Photon Band

Last updated

Photon Band
Origin Philadelphia
Genres Indie rock, psychedelic, noise pop
Years active1993–present
Labels Darla, Empyrean Records, 100 Guitar Mania, Nod and Smile Records
Members Art DiFuria, Jeff Tanner, Patrick Berkery
Past membersJason Kourkounis
Gary Plowman
Chris Kubicek

Photon Band is an American indie rock band formed in Philadelphia, PA in 1994. The only constant member is Art DiFuria, who has played with several Philadelphia bands, including Baby Flamehead, Brother JT and Vibrolux, the Brother JT 3 and the Original Sins. Key members have included Simon Nagle (Drums) and Jeff Tanner (bass, guitar, and backing vocals). The band has achieved critical acclaim, but little recognition outside of Philadelphia.

Contents

History

Early Development

A native of the Philadelphia area, DiFuria started playing guitar at a young age. Two main influences on his early musical development were his sister’s participation in a church guitar group and his mother’s work as an astrologer. [1] [2] When he arrived in Philadelphia to study at Temple University in 1985, he became a founding member of Philadelphia punk band Tons of Nuns. [3] He then joined Uptown Bones, who were signed to the Black et Noir (fr) record label run by 1990s French punk band Les Thugs. [4] Upon the demise of the Uptown Bones, DiFuria was asked by Bryan Dilworth to join the Lilys, fronted by Kurt Heasley. DiFuria joined but was experiencing a creative surge that the Lilys could not accommodate. [1] DiFuria came up with the name "Photon Band" for his own band after reading an astrology magazine called Welcome to Planet Earth, which featured an article by Barbara Hand Clow describing a band of photons that would soon envelop the earth (aka the Photon Belt). DiFuria left the Lilys amicably and Heasley named his subsequent album Eccsame the Photon Band "in praise of" DiFuria’s new venture. [5] Photon Band’s first single, "Sitting on the Sunn," appeared on Compulsiv Records in 1994 and featured DiFuria on all instruments. [6] The songs were energetic affairs inspired by the Beatles and the Who, but with a Sonic Youth influenced lo-fi noise element added. Upon hearing this single, James Agren of Darla Records asked DiFuria for more recordings. The result was the 1996 three song CD single "747 (Don’t Worry)." The title track featured a blend of psychedelia and country that presaged the band's later release, "Alone on the Moon," and the sound later developed by the Beachwood Sparks and Darla label-mates, My Morning Jacket. [7]

Formation of "Classic" lineup and full-length releases

During these early years, DiFuria had enlisted friend and drummer Simon Nagle and bassist Gary Plowman to perform his songs with him. By late 1996, Plowman had left and Jeff Tanner had taken over, stabilizing the band as a live unit. The trio spent the next few years building a repertoire, recording, and releasing singles and compilation tracks. Its first full-length record appeared in 1998 on Darla Records, entitled "All Young in the Soul." Like the earlier releases, the album featured a heavy late 1960s psychedelic influence, with noted off-kilter, "day-glo" overtones. [8] The band was prolific over the next three years. 2000 witnessed two Photon Band releases on Darla: "Our ESP Driven Scene" collected the band’s singles, compilation tracks, and outtakes since their inception, and "Oh the Sweet Sweet Changes" featured new material in the vein of "All Young in the Soul," but quieter. While these releases feature some tracks with DiFuria playing all instruments, they mostly feature Nagle and Tanner on drums and bass, respectively.

DiFuria's academic pursuits, changes in sound, and sporadic releases

In 2001, DiFuria moved to Newark, Delaware to enter the University of Delaware’s PhD program in Art History. The band ceased to perform live and drummer Nagle quit. The releases from this period show dramatic changes in sound and attitude. In 2001 Darla released "Alone on the Moon," a limited edition, vinyl-only full-length album of three slow, mournful songs inspired by Neil Young's so-called Ditch Trilogy. [9] A description of the album as containing "three fresh, adrenaline fueled songs" is ubiquitous on the internet, but also erroneous, suggesting that a major vendor did not preview the album before publishing a description of its contents, assuming instead that the band's new release sounded like its previous ones. [10] The 2003 album "It’s a Lonely Planet," which received a 7.3 rating from online indie-rock arbiter Pitchfork, continued the theme of loneliness while featuring another radical shift in sound, combining the influences of Syd Barrett, T. Rex, and Hunky Dory-era David Bowie. [11] Though released under the Photon Band name, these last two albums were solo efforts, with DiFuria again recording at home and playing all instruments. It has been stated that "it is no accident that [these] two…albums feature the words ‘alone’ and ‘lonely’ in their titles," suggesting that DiFuria's isolation from friends and his choice to exclude all other musicians gave rise to the recurring themes of alienation and delusion that pervaded his lyrics. [1] The band would not release another album for four years. During this convalescence, "All Young in the Soul" placed 93rd in the Philadelphia Weekly’s list of the "100 Best Philly Albums of all time." [12]

Return to activity and expanded lineup

In 2007, new label support came from Empyrean Records, which released the digital-only EP, "Get Down Here in the Stratosphere" as a teaser for the 2008 full-length release, "Back Down to Earth." [13] [14] These releases mark the end of the band’s "lonely" period, with DiFuria once again writing uptempo songs with influences as disparate as Jimi Hendrix, the MC5, the Monkees, Stereolab, and Al Green. For support, DiFuria called on Tanner to perform most of the bass duties. Brendan Gallagher plays drums on most of the album's tracks. [15] Also appearing are outside musicians, including but not limited to Dimitri Coats of the Burning Brides, Tracy Stanton of Matt Pond PA, Dave Frank of the Lilys, and Edward Farnsworth of Bardo Pond. The band returned to playing live during this period, with Tanner moving to guitar, longtime friend Chris Kubicek added on bass, and Jason Kourkounis of the Hot Snakes and Burning Brides on drums. Patrick Berkerey of the Pernice Brothers quickly replaced Kourkounis for unknown reasons. The title track of "Back Down to Earth" was chosen by the clothing vendor Free People for use in an online advertisement for their Summer 2009 line. [16] The video contained a direct link for purchase on the iTunes Store and facilitated the band's greatest commercial success when Joey Sweeney embedded it and praised it on his weblog, Philebrity.com, [17] resulting in a spike in sales.

DiFuria leaves Philadelphia for Savannah

In July 2010, DiFuria announced that he had taken a job at Savannah College of Art and Design and that the band would play what would be its last show before his re-location. In the same interview, he expressed his intention to continue playing and recording, claiming to be at work on a "quadruple album." [18] On stage at the last show, DiFuria is reported to have told the audience that the band would "probably" be back in Philadelphia to play again "in a year." [19] Since moving to Savannah, the band has continued to play and record, albeit sporadically. They have released two albums: 2013's Pure Photonic Matter Volume I, [20] and 2015's Songs of Rapture and Hatred. [21] The former album received praise as "an unanticipated surprise for 2013." [22] The band most notably opened for Champaign, IL's Poster Children on their reunion tour of late 2016. [23] In an early 2018 interview for Blurt (magazine), DiFuria promised "two albums...the next installment in the Pure Photonic Matter series [and] another, probably done around the same time...very long songs, sloppy, poppy, noisy, and primitive, with lots of jamming. [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimmu Borgir</span> Norwegian symphonic black metal band

Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The band has been through numerous lineup changes over the years; vocalist Shagrath and rhythm guitarist Silenoz are the only original members who still remain, with lead guitarist Galder being a longstanding member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Füxa</span> American rock band

Füxa is an American rock band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Snakes</span> American rock band

Hot Snakes were an American rock band led by Rick Froberg and John Reis, formed in 1999 in San Diego, California. Reis and Froberg had previously performed together in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, after which Reis found international success with Rocket from the Crypt. Hot Snakes disbanded in 2005, but reunited in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bardo Pond</span> American psychedelic rock band

Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1991, and who are currently signed to London-based label Fire Records. The current members are Michael Gibbons (guitar), John Gibbons (guitar), Isobel Sollenberger, Clint Takeda and Jason Kourkounis (drums). Bardo Pond's music is often classified as space rock, acid rock, post-rock, shoegazing, noise or psychedelic rock. Some Bardo Pond album titles have been derived from the names of esoteric psychedelic substances. Their sound has been likened to Pink Floyd, Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine amongst others.

Snapcase is an American hardcore punk band from Buffalo, New York. Their records were released on the Chicago record label Victory Records. During the course of the band's initial run of fourteen years, they released six studio albums before disbanding in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Reis</span> American musician

John Reis, also known by the pseudonyms Speedo, Slasher, and the Swami is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band Rocket from the Crypt, which he formed and fronted for the entirety of its career from 1990 to 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say Hi</span>

Say Hi is a Seattle-based indie rock band formed in Brooklyn in 2002 by Eric Elbogen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burning Brides</span>

Burning Brides were an American hard rock band. They were partially known for their live performances, such as selected dates as the opening band for The White Stripes in 2000. In 2002 they toured with …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Queens of the Stone Age, in 2003 with Audioslave, in 2004 with A Perfect Circle, in 2005 with Mastodon, and in 2006 with Eagles of Death Metal and Peaches. They also opened for both Melvins and Marilyn Manson in their home town of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darla Records</span> American record label

Darla Records is an independent record label founded by James Agren in October 1993 while he was in New York. Darla's first release was a 7-inch by Grifters, an indie rock/lo-fi band from Memphis.

Lilys are an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C in 1988. The only constant member is Kurt Heasley, with the line-up changing regularly. Several of the band's tracks have been used in television advertisements, including the band's biggest hit, "A Nanny In Manhattan", which reached No. 16 in the UK after being used in a Levi's advertisement directed by Roman Coppola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Trip</span> American experimental/electronic music act

Sweet Trip was an American electronic/experimental rock act formed in 1993 in the Bay Area of California by musicians Valerie Cooper and Roberto Burgos. They are known for their dreamy soundscapes and dense production techniques, often blending alternative rock subgenres with intelligent dance music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus</span> American rock band

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is an American rock band formed in Middleburg, Florida, in 2003. The band's current members include Ronnie Winter, Joey Westwood (bass), Josh Burke, Randy Winter, and John Espy (drums). They have released five studio albums to date.

<i>Automatic Midnight</i> 2000 studio album by Hot Snakes

Automatic Midnight is the first studio album by the San Diego, California post-hardcore band Hot Snakes, released in 2000 by Swami Records. Both the band and the album began as a "side project" for John Reis in June 1999, during time off from his main band Rocket From the Crypt. Reis wrote and recorded a batch of songs in San Diego with Delta 72 drummer Jason Kourkounis. To provide vocals for the tracks Reis called in Rick Froberg, whom he had played with in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu from 1986 to 1995. Most of the material from these sessions was used to create Automatic Midnight, which became the first release for Reis' newly formed Swami Records label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darla dirladada</span> 1970 single by Dalida

"Darla dirladada" is a song recorded by French singer Dalida, first released as a single during the summer of 1970. It was a #1 hit in France. The song is based on the Greek folk song "Dirlada", originating from the island of Kalymnos in Greece.

<i>Eccsame the Photon Band</i> 1994 studio album by Lilys

Eccsame the Photon Band is the second full-length 1994 album by the American indie rock band, Lilys, originally released on the spinART label. The album saw the band move towards dream pop. The notoriously nomadic Kurt Heasley refers to this period of Lilys history as EPOCH I, also included is his first seven-inch single " February Fourteenth", the mini LP A Brief History of Amazing Letdowns and Lilys' first full-length album, In The Presence of Nothing. Eccsame the Photon Band was recorded at Mike Deming's Studio 45 in Hartford, Connecticut, largely as duo of Heasley and Harold Evans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiretree</span>

Wiretree is an American indie pop/indie rock band from Austin, Texas. Initially a solo project based on Kevin Peroni's homemade recordings, Wiretree now currently also includes Joshua Kaplan on guitar, Gregory White on guitar, Rachel Peroni on bass and Daniel Jones on drums. Their music is influenced by British rock, indie, singer songwriter, jazz with home-based recording and song structures. The band played one of the largest festivals in China, The Strawberry Festival in the Spring of 2013. Their fourth album, "Get Up" was released 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maverick Sabre</span> Irish musician

Michael Stafford, better known as Maverick Sabre, is an Irish singer, songwriter, and rapper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Neel</span> Musical artist

Johnny Neel is an American vocalist, songwriter, and musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is best known for his songwriting, stage, and being a member of the Allman Brothers Band and the Dickey Betts Band.

Birdeatsbaby is an English progressive rock band from Brighton, United Kingdom, formed in 2008. At their start, the band's music was considered to be within the dark cabaret genre, but later began to incorporate aspects of heavy metal, klezmer and other musical styles. Their music is noted for its orchestral elements, complex rhythms and exotic instrumentation, with lyrics referencing themes such as religion, alienation, sexual orientation, obsession and animal rights. According to group members, their influences include Chopin, Mozart, Debussy, Queen, Muse and Nick Cave. Since the release of their 2016 album Tanta Furia, their influences have also come from progressive metal artists such as Tool and Opeth.

<i>Hypnoprism</i> Album by Momus

Hypnoprism is an album by Scottish musician Momus. It was released on 27 September 2010 through independent label Analog Baroque in the United Kingdom, and in the United States by American Patchwork, distributed on CD by Darla Records.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Blog Archive » EXIT INTERVIEW: The Photon Band’s Art DiFuria. Phawker (July 23, 2010). Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  2. ↑ Art Di Furia. Freecitymedia.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  3. ↑ Tons of Nuns « Freedom Has No Bounds. Freedomhasnobounds.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ Black & Noir. Kingautomatic.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  5. ↑ Photon Band. Facebook. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ Photon Band – Our Own ESP Driven Scene (Singles, Comps & Outtakes '95–'00) (CD. )Discogs. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  7. ↑ Abebe, Nitsuh. (1996-04-05) 747 (Don't Worry) – Photon Band. AllMusic. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  8. ↑ Photon Band – All Young In The Soul CD Album. Cduniverse.com (June 8, 2000). Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  9. ↑ Alone on the Moon – [Vinyl] LP – Photon Band. Insound.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  10. ↑ Photon Band: Information from. Answers.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  11. ↑ Reiter, Kyle. (2003-02-04) Photon Band: It's a Lonely Planet | Album Reviews. Pitchfork. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  12. ↑ FALL GUIDE '04: 100 Best Philly Albums of all Time – philadelphia weekly online. Pwblogger.com. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  13. ↑ Photon Band – Get Down Here In the Stratosphere MP3 Music Download. Cduniverse.com (August 21, 2007). Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  14. ↑ Photon Band Comes Back Down to Earth » Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream. Carlsandburgvisits.com (January 18, 2008). Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  15. ↑ Brendan Gallagher Discography and Music at CD Universe. Cduniverse.com (November 7, 2011). Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  16. ↑ Free People: Summer 2009. YouTube (June 8, 2009). Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  17. ↑ Blog Archive » Musical Rumblings: Today’s Vibe. philebrity.com (June 8, 2009). Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  18. ↑ Photon Torpedoed :: Music :: Article :: Philadelphia City Paper. Archives.citypaper.net. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  19. ↑ Khyber Last Show Ever :: Cover Story :: Article :: Philadelphia City Paper. Archives.citypaper.net. Retrieved on November 12, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Photon Band - Pure Photonic Matter Volume 1". Discogs. June 4, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Photon Band - Songs Of Rapture And Hatred". Discogs. June 9, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  22. ↑ Jazz, All About (July 23, 2013). "Photon Band: Pure Photonic Matter Volume 1". All About Jazz. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Shows Archives - Page 2 of 85 - Poster Children". Poster Children. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  24. ↑ "ROCK 'N' ROLL PHOTON TORPEDO: Art DiFuria - Blurt Magazine". Blurt Magazine. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.