to my music, I say a big yet humble “Thank You!”
Craig Higgins