Somewhere in Detroit, The Start's lead vocalist Aimee Echo happily chats on a cell phone while record shopping, simultaneously listens to her own band's album in the background of the store, and signs autographs for fans.

Quite a busy day, it would seem.

But she's not as busy as The Start has been over the last few years. Spawned from several other bands in the L.A. punk scene, The Start began with a tour bus and the spark of a new musical idea.

"I was the singer in a band called Human Waste Project," Echo explains through cell phone waves. "Scott was the drummer and we were doing a mid-level tour... with other bands... and Jaime (guitars and keyboards) was the drummer for Snot at that point." Picking up bassist Jeff Jaeger in L.A when his old band opened up for Human Waste Project, the foursome "started hanging out" after they met on a shared tour bus that saved the bands money on the tour.

After leaving their respective bands in 1998 The Start decided that the best way to write their music would be to live in a cabin in the woods for two weeks. The idea was effective, according to Echo.

"We went to the mountains and wrote a bunch of songs and ate a bunch of food... we didn't really leave the house that much, and we did spend a couple of evenings stargazing as a group."

For The Start, writing music is in the blood. "Music always was a driving force in my life from birth on," Echo explains, "my dad was a musician, my mom was a music lover."

Beginning her music career by singing in local punk rock bands and at parties, Echo never really saw music as a viable career option.

"Music swallows my regular life," Echo says, "I was in college, doing well, and literally, music swallowed it all, I gave up everything, all but music. Then I guess the rest is sorta history."

With and education in "music industry 101," The Start pulled together and created "Shakedown!" a few short months after being signed to The Label.

"I am lucky in the fact that the universe keeps affirming that this is what I'm supposed to do," says Echo emphatically.

With songs that seemingly write themselves through the melody and instruments played by Miller, Jaeger and Ellis, The Start's new-wave punk anthems are about life on a day-to-day basis, sometimes fictional stories about others but sometimes extremely personal.

"We believe we're constantly evolving," says Echo, "we left the bands we did at the time we did because it was just time." With punk and new wave 80's music like the Ramones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, and the Cure as their major influences, The Start puts themselves in a category of music completely unique and different from everyone else. "They [punk bands] could exist in the same space because they had the same ideas... they didn't sound like each other... it's not what people are calling punk rock now... but it's none of my business to criticize what other people do."

Inspired not by money and not by fame, The Start makes music simply to make music. "I make music and I sing songs and I don't want to have to do anything else in my life because I think we all have a purpose here on this planet," explains Echo, "everybody is completely unique... I think that if we all took the time to find out what it was we did well it would be a hell of a better place."

With philosophies and credos just as pure as their singer's voice, The Start continues to evolve despite their simple name and logo (which Echo's mother incidentally thought of). "We were back at the start and we knew we wanted to go with a name that was simple and to the point." Recalling her mother's use of a favorite quote, the name and logo of concentric circles and an arrow were born: "They called me heretic and flout and made a circle to keep me out, but wit and I, with will to win, made a bigger circle to bring them in."

Winning over crowds with a positive attitude and commanding stage presence, The Start is able to rule their shows, even at a last minute show with Mesh STL and Puddle of Mudd at the 9:30 Club. "It was cool, I mean usually I think that we're usually able to win over any crowd after a few songs... it may not necessarily come quickly but by the end we usually have them."

Trucking from Detroit to the west coast with shows in Chicago, Iowa, Denver and Salt Lake City on the way, The Start is now making their way home to L.A. to play some shows of their own.

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