While their recently tour, which concludes with Lumino Magazine’s Jingle Your Bells winter music festival at Joe’s on Weed St., has not always been favorable, it has built a stronger fan base for the up-and-comers, says frontman Derek Ingersoll.

“Every market is different. We have played for anywhere from five to 200 people on the road,” he said, while taking a break in his Chicago home before venturing off to Madison, WI for yet another tour date. “Toledo was rough. We played for the sound guy and his bartender girlfriend. Even though some stops aren’t as favorable as others, I would never trade in this life in a million years. You never know when that one girl in some small town in New Jersey is going to love you and turn 10 new people onto your music. You have to play hard every night.”

Even with a glimpse of real world success after being signed by Columbia Records imprint Canvasback and Dan Wilson produce their most recent album, Ingersoll has remained grounded, as has his band -- guitarist Andy Dixon, drummer Heath Hamilton, guitarist-keyboardist Marshall Hanbury Jr. and bassist Noel Arnim. “If it’s all over, it’s over, but we would all appreciate what we have accomplished,” he says. “You have to have the attitude to believe in your self and not let other people stand in your way. We have been lucky to have the right people come on board to support us.”

“Sea Trials” was produced by Wilson, Semisonic’s former frontman who won a Grammy for writing Dixie Chicks' hit song “Not Ready to Make Nice,” and mixed by Michael Brauer (Coldplay, John Mayer, My Morning Jacket). For AbsentStar, they were lucky enough to take a casual meeting with Wilson and turn it into a full out writing session and eventually a recording session.

“Our A&R guy sent us to just hang out with Dan and maybe write a couple of songs,” Ingersoll says. “We didn’t have any expectations, but we really hit it off with him. So, we sat down and started writing. He really helped us break down our environment and search inside to write great songs. We didn’t even pick up a guitar until the third day.

The music was really secondary and it was all about finding out who you are, naturally. It was really an oddity, but we were all very refreshed by the whole process.”

The session also prepared the band for their year end tour, as the fivesome bonded to a whole new level with the recording writing, producing and recording process.

“It was five guys thrown into closed quarters and a studio,” Ingersoll explains. “The whole thing made us even more comfortable with each other. We had two and a half years of energy stored up and it all poured into this album, together. It was really a great experience.”

For those, including the 500 who ventured to the Metro for AbsentStar’s last Chicago show, who have seen the band before, Ingersoll said the live performance has been crafted to an even higher power.

“We are all very excited about coming back to Chicago for our last show of 2007,” he says. “We are excited to be playing a new venue and a new bill where we can gain some new fans. We are still building a grassroots following and we still have to do that in Chicago. Even with a solid fan base here, there is no reason why we can’t double it. We have been turning down shows in Chicago for months and months waiting for the perfect opportunity to play in a different environment. It is going to be a great show.”

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