News : Dickies Teams Up With FILTER To Launch ‘Men Behind The Music’
FILTER is teaming up with the infamous workwear Dickies to bring you Men Behind The Music, a blog that brings you inside the life of tour managers, roadies, bus drivers, guitar techs, and anyone else that makes your favorite artists run like the well-oiled machine they seem to be.
The blog will be a host for exclusive videos that give you an inside look from these working men as well as interviews, lists of top tour stops, highlighted venues, eateries, tools, and anything else that we think matters.
Check out the first video with Jake Hurn, the man behind Yeasayer, AA Bondy, The Album Leaf, and currently Delta Spirit.
Ever dream of playing guitar with Pavement? Well here's your chance!
California's newly-reunited influential indie-rockers are hosting a little contest to allow one lucky winner the chance to perform as their special guest guitarist on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on September 23rd. All you have to do is video yourself covering any of the approved Pavement jams and upload it to the site below.
News : Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney on Cover of FILTER! (Oh, and Have Baby)
Huge congrats to Kaitlin Olson & Rob McElhenney of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/FILTER cover fame. The couple welcomed their first baby, Axel Lee McElhenney, on Sep 1, 2010 at their home in Sherman Oaks.
As Olson remembers, "I went into labor at the Phillies/Dodgers game on Tuesday night. As soon as Ryan Howard hit a 3 run home run, we felt comfortable leaving to go have our baby. Axel Lee McElhenney was born at home on September 1st at 12:52 pm. 8 lbs 7oz. We love him like crazy, even though he made us miss the second half of the game."
See early (but slightly obscured) photos of Axel in the FILTER cover story on stands today!
News : Q&A: Screaming Females
The second half of 2010 is shaping up to be a busy time for New Brunswick, N.J. natives Screaming Females. The trio of frontwoman/guitarist Marissa Paternoster, bassist King Mike and drummer Jarrett Dougherty are about to embark on an extensive U.S. and European toured lined up that will take them through the fall and they are releasing their fourth album, Castle Talk, on Don Giovanni Records. Recently, FILTER caught up with the band to discuss their background in the New Brunswick basement scene, the reason behind their decision to sign with Don Giovanni and what the trio is looking forward to most at the FYF Fest in Los Angeles on Labor Day weekend.
Marissa and Mike, having been in bands together since high school and having several lineup changes, what stood out Jarrett's drumming that has made him permanently a part of your band. What's the magic that he brings to the band that the others didn't?
Marissa: Mike and I were only in one band before Screaming Females. We were called Surgery on TV and we only lasted for about six months. I guess I haven't really played with a lot of different drummers, I'm really happy we lucked out and found a drummer like Jarrett. He's got snazzy ideas and he plays melodically which works out really well for Screaming Females!
Mike: Jarrett is leaps and bounds beyond what we were working with. Unlike our drummer in Surgery on TV, Jarrett brought plenty of suggestions and ideas to the table whereas our other drummer played the same beat through every single song. I think the first time we played with Jarrett, we both agreed that he was going to be in our band. Marissa and I both learned how to play music with other people from the same person: our math teacher Mr. Ciliberto. Mr. C was way into Phish and Medeski Martin and Wood. He would make us jam along to Phish songs against our will. Jarrett had a similar musical background having actually liked those bands so I think that might have something to do with the chemistry between the three of us. Jarrett is also the most level headed and responsible person in this band and without him we could never have done a single record or tour or perhaps even play a show. I owe my life to Jarrett.
The New Brunswick basement scene has helped catapult bands like The Ergs!, The Bouncing Souls, Thursday and Midtown. How has this helped you release your music to the under-21 crowd and would you agree that this scene has helped you build a younger, core following?
Marissa: Playing in basements in New Brunswick is borne out of necessity. There isn't a viable alternative to basement shows in New Brunswick so the kids built their own venues. It's pretty neat.
Jarrett: I think it’s a large misconception that all-ages show mean under 21 shows. I think that all ages shows at DIY venues allowed us to play for all different types of people, age or otherwise.
Your third album, Power Move showed a huge maturation in your songwriting. What were some of the biggest differences in making this album as compared to the first two?
Marissa: I'm not sure if it'd be a good thing for a band to regress in terms of songwriting as they grow older. I hope we keep making interesting music as time goes on and that nice new people will enjoy our records.
Mike: I think that's just part of playing music with the same people for so long.... I feel like we have some sort of psychic-mind-meld-music-making-mastery between the three of us.
Jarrett: Having the engineer, Eric Bennett, involved in that project as well as on our new record, Castle Talk, was a huge help. He brought in new ideas and new sounds that we might not have thought of otherwise.
After self-releasing your first albums, you guys were approached by several labels and eventually signed with Don Giovanni Records in New Brunswick. What made you decide to work with Don Giovanni as opposed to any of the independent labels that are popping up all over the greater New York-New Jersey region?
Mike: Joe and Zach are our friends. We like to work with our friends.
The FYF Festival is a big festival here in Los Angeles. What do you guys have planned for the your performance? Are there any bands you are excited to share the bill with?
Marissa: I'm going to enter the stage atop a white horse, playing a custom neon green plexiglass Ibanez whilst wearing a coconut bra and a grass skirt. Aside from that, I'm just gonna make certain that my stupid pedals work.
Mike: I plan on asking Wavves for weed. If they give me some then I'll probably be way psyched for the Sleep set. I'm also really excited about Davila 666 I haven't seen them since we played in Puerto Rico last year.
Media : Belle And Sebastian, Write About Love (Trailer)
In support of their forthcoming album, Write About Love, Belle and Sebastian are releasing a series of unique videos.
The half-hour video features the band playing two new songs titled "I Want The World to Stop" and "I Didn't See It Coming", doing a Q&A with fans, fan montages, and little skits.
Check out the video below!
Write About Love drops October 12 in the US.
"Write About Love" the single will drop September 7th. People who follow the band's Twitter will receive the single 24 hours before the public.
All a writer really needs is a place to sit, the proper implements and an idea. The latter is usually the tricky part, but author Patrick deWitt doesn’t seem to be running short of those anytime soon. While his brilliant debut novel Ablutions follows the unsavory and addictive travails of a Los Angeles bartender, his upcoming work, The Sisters Brothers, follows two brothers who also happen to be hitmen in the old West. With such breadth between subjects, there are no safe bets for what may come further down the line. Here, deWitt speaks to FILTER about how he recreates elements from his own life on the page and how moving from L.A. to Portland—not to mention the birth of his son—has affected his writing routine.
News : FILTER 41: “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: DIY or Die” on Stands TODAY!
Prepare to have your day/weekend/year made. Starting TODAY, our triumphant new issue, FILTER 41: "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: DIY or Die" is available on stands everywhere! So if you don't have a yearly subscription yet (why wait any longer?), head to your local Urban Outfitters, Barnes and Noble, Borders, independent music retailer, Bookstar, or wherever your source of choice is, and pick up the new issue! Be sure to let us know what you think of it over at facebook.com/FILTERmagazine; we have a feeling you're going to love it. Where else can you see Danny Devito facing off against an ostrich?
Seriously, don't miss out on this one, and thanks for all of your continued support. It means the world to us.
The clip features a very gracious dancer, dancing alone in a room while another woman watches. There are a few other elements in the video including a cup of tea, a key, and onlooker disappearing and reappearing.
I'm not 100% sure as to what the video means, but it couples with the music very well.
"Quarry Hymns" is from Land Of Talk's latest record, Cloak And Cipher, out now.
Los Angeles' Zola Jesus has released a new video for her track "Sea Talk."
The clip features the experimental singer/songwriter walking through a creepy house, appearing on a not-so perfectly working TV, and getting intimate with some electricity.
I doubt it was her goal, but all I think of when watching this clip, is the movie Poltergeist.
