It began with the catchy riffs guitarist Joey Avalos would write in his spare time. It was a side project with no real purpose and, frankly, he was okay with that. That is, until he met Chris Cleveland, a vocalist of local renown in Oklahoma. Once introductions had been made through a mutual friend, it didn’t take long for the two to form Stars Go Dim, the Tulsa four-piece they now front. Together, Avalos and Cleveland are the perfect melding of modern pop and classic soul. At once, the pair evoke top-40s best guitar slingers — John Mayer and Maroon 5 — as well as classic Memphis soul like Eddie Floyd and Willie Mitchell. Beneath that, though, is an earnestness that cannot be faked. A true feeling that the pair have fully bought into their work. “We set up a songwriting session together and it just clicked,” Avalos said. "We enjoyed each other’s company and the music. “We just want to keep it simple and real and try not to over think it.” As Stars Go Dim presses forward on work for its debut LP, the band has decided to whet the proverbial whistle of potential fans by releasing three songs from the forthcoming album — “Crazy,” “Walk On,” and “Come Around.” All three songs carry a distinct flavor and show different sides of the band at its best. Fans will get their first peek at the trio of songs with “Walk On,” which is led by an Avalos’ guitar riff that would make Ernie Isley proud. The song will be offered for free to members of the band’s mailing list at www. starsgodim.com. “Come Around,” and “Crazy,” will quickly follow “Walk On,” and both will be offered for sale through the band’s website. More in a mid-tempo vein, “Come Around” would easily be at home on a series finale for “Grey's Anatomy” or “The Hills.” It features a haunting background vocal that perfectly complements Cleveland’s lead and elicits memories of recent hits by Gavin DeGraw and Mayer. On the ballad “Crazy,” Cleveland is backed by a lilting and smooth string arrangement that carefully guides him into the anthemic chorus. Cleveland and Avalos developed the lyrics for the songs together and, while it wasn’t a conscious effort, all of the tracks revolve around love in various states. “We’re kind of obsessed with love,” Avalos said. “It wasn’t planned, but the songs for the full-length all tell stories of people in love and their relationships. “I didn’t notice it until I had 12 or 13 songs written.” While producing the initial batch of songs, Stars Go Dim offered visitors to its Myspace page a look into the creative process via video clips of the band in the studio. Through those snippets, the band amassed a fanbase of 13,000 Myspace friends without ever posting a song. And with those three songs in hand and the groundwork for the remainder of the album already in place, 2008 promises to be an exciting year for Stars Go Dim as the quartet properly introduces itself to music lovers everywhere. In the meantime, fans will be able to devour the first three songs this fall. “These songs break down what we can do,” Avalos said. “We’re giving everyone a taste and hopefully that will win them over and we’ll tie it all together by next spring.”