FILMSTRIP

Comprised of brothers Dave Taha (guitar / vocals) and Matt Taha (bass / backing vocals), and childhood friend Nick Riley (drums), Cleveland’s Filmstrip is a band that has grown together both literally and figuratively. Interpersonal intimacy coupled with years of incessant self-booked touring, and you have a recipe for an album that sounds at the same time both completely new, but yet comfortable and easy: like a favorite record that’s been on your shelf for years.Though heavily rooted in DIY culture, Filmstrip is a band whose sound has evolved well past their simple punk rock origins. Imagine if the Meat Puppets (another brother band) circa 1985 teamed up with the indie-psych-folk stylings of Pink Mountaintops, and was informed by an upbringing heavily steeped in the Maximumrocknroll ethos. Do this and you can begin to approximate the beautifully fractured take on the American Songbook presented here on Moments of Matter.Singer Dave Taha’s voice bathes Filmstrip’s sound in a world-weary / seen-many-a-recent-sunrise, aura that compliments the narratives of each song so perfectly. From the heart-broken delivery on “Wild Abandon,” to the sun-drenched, wonderfully off-kilter delivery of “MMS1970s,” the songs always let you know that the experiences were lived first person. At times, the mastery and interplay between slow and loud songs / dynamics can be reminiscent of Control-era Pedro the Lion. Recorded at Asheville’s storied Echo Mountain Studio (Band of Horses, Co.) Filmstrip’s Moments of Matter is 11 songs worth of heartbreak, hope, good times, and comfort….your new favorite record. Featured Tracks: Stuck on Explode – Perhaps the most delicate and haunting track contained on the album. This song would have been very comfortable on Built to Spill’s classicThere’s Nothing Wrong With Love. -PRESS The press reviews of Filmstrip have been favorable; they’ve garnered high praise and some very flattering comparisons. Cleveland Plain Dealer: “For fans of Neil Young, Band of Horses. (Moments of Matter) doesn’t disappoint. It’s full of all the best parts of the late-1990s, post-grunge turn toward more melodic pop without letting go of the big-guitar wall of sound.” Brooklyn Vegan says: “Cleveland’s Filmstrip make a similar kind of post-slowcore indie rock to Pedro the Lion.” Artvoice Magazine: “Filmstrip is the type of band you would expect to see on the front page of Pitchfork. Singer Dave Taha sounds a lot like David Bazan, their songs are as depressing as the National’s, and their guitar tones are as stressed out as the Deerhunter’s. These days there is only one thing that could make a band like this cooler than being featured on Pitchfork though, and that is not being featured at all. The hype machine and the automatic haters have not tainted the three-piece band from Cleveland, Ohio yet. You can still discover this band on your own, and that feeling of discovery is a rare one these days.” The Ohio Authority: “Filmstrip’s sound recalls Zen Arcade–era Hüsker Dü, with some of the beautiful dirge of Nirvana and some 90s slacker rock thrown in for cool points.” Scene Magazine: “Filmstrip turn out unassuming garage-rock gems.”

THE BIG SWAY

The Big Sway is a sonic wrecking ball, smashing down the walls between the epic psychedelia of funk and the raw fury of punk rock. A constantly evolving trio based out of Massachusetts, The Big Sway has been wowing audiences of all ages since their conception in the Summer of 2007. With two epic EPs under their belt, The Big Sway has been in constant support, playing shows throughout the New England area as well as writing for a fourthcoming full-length album.

http://www.thebigsway.com