Meet the Band: Dave Taha (guitar/vocals), Nick Licata (bass/vocals) and Nick Riley (drums)
Punk Rock Origins: The indie rock band started while members were still in middle school. "We did shows in my backyard and stuff," says singer-guitarist Dave Taha. "We had such a good time that we were addicted. We started doing the punk thing with the spiked hair, and it took awhile for us to come into our own stylistically."
Smells like Nirvana: Taha says that discovering grunge rockers Nirvana led him to other, earlier indie rock bands such as Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. Those influences come across on the band's debut, 2010's self-released Everything Can Change, which it recorded locally at the now defunct Exit Stencil Studios (the studio/record label has relocated to New York). For its new album, Moments of Matter, Taha went on a "country kick during the songwriting process" and the band recorded in Asheville. "I think some of it was just being down South," he says of his songwriting approach. "I had never been to the deep South. As a result, there's been a broadening of our sound." The band recorded the album at Echo Mountain Studio, a studio used by indie rock acts such as Band of Horses and War on Drugs. "They have some pre-amps that Paul McCartney brought there," says Taha. "We mixed it on the board that was used to mix Damn the Torpedoes."
Why You Should Hear Them: Songs such as the manic, twangy "Don't You Know" sound like vintage Meat Puppets, while ballads such as "Stuck on Explode" and "Opportunism" are somber and introspective. "We tracked 33 songs in six days," says Taha. "We have almost two albums' worth of material ready to go right now. We knew the studio had a history of producing quality recordings. It was a little bit rushed but not in a negative way. It forced us to be professional. We went with the songs that worked. If it didn't work on the first take, we just didn't record it."
Where You Can Hear Them: filmstrip.bandcamp.com.
Where You Can See Them: Filmstrip performs with Aircraft, WV White and Tinko, 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Happy Dog.
