Filter US Recordings

ACTIVE CHILD RELEASES DEBUT SINGLE “SHE WAS A VISION” TODAY MARCH 2ND FORTHCOMING 6-SONG EP ON FILTER US RECORDINGS ACTIVE CHILD PERFORMING AT SXSW MUSIC CONFERENCE IN AUSTIN, TX

 

 

Los Angeles, CA – After building considerable hype with several critically-acclaimed singles in the UK, ACTIVE CHILD- the moniker for indie pop artist Pat Grossi-  releases his debut single in the US  “She Was A Vision” b/w “Voice Of An Old Friend,”  today March 2^nd on Filter US Recordings.  A six-song EP, also on Filter Magazine’s label, is slated for release later this year.  ACTIVE CHILD will appear at this year’s South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, TX.  Dates below.

 

This highly-anticipated release comes on the heels of myriad press raves.  In the US, ACTIVE CHILD has garnered positive reviews from Stereogum, Pitchfork Media, The Fader, and LA Weekly who called him “evidently capable of great, great things” and proclaimed that he “excel[s] at a sort of ethereal organic sprawl that’s been absent from LA music.”  Pitchfork Media lauded ACTIVE CHILD’s mixed-genre work as “a good example of the positive results to be yielded from a musician straddling two disparate styles.”  In the UK, tastemaker magazine the NME called his songs “divine,” while The Guardian named ACTIVE CHILD Band of the Day. 

 

ACTIVE CHILD’s songs feature the skilled use of various 80s-tinged synths to create ethereal, soaring soundscapes, punctuated by crisp electronic drum samples and handclaps.  All of this lays the groundwork for Grossi’s exquisite vocals, which, with their unearthly sound and evocative lyrics, take on an enchanting, hymnal quality. Grossi participated in choirs throughout his childhood; the influence of chorale singing, along with the sensibility of non-secular music, is as apparent in ACTIVE CHILD’s work as the influence of 80s synth pop bands like New Order, Joy Division and Tears for Fears.

 

ACTIVE CHILD at SXSW:

 

Thursday, March 18

 

1pm - Club Spaceland Showcase @ Beauty Bar Annex

2:40 pm - Filter Magazine -Showdown @ Cedar Street Showcase

 

Friday, March 19

12:00 pm - Brooklyn Vegan Party @ Club Deville

10:00 pm - NME Showcase @ Latitude 30

 

Saturday, March 20

Grand Life/Nylon Party - details TBA

 

 

For more information about ACTIVE CHILD:

www.myspace.com/activechild

www.ActiveChildMusic.com

 

AM TAKES FLIGHT WITH AIR ON NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Los Angeles-based musician AM has been invited by French electro-pop kings Air to open their first North American tour in three years. Kicking off March 13 in Miami, the jaunt will serve as the perfect launching pad for AM’s forthcoming sophomore album, Future Sons & Daughters, produced by Charles Newman (The Magnetic Fields) and due for release on February 9 on Filter U.S. Recordings. The run will end in AM’s hometown with a concert at the illustrious Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A. 

As a Tulsa-born, New Orleans raised artist with a flare for distilling global musical influences into his own unique and infectious pop confections, AM’s genre-blurring music, while hard to classify, goes down as smooth as a Mai Tai on a tropical island. Or as Creative Loafing succinctly put it, “AM has an uncanny knack for crafting pop songs shaken and stirred with Philly R&B, Motown soul, ’60s rock and folk, and Brazilian rhythms that get in your head and swirl around for a spell.”

        

AM On Tour With Air

March 13                Miami, Fla.                Fillmore

March 14                Orlando, Fla.             Hard Rock Live

March 15                Atlanta, Ga.               Centerstage

March 17                Washington, D.C.      9:30 Club

March 18                Philadelphia, Pa.        Electric Factory

March 19                New York, N.Y.           Terminal 5

March 20                Boston, MA                Berklee School

March 22                Montreal, QC              Metropolis

March 23                Toronto, ON               Kool Haus

March 24                Chicago, IL                Riviera Theatre

March 26                Oakland, CA              Fox Theatre

March 27                San Diego, CA           4^th & B

March 28                LA, CA      Walt Disney Concert Hall

 

Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome! To Be Released October 20th Via FILTER US Recordings

Yo Gabba Gabba! fans have another reason to “get the sillies out” and “go crazy” in living rooms nationwide with the first Yo Gabba Gabba! CD release.  Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome! hits shelves nationwide on October 20, 2009 via FILTER US Recordings.   A deluxe edition featuring bonus songs from the hit series will also be available on iTunes.  The CD release comes on the heels of the tour announcement for Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE:  There’s A Party In My City, playing in Los Angeles 11/14, New York 11/21 and Chicago 12/5.  Tickets will be available beginning October 9 at 10AM and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.com and YoGabbaGabbaLive.com.

Produced by The Magic Store and W!LDBRAIN, Yo Gabba Gabba! is an award-winning, two time Emmy-nominated show on Nickelodeon.  The series currently ranks as one of the most popular series on television with broad appeal among preschoolers, parents, teens and adults.  Today’s most popular names in movies, television, music and sports flock to guest star on the groundbreaking show, including Jack Black, Rachel Dratch, Melora Hardin (The Office), Tony Hawk, Biz Markie, Jack McBrayer (30 Rock), MGMT, Mark Mothersbaugh, The Roots, Andy Samberg, Amy Sedaris, The Shins, Amare Stoudemire, The Ting Tings, Jimmy Eat World and Elijah Wood, among others.  Yo Gabba Gabba! infuses retro-style and beat-driven music to teach simple life lessons through music.  The series stars DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson) and a cast of colorful characters, including: Brobee, the little green one; Foofa, the pink flower bubble; Muno, the red Cyclops; Toodee, the blue cat-dragon; and Plex, the yellow robot. 

To pre-order from iTunes (click here)

To pre-order from Amazon (click here)

YO GABBA GABBA!: MUSIC IS AWESOME! Track listing:

1.  YO GABBA GABBA! Theme

2.  YO GABBA GABBA! - Party In My Tummy

3.  THE SHINS - It’s Okay, Try Again

4.  YO GABBA GABBA! - I Like To Dance

5.  MONEY MARK - Robo Dancing

6.  YO GABBA GABBA!  - Get The Sillies Out

7.  BIZ MARKIE - Biz’s Beat Of The Day #1

8.  CHROMEO - Nice ‘N’ Clean

9.  YO GABBA GABBA! - Try It, You’ll Like It

10. THE ROOTS - Lovely, Love My Family

11. YO GABBA GABBA! - Don’t Be Afraid

12. I’M FROM BARCELONA - Just Because It’s Different Doesn’t Mean Scary

13. YO GABBA GABBA! - Bubbles

14. OF MONTREAL - Brush Brush Brush

15. YO GABBA GABBA! - Nice & Easy

16. THE LITTLE ONES - Hey, Won’t Somebody Come And Play

17. WEIRD SCIENCE - Go Crazy Remix

18. YO DAZZLERS - You Can’t Always Get What You Want

19. MARK KOZELEK - Bedtime Lullaby

20. YO GABBA GABBA! - Goodbye Song

21. YO GABBA GABBA! Closing THEME

Amusement Parks On Fire "Young Fight" and Tour!

   
    Amusement Parks On Fire has harnessed its otherworldly swirl of soaring guitars, epic-punk power, and pop sensibility for Young Fight, an EP that pairs together two unreleased songs with three previously released tracks, set for launch on September 8, digitally via FILTER U.S. Recordings. The band will give U.S. audiences a dose of their incendiary live show while on tour opening for legendary post-punkers The Happy Mondays and The Psychedelic Furs.

    Originally created in 2004 as a solo project, singer/guitarist Michael Feerick has expanded his rock 'n' roll vehicle into a full five-piece band. Since the expansion, the UK-based fivesome's sound has developed into a heady pastiche that pays tribute to such disparate genres as '70s progressive rock, punk, dream pop and grunge. The five songs that comprise Young Fight exhibit the band's penchant for bridging these musical divides, occupying a cosmic territory uniquely their own.

    Leading off with "In Our Eyes," the EP explodes right out of the gates as it kicks off with a sonic assault of drums and guitars and transforms into a buzzing wall of sound. "The Day It Snowed" slows the tempo as it layers Feerick's voice over gliding acoustic guitar and music box-inspired melodies. The EP comes to a gripping finale with "Alafoss Exit," a song that starts off like an ethereal daydream before building to a glorious fuzz-filled climax. By the time the song is done, you will feel as if you just traveled through the cosmos, and a fitting sneak peek of what the guys have in store for their forthcoming full-length due February 2010.

To Purchase on iTunes

MySpace: www.myspace.com/amusementparksonfire
Website: www.amusementparksonfire.com

AMUSEMENT PARKS ON FIRE ON TOUR WITH HAPPY MONDAYS AND THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS
September 8 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues

September 9 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
September 11 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
September 12 - Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
September 14 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theater
September 15 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
September 17 - San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom
September 19 - Anaheim, CA - Club Nokia
September 20 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
September 22 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues
September 24 - Austin, TX - Stubbs
September 25 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
September 26 - Houston, TX - House of Blues

Sara Lov "Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming" and Tour

 
Honey-voiced songstress Sara Lov has been handpicked by longtime friend and collaborator Sea Wolf to open his seven-week musical voyage across the country. The national tour sets sail September 14 in Santa Barbara, just weeks after the re-release of Lov's debut solo LP, Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming, on TODAY via FILTER US Recordings. Already a versatile performer, dating back to her stint as former lead singer of the revered dream-pop duo Devics, Lov will take a slightly new approach to her beautiful songs in this live setting: her voice and guitar will be aided by a vintage vinyl record player.

Propelled by her unmistakable, "irresistibly seductive" voice (NPR), Lov's first full-length foray as a solo artist, Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming, exudes both lyrical depth and maturity as she experiments with her newfound musical freedom. Produced by Zac Rae (Fiona Apple, Annie Lennox, My Brightest Diamond) and mixed by Darrell Thorp (Radiohead, Beck), it has been self-described by Lov as "simple and sad with a shot of Scotch." From "Animals," a dramatic duet with Sea Wolf's Church to "My Body is a Cage," her stunning piano-filled take on Arcade Fire's lament, Lov's sound is simultaneously dark and angelic.

A venerated staple in the Los Angeles music scene, Lov has quickly come into her own as a performer, with the Los Angeles Times boasting: "Her solo work is already showing signs of making Lov a known entity beyond the local scene... Lov serves up an album-quality live show." For lead single "Fountain," Lov collaborated with Berlin/Bologna-based director Marco Morandi and Emmy Award-winning artist Seonna Hong to create the accompanying video. While Lov provided the story, Morandi used his animation talent to bring Hong's beautiful illustrations to life for the stunning visual complement. Later this year, Lov will cross the Atlantic for a European tour with dates to be announced shortly.

Purchase on iTunes

MySpace: www.myspace.com/saralov
Webstie: www.saralov.com

SARA LOV ON TOUR WITH SEA WOLF AND PORT O'BRIEN

September 14 - Santa Barbara, CA - Soho Bar & Music Club*
September 15-Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar*
September 16 - Pomona, CA - The Glass House*
September 17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubador*
September 18 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
September 21 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
September 22 - Vancouver, BC - Media Club
September 23 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern
September 25 - Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
September 26 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive
September 28 - Omaha, NE - The Slowdown
September 29 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
September 30 - Milwaukee, WI - Mad Planet
October 1 - Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
October 2 - St. Louis, MO - The Billiken Club
October 3 - Indianapolis, IN - Radio Radio
October 4 - Newport, KY - Southgate House
October 7 - Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts
October 9 - Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dee's
October 13 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
October 14 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
October 16 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
October 17 - Philadelphia. PA - North Star Bar
October 18 - Baltimore, MD - The Talking Head Club
October 19 - Washington, DC - DC9
October 21 - Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight Bar & Club
October 23 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
October 24 - Nashville, TN - Exit In
October 27 - Dallas, TX - The Cavern
October 28 - Austin, TX - Emo's Jr.
October 30 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts

 

AM "Future Sons & Daughters"

Los Angeles based alt-rock artist AM is gearing up for for tour in conjunction with the release of his sophomore album Future Sons & Daughters, through Filter US Recordings. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Charles Newman (Magnetic Fields) and follows a debut release named by iTunes as one of the "Best Albums of the Year", and earning him  the title of "Best Singer Songwriter of The Year" from LA Weekly.
 
The Echo Park resident, who goes by the moniker AM (also his initials), found inspiration for his new album in his own deep cut 1960s record collection of obscure Brazilian music and Italian soundtracks. Fusing simple, intelligent lyrics, undeniable pop sensibilities and sparse, psychedelic groove, Future Sons & Daughters strikes a balance between the classic and the modern.
 
Future Sons & Daughters brings a heady brew of twinkling Anglified folk-rock-pop, twanging Americana, caressing Philly soul and funky R&B. With bridges and choruses reminiscent of The Beatles and Badfinger, Curtis Mayfield and Jorge Ben, AM demonstrates the simple fact of songwriting: that imagination and taste is what it's all about.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.amsounds.com
MYSPACE PAGE: http://www.myspace.com/amsounds

Purchase on iTunes

Children Collide "The Long Now" Out Now

In 2005 Children Collide released We Three, Brave And True, a six-track EP that didn't so much announce the group's arrival as kick the door down, featuring the brilliant We Are Amphibious, the little b-side that could - and did, turning, reinvigorated, into the a-side of 2006's equally impressive Glass Mountain Liars EP. Now it's 2009 and FILTER is pleased to bring the 2008 Australian release, The Long Now, to the States!
 
This is a record that crackles with smarts and buzzes along with the undeniable sense of a band that knows where it's going, a band that sees your lazy references and questionable stylistic decisions and raises them - into another stratosphere - as Johnny (vocals/guitars), Heath (bass) and Ryan (drums) create a tumbling maelstrom of rock in excelsis. It's a record with its eye on the future and its feet in the present and its imagination crossing astral planes throughout it all.

With Dave Sardy (a veteran of such varied sessions as LCD Soundsystem, Wolfmother and Oasis) taking on production overlord duties, the album encompasses the many facets of the band's sound, all the while tying the songs together with a common thread, whether sonic or thematic. Far from backing the band into a corner with a ProTools rig and a tight schedule, Sardy became an equal collaborator as The Long Now came into being.

Children Collide have created an album that is as much a coming together of everything they've been working towards as it is an introduction to the band - which is precisely how the band wanted it to turn out. So yes, welcome to remedial Children Collide, study hard and you'll graduate to general Children Collide on album #2.

Accolades for The Long Now

Featured in Rolling Stone's Best Albums of 2008 at #17

Featured as Top Albums in 2008 in The Age

To Purchase on iTunes

To Listen

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR JUNE 2009:
Wed Jun 10 - The Casbah, San Diego CA
Thu Jun 11 - Spaceland, Los Angeles CA
Sat Jun 13 - Blank Club, San Jose CA
Sun Jun 14 - Peter's Room, Portland OR
Mon Jun 15 - Tractor's Tavern, Seattle WA
Thu Jun 18 - Sho, Salt Lake City, UT
Fri Jun 19 - Marquis Theatre, Denver CO
Sun Jun 21 - TBC, Chicago IL
Mon Jun 22 - Smalls, Detroit MI
Fri Jun 26 - Khyber, Philadelphia PA
Sat Jun 27 - Harpers Ferry, Allston MA
Sun Jun 28 - Mercury Bar, New York NY
Mon Jun 29 - DC9, Washington DC

www.childrencollide.com
www.myspace.com/childrencollide
www.filterusrecordings.com

The Antiques "Cicadas" Out Now

We're very excited to announce a new addition to the FILTER US Recordings catalog: The Antiques! It was love at first listen back in July when they submitted to our Discover The Undiscovered program on Sonicbids. We've kept them close to our heart and are proud to announce the digital release of Cicadas; the hard copy of the album is available through Banter Records.

Both musically and lyrically, the soon to be released album, Cicadas is on par with Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.  It represents the new skin that the band has developed since its beginnings five years ago.  Suitably, the album is titled Cicadas, and it is truly a masterpiece. The album was recorded and mixed by Scott Solter, producer of The Mountain Goats, Okkervil River, and John Vanderslice.  Throughout the twenty day session, the band experimented with their indie-folk-rock sound, incorporating instruments beyond their usual repertoire like steel drums, Hammond organs, and banjos.  They also added more obscure sounds like the recording of a wire recorder, vocals put through Leslie speakers, and even the sound of the cicadas, which all added beautiful textures to the band’s beautiful superb melodies.

To listen to Airplane Blues from Cicadas, Click Here

Link to itunes, Click Here

An American Affair - Original Music By Dustin O'Halloran

Dustin O'Halloran has spent the past few years making the best music of his life. Producing a lush and lilting album with his band, The Devics, contributing original pieces to films such as Marie Antoinette and Stranger than Fiction, completing a world tour supporting k.d. lang and recording two Piano Solo albums, O'Halloran is riding a wave of uninhibited creativity. His works have garnered high praise from critics and love from his longtime fans, giving him the kind of attention he's long deserved. O'Halloran is currently working with Mark Lanegan on the new Soul Savers album in addition to his own new instrumental record called "Lumiere".
 
O'Halloran's original score for William Sten Olsson's period film An American Affair is centered around emotive piano work and accompanied by a small ensemble of strings, harp and woodwinds. It was recorded at the historic  studio Officcine Meccaniche in Milan, Italy, where such luminaries like Duke Ellington recorded in the 1960's.  
 
Set in Kennedy-era Washington, An American Affair film tells the story of a thirteen-year-old boy who falls in love with his next-door neighbor, a stunning thirty-something blond beauty. Against all odds, an unlikely friendship blossoms between the two. But friendship is never enough, not in Washington, and not at the height of the Cold War. As the boy discovers that the woman is a mistress of JFK, her hidden past soon catches up with them, and they find themselves enmeshed in the growing confusion and intrigue leading to the assassination of the President.

An American Affair is both a political thriller and a coming-of-age drama. It is a film about the importance and difficulties of finding a meaning in life in a constantly changing world where love and loss go hand in hand. The film is written by Alex Metcalf and produced by Kevin Leydon. It stars Gretchen Mol, James Rebhorn, Cameron Bright, Mark Pellegrino, Perrey Reeves and Noah Wyle.

Click Here for An American Affair on iTunes

www.dustinohalloran.com
www.astrakanfilms.com
www.anamericanaffair.com

Two Sheds On Tour

Two Sheds are embarking on West Coast tour starting this week! Dates below

Feb, 25th San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s (Noise Pop Festival) with Matt Costa, An Hors, and Robert Francis

Feb 27^th Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo with Everest, and Parson Red Heads

March 6^th Sacramento, CA @ The Old Ironsides with Builtings Breeding and Casual Fog

March 7^th Stockton, CA @ The Blackwater Café

March 12^th Nevada City, CA @ Chief Crazy Horse Inn with Kings & Queens and Dame Satan

March 13^th Monroe, Utah @ Mystic Hot Springs

March 14^th Denver, CO @ Lion’s Lair

March 16^th Albuquerque, New Mexico @ Atomic Cantina

March 17^th Amarillo, TX @ the 806

March 18^th Austin, TX @ The Hole in the Wall Arcade (SXSW)

March 19^th Austin, TX @ The Beauty Bar (SXSW) Bay Area Takeover Day Party with Vetiver, Wallpaper and more…

March 21^st Austin, TX @ Opal Devine’s Freehouse (SXSW) Day Party with Grub Dog, Kepi Ghoulie, Jackpot, Kevin Seconds and more…

March 23^rd El Paso, TX @ The Percolater

March 24^th Mesa, AZ @ Hollywood Alley

March 25^th Santa Ana, CA @ The Yost with the Parson Redheads

March 26^th San Diego, CA @ Bar Pink

March 27^th Modesto, CA @ Café Deva with Birds & Batteries

March 29^th San Francisco, CA @ The Make Out Room with Lee Bob Watson and the Western Family Orchestra Revue