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| Filter | |
|---|---|
| Origin |  USA |
| Genre(s) | Industrial rock Post-grunge Alternative rock Alternative metal |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Label(s) | Reprise |
| Associated acts |
Nine Inch Nails The Damning Well Army of Anyone |
| Website | http://www.official-filter.com/ |
| Members | |
| Richard Patrick | |
| Former members | |
| Brian Liesegang Matt Walker Frank Cavanaugh Steve Gillis Alan Bailey Geno Lenardo |
|
Filter is a rock group formed in 1993 by Richard Patrick and guitarist/programmer Brian Liesegang.
Contents |
History
Short Bus
Their first album, Short Bus, was released in 1995. The album was commercially successful, and included the smash hit single "Hey Man, Nice Shot". The song was somewhat controversial, as it was seen as capitalizing on the public suicide of Budd Dwyer.[1] Kurt Cobain's suicide was widely rumored to have inspired the song, but the band refuted this. In need of a live band to tour the album, Patrick and Liesegang recruited Geno Lenardo on guitar, Frank Cavanaugh on bass, and Matt Walker on drums. They would all later be featured in the video for the album's second single, "Dose".
"The Soundtrack EP"
Between Filter's first and second albums, the band became known for their soundtrack contributions, which many fans on the Filter messageboards have dubbed "The Soundtrack EP". The first of these tracks, "Thanks Bro", landed on the Songs In The Key Of X: Music From And Inspired By The X-Files album. Patrick is a fan of the show, and furthermore, his brother, Robert Patrick (of Terminator 2 fame, who can be seen wearing a leather jacket with a Nine Inch Nails pin in several interviews for that movie), even went on to star in the show as John Doggett in its later seasons. In 1996, Filter recorded and filmed the video for the song "Jurassitol", for The Crow: City of Angels soundtrack. They also released the home video Phenomenology in 1996, which showcased some of the band's live performances and music videos, as well as an interview with Patrick and Liesegang filmed in New Mexico. Liesegang left in 1997 shortly after recording the Filter/The Crystal Method collaboration "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do" for the Spawn movie soundtrack, due to creative differences with Patrick. In 1998, for The X-Files film soundtrack, Patrick decided to keep the Filter name and recorded a cover of Harry Nilsson's "One".
Title of Record
Patrick continued with 1999's Title of Record with returning members Lenardo and Cavanaugh, as well as Steve Gillis on drums,[2] filling in the gap left by Walker after he left to work with The Smashing Pumpkins. Title of Record moved away from industrial rock somewhat, and resulted in the band's biggest hit, the mellow ballad "Take a Picture", along with other lesser-heard singles "Welcome to the Fold" and "The Best Things". The diverse assortment of tracks on the album also had some definite backstory as well. The song "Take a Picture" is about a dispute on an aircraft, when Richard Patrick drunkenly stripped down to his boxers, alarming the other passengers.[3] Lyrics include: "I don't believe in privacy"; "I feel like a new-born"; and "Awake on my airplane." "Do you want to take my picture 'cause I won't remember?" is a popular Southern phrase and in this case possibly refers to an alcoholic blackout. The lyrics "Hey, Dad, what do you think about your son now?" refers to the theory that Patrick's father didn't believe he could make it in the recording business and tried to persuade him to pursue another direction. The song "Captain Bligh" (after Vice-Admiral William Bligh of the HMS Bounty) was written by Patrick after leaving Nine Inch Nails and was about Trent Reznor's notoriously anti-social habits.
The Amalgamut
2002 saw the release of The Amalgamut, featuring the singles "Where Do We Go From Here" and "American Cliché". "The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way)" was also featured in the first wave of Hummer2 commercials that year and in the 2003 movie Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Alan Bailey was recruited for live guitar when they set off to tour the album; however, the tour ended abruptly in a matter of weeks when Richard Patrick voluntarily checked himself into rehab.[4] He has since tattooed his date of sobriety, September 28, 2002, on his forearm.
Side projects
Richard Patrick was part of the supergroup The Damning Well, which has only released one track on the Underworld movie soundtrack in 2003, despite an entire album's worth of recording.[5] Patrick has reported on his official website that he has already put a great deal of work into an unnamed fourth Filter release,[6] but has put that aside in favor of his new project, Army of Anyone, with former Stone Temple Pilots members, Robert and Dean DeLeo and drummer Ray Luzier. Army of Anyone's debut album was released on November 14, 2006.[7] Former Filter members Brian Liesegang and Matt Walker played keyboards and drums (respectively) in Billy Corgan's touring band in 2005 to promote his solo album. It was heavily rumored that Geno Lenardo and Frank Cavanaugh were going to be involved with former lead singer of Adema, Mark Chavez, in a band called State of Mind.[8] These rumors proved to be false as Chavez had a band called Midnight Panic, which didn't feature either of the two (Midnight Panic has since disbanded).
Anthems for the Damned
Richard Patrick did an interview with LunaticRadio.com on May 14, 2007 and announced that he was working on new Filter material. Army of Anyone played their last concert to date in El Paso, Texas on May 26, 2007. Since then, they have been "on hiatus." Richard Patrick decided after being on the road with Army of Anyone that he wanted to make another Filter record. Speculations and rumours of a new Filter album were confirmed by Patrick himself leaving a voice message on Filter's official MySpace page.[9] In the message, he stated that he was working with "all new people" and that this was work that he's "very proud of" and is "the best I've ever done". In an interview with MTV.com, he admitted that playing old Filter Material with Army of Anyone convinced him that the band had to be brought back. Richard Patrick announced shortly after the MySpace message that the new album features studio contributions from former Limp Bizkit guitarist and current Black Light Burns frontman Wes Borland, John 5 of Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie fame, and prolific drummer Josh Freese, most recently connected to Patrick's former band Nine Inch Nails. Longtime collaborator Rae DiLeo also contributed to the Josh Abraham-produced effort. Songs were being written for Filter's fouth album before Patrick began work on Army of Anyone with Borland and former Jane's Addiction bassist Chris Chaney, but it is not known what will become of those songs. Chaney described the songs as having a Radiohead feel to them on Filter's website. Anthems for the Damned was confirmed as the title, with a tentative release date of March 2008.[10]. Patrick describes Anthems for the Damned as "highly political" and "a little less optimistic"; its first three tracks being "straight-up industrial powerhouses". A single from the album has yet to be released. John 5, through a MySpace bulletin, has also announced Charles Lee, his bass player for Loser, will be joining Filter for the album and subsequent tour.
Members
Current
- Richard Patrick - Vocals, guitar, keyboards, and programming. (1993 - present)
Current Studio Contributions
- Wes Borland
- Josh Freese
- John 5
Former
- Brian Liesegang - Guitar, programming (1993 - 1997)
- Matt Walker - Drums (1995 - 1999)
- Frank Cavanaugh - Bass (1995 - 2002)
- Steve Gillis - Drums (1999 - 2002)
- Alan Bailey - Guitar (2002 - 2002)
- Geno Lenardo - Guitar (1995 - 2002)
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | US Peak | RIAA Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Short Bus | #59 | Platinum |
| 1999 | Title of Record | #30 | Platinum |
| 2002 | The Amalgamut | #32 | Not certified |
| 2008 | Anthems for the Damned | - | - |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||||
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | US Dance | UK Singles | |||
| 1995 | "Hey Man, Nice Shot" | #76 | #10 | #19 | - | - | Short Bus |
| 1995 | "Dose" | - | - | - | - | - | Short Bus |
| 1996 | "Under" | - | - | - | - | - | Short Bus |
| 1996 | "Jurassitol" | - | - | - | - | - | The Crow: City of Angels OST |
| 1997 | "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do" with The Crystal Method | - | #29 | - | - | #39 | Spawn: The Album |
| 1998 | "One" | - | - | - | - | - | The X-Files: The Album |
| 1999 | "Welcome to the Fold" | - | #17 | #8 | - | - | Title of Record |
| 1999 | "Captain Bligh" | - | - | - | - | - | Title of Record |
| 1999 | "Take a Picture" | #12 | #3 | #4 | #1 | #25 | Title of Record |
| 2000 | "The Best Things" | - | #18 | #31 | #6 | #63 | Title of Record |
| 2002 | "Where Do We Go from Here?" | #94 | #11 | #12 | #21 | - | The Amalgamut |
| 2002 | "American Cliché" | - | - | #40 | - | - | The Amalgamut |
| 2003 | "The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way)" | - | - | - | - | - | The Amalgamut |
Soundtrack contributions
- Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995) - "Hey Man, Nice Shot (Bill Kennedy Mix)"
- The Cable Guy (1996) - "Hey Man, Nice Shot (Bill Kennedy Mix)"
- Songs in the Key of X: Music From And Inspired By The X-Files (1996) - "Thanks Bro"
- Escape from L.A (1996) - "Take Another"
- The Crow: City of Angels (1996) - "Jurassitol"
- Spawn (1997) - "(Can't You) Trip Like I Do", with The Crystal Method
- The X-Files: The Album (1998) - "One"
- The Crow: Salvation (2000) - "The Best Things (Exclusive Radio Remix)"
- Little Nicky (2000) - "Take a Picture"
- Family Values Tour 1999 Official Soundtrack - "Hey Man, Nice Shot", "Welcome to the Fold"
- Driven (2001) - "The Best Things"
- Valentine (2001) - "Take a Picture (Hybrid Mix)"
- ATV Offroad Fury 2 (2003) - "American Cliché" & "So I Quit"
- Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) - "The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way)"
- Anger Management (2003) - "The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way)"
- The Girl Next Door (2004) - "Take a Picture"
- Supernautral (2005) - "Hey Man, Nice Shot"
Videos
- Phenomenology VHS (1996)
- Title of DVD DVD (1999)
See also
- List of alternative music artists
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
References
- ^ Hit, With a Bullet: Filter’s “Hey Man, Nice Shot”. Rolling Stone (1995-07-13).
- ^ Filter Readying New Album, Video. MTV (1999-06-15).
- ^ Filter: Title Of Feature. MTV (1999-11-02).
- ^ FILTER Frontman Checks Into Rehab, Band Cancel Tour. Blabbermouth (2002-10-01).
- ^ FILTER Singer: 'Seriously Loud Motherfuckin' Rock Music!'. Blabbermouth (2003-08-17).
- ^ FILTER: Studio Update. Blabbermouth (2004-06-07).
- ^ ARMY OF ANYONE's Debut Enters Billboard Chart At No. 56. Blabbermouth (2006-11-22).
- ^ FILTER Mainman Says Fans Will Be 'Stunned' By The Group's New Lineup. Blabbermouth (2005-01-19).
- ^ New FILTER Album In The Works For Early 2008 Release. Blabbermouth (2007-11-26).
- ^ Filter Frontman Likens Comeback LP To A 'Heavy U2 Record'. MTV (2007-11-30).
