Backyard Tire Fire
Encyclopedia
Backyard Tire Fire is an American trio that formed in Asheville, NC in 2001. The band began in the fall of that year with founding members Ed Anderson (vocals, guitars, keyboards) and Tim Kramp (drums, percussion). After encountering several line-up changes, the Tire Fire moved from Asheville to Athens, Georgia in 2002. They (along with then-bass player Warren Hawk) released their first album Live at the Georgia Theatre later that year.
After the release of their debut album, Backyard Tire Fire relocated once again to Bloomington, Illinois and added Anderson's brother Matt (bass, vocals) into the mix. The Anderson brothers had originally grown up in St. Charles, IL, Tim Kramp in Bloomington, IL and Ed Anderson received his masters in Interpersonal Communication from Illinois State University (located in Normal, IL, Bloomington's sister town). They recorded and released their first self-titled studio record in 2004 which was produced by Tony SanFilippo and recorded in analog at SanFilippo's Oxide Lounge in Bloomington, IL. This began the relationship between BTF and SanFilippo who produced and recorded their next three albums and 2 EPs.
2005 brought the release of Bar Room Semantics which was the first record to receive national recognition in the press from Harp Magazine and AllMusic.com. The band began touring heavily on a national scale in 2006 supporting artists like The Mother Hips, Will Hoge, North Mississippi Allstars as well as playing festivals like South by Southwest, High Sierra Music Festival in California, and 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota.
Vagabonds and Hooligans was released February 6, 2007 and received a larger national spotlight with praise coming from USA Today, PopMatters.com and several influential bloggers including My Old Kentucky Blog and An Aquarium Drunkard. The band continued their heavy touring playing close to 150 shows that year with a diverse mix of bands including William Elliot Whitmore, Melissa Ferrick, JJ Grey & MOFRO, Clutch, and Cracker. The supporting slots with Cracker brought them praise from Johnny Hickman who became an ardent supporter of the band saying, "My favorite band right now is Backyard Tire Fire and they sometimes remind me of early Wilco, Son Volt and Flaming Lips. And they unabashedly name check both Wayne Coyne and Tom Petty in song. They are my earworm the last few months.”
2008 found them signed to NYC-based label HYENA Records for the release of The Places We Lived on Aug. 26th 2008. The Places We Lived was a bit of a departure stylistically for the band as a portion of the record found the band focused on piano-based songs such as "Everybody's Down", "Rainy Day Don't Go Away" and "The Places We Lived". The record continued their national growth in the press as they were a Paste Magazine "Band of the Week" and received heavy airplay from nationally syndicated radio programs like Mountain Stage and Acoustic Cafe, Sirius/XM's Loft and XMU and non-commercial AAA radio stations like Louisville's WFPK, Asheville's WNCW, and Cincinnati's WNKU. They continued their heavy touring which found them on the road with old Athens friends Bloodkin, Lynyrd Skynryd's Simple Man Cruise, Reverend Horton Heat, Nashville Pussy, Ha Ha Tonka, Rose Hill Drive and a fortuitous opening slot for Los Lobos in the bands hometown of Bloomington. The opening slot introduced the band to Steve Berlin, who soon after signed on to produce their next record.
Good to Be, the bands fifth studio album, will be released on February 16, 2010 on the bands' Kelsey Street Records label, distributed by Thirty Tigers/Sony-Red. It was produced by Los Lobos' Steve Berlin and recorded on analog in Portland, OR's Type Foundry Studio. Prominent northwest engineer Jeff Stuart Saltzman recorded and mixed the record. The band performs multiple tracks from the record on their "Sun Studio Sessions" appearance, including "Brady," which is set to air on PBS affiliates in early 2011.
A promotional MP3 of the song "The Places We Lived," from the album The Places We Lived, can be found here.
After the release of their debut album, Backyard Tire Fire relocated once again to Bloomington, Illinois and added Anderson's brother Matt (bass, vocals) into the mix. The Anderson brothers had originally grown up in St. Charles, IL, Tim Kramp in Bloomington, IL and Ed Anderson received his masters in Interpersonal Communication from Illinois State University (located in Normal, IL, Bloomington's sister town). They recorded and released their first self-titled studio record in 2004 which was produced by Tony SanFilippo and recorded in analog at SanFilippo's Oxide Lounge in Bloomington, IL. This began the relationship between BTF and SanFilippo who produced and recorded their next three albums and 2 EPs.
2005 brought the release of Bar Room Semantics which was the first record to receive national recognition in the press from Harp Magazine and AllMusic.com. The band began touring heavily on a national scale in 2006 supporting artists like The Mother Hips, Will Hoge, North Mississippi Allstars as well as playing festivals like South by Southwest, High Sierra Music Festival in California, and 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota.
Vagabonds and Hooligans was released February 6, 2007 and received a larger national spotlight with praise coming from USA Today, PopMatters.com and several influential bloggers including My Old Kentucky Blog and An Aquarium Drunkard. The band continued their heavy touring playing close to 150 shows that year with a diverse mix of bands including William Elliot Whitmore, Melissa Ferrick, JJ Grey & MOFRO, Clutch, and Cracker. The supporting slots with Cracker brought them praise from Johnny Hickman who became an ardent supporter of the band saying, "My favorite band right now is Backyard Tire Fire and they sometimes remind me of early Wilco, Son Volt and Flaming Lips. And they unabashedly name check both Wayne Coyne and Tom Petty in song. They are my earworm the last few months.”
2008 found them signed to NYC-based label HYENA Records for the release of The Places We Lived on Aug. 26th 2008. The Places We Lived was a bit of a departure stylistically for the band as a portion of the record found the band focused on piano-based songs such as "Everybody's Down", "Rainy Day Don't Go Away" and "The Places We Lived". The record continued their national growth in the press as they were a Paste Magazine "Band of the Week" and received heavy airplay from nationally syndicated radio programs like Mountain Stage and Acoustic Cafe, Sirius/XM's Loft and XMU and non-commercial AAA radio stations like Louisville's WFPK, Asheville's WNCW, and Cincinnati's WNKU. They continued their heavy touring which found them on the road with old Athens friends Bloodkin, Lynyrd Skynryd's Simple Man Cruise, Reverend Horton Heat, Nashville Pussy, Ha Ha Tonka, Rose Hill Drive and a fortuitous opening slot for Los Lobos in the bands hometown of Bloomington. The opening slot introduced the band to Steve Berlin, who soon after signed on to produce their next record.
Good to Be, the bands fifth studio album, will be released on February 16, 2010 on the bands' Kelsey Street Records label, distributed by Thirty Tigers/Sony-Red. It was produced by Los Lobos' Steve Berlin and recorded on analog in Portland, OR's Type Foundry Studio. Prominent northwest engineer Jeff Stuart Saltzman recorded and mixed the record. The band performs multiple tracks from the record on their "Sun Studio Sessions" appearance, including "Brady," which is set to air on PBS affiliates in early 2011.
Discography
- Live at the Georgia Theatre (2002)
- Backyard Tire Fire (2003)
- Bar Room Semantics (2005)
- Skin and Bones (2006)
- Vagabonds and HooligansVagabonds and HooligansVagabonds and Hooligans is the fifth album by Backyard Tire Fire, released on February 6, 2007.-Track listing:All songs written by Ed Anderson.#"Vagabonds and Hooligans" – 3:47#"Undecided" – 3:32#"Green Eyed Soul" – 3:23#"Apparitions" – 3:34...
(2007) - Sick of Debt (2008)
- The Places We Lived (2008)
- Good to Be (2010)
A promotional MP3 of the song "The Places We Lived," from the album The Places We Lived, can be found here.
External links
- Review of Vagabonds and Hooligans in the Dallas ObserverDallas ObserverThe Dallas Observer is a free alternative weekly newspaper distributed around the Dallas, Texas . At its inception, it was conceived as a weekly local arts and cinema review publication, with the credo "Advocate for Excellence in the Arts" on the cover. For a time during the early years, the paper...
- Review of Vagabonds and Hooligans at PopMattersPopMattersPopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
- Review of The Places We Lived from HonestTune.com
- Band profile and interview from Chicago Public RadioChicago Public RadioWBEZ is a noncommercial, public radio station broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois. Financed primarily by listener contributions, the station is affiliated with both National Public Radio and Public Radio International; they also broadcast content from American Public Media...
- Backyard Tire Fire from the heart By Tim Newby, from HonestTune.com.