Washington, DC serves as the staging ground for Stars Hide Fire. Formed in early 2002, Stars Hide Fire began as a side-project that included members of two local bands with completely different sounds but similar ideals. Here's a brief history: Alex Rivera (vocals) and Shawn Kam (guitar) began playing in the spring of 2001, after Shawn answered a City Paper ad to play guitar in a band that Alex played drums in at the time; soon thereafter they left that band to pursue a new project where Alex would sing. After seven years in south Florida, Danny Aguila (guitar) returned to his hometown of Washington, DC and began writing music with local musicians in an unnamed band. During those sessions, long-time friend Alex invited Danny to play drums in his newly forming band, which would later become Stars Hide Fire. Because of the energy and spirit of the music, Danny decided to join Alex and Shawn full-time. Brodie Ruland (bass), after a successful campaign with "the Smooths" and "Bridegwater", was working on a solo project and stumbled on a City Paper ad placed by Alex. The original bassist had already decided leave the band for personal reasons, and Brodie quickly filled the void. Subsequently, Boston native Mike Pittman (drums) was asked to join the lineup as the drummer, allowing Danny to take on the responsibilities of the second guitarist.