The Tarts

Unfortunately, little is known about the Tarts, except that they formed around the year 2000 in Chicago, and that they had a good following for a shortly lived group. They performed more than once at The Beat Kitchen on Belmont Street, and the frontman was Steve Custer, originally known for his melodic, far ranging vocal abilities that were very much in common with those of Josh Caterer of The Smoking Popes, as well as being the front man for My Big Beautiful.

When interviewed, Custer exclaimed that "it was a good time" and was hesitant to give more information about the band, except for saying that there were no recorded releases from The Tarts.

It is reasonable to speculate that had the band continued, they would have released a recording as their material was original and very unique. While Custer's vocal attack very much resembled his vocals with all of the different incarnations of My Big Beautiful, the lineup was larger and had a very full bodied, well-rounded and an exciting, upbeat style that was known among fans for being obviously tightly rehearsed.

As additional information and sources are researched for the enigmatic band, this page will be appropriately updated.

Raygun Connection?
Posted this on SoCo's page too but just in case - Just saw your page! I could be mixing up my bands, but I want to say Fritz (current Raygun bassist) may have been in the Tarts. I want to say Bill Stephens from Raygun was also in it? I kind of remember Fritz telling me (when he bartended at Quenchers) that he and Bill were in a band together around that time. Gantry (talk) 16:52, 18 May 2023 (UTC)