PHANTOM FAMILY HALO - premier track from new album out 2/14/12 

 Check out the track “White Hot Gun” HERE

This stuff is useful and should be available by the vat on prescription, because it’s good for the mental health.” - Julian Cope

Mixing elements of psych, Kraut rock, and Roxy Music-esque ’70s glam, Phantom Family Halo is the creation of multi-instrumentalist Dominic Cipolla.  Their upcoming studio release, When I Fall Out (street date Feb. 14, 2012 on Knitting Factory Records), is stunning batch of songs and sounds that add up to a modern psych masterpiece and lives up to the promise of The Mindeater EP, a split EP featuring Phantom Family Halo and Bonnie “Prince” Billy released in fall 2011. Live, the band creates a throbbing, mesmerizing sound, augmenting their hypnotic performances with projections and films for an immersive experience. 

Inspired by concept albums of the past, such as Pretty Things’ SF Sorrow and Wire’s 154, When I Fall Out is the first of two Phantom Family Halo albums to be released in 2012 - a “dark” and a “light” album. The songs were all written following the death of Cipolla’s close friend and bandmate who died at age 33. It took Cipolla a year to write the songs that became When I Fall Out and ready himself for the move to Brooklyn, NY, leaving the “darkness” behind.

While Cipolla’s reference points are eclectic they make a potent starting point for his songwriting. His list of favorites include John Cale, Pretty Things, Can, Faust, Alice Cooper, Amon Duul, Guru Guru, Bryan Ferry, Scott Walker, Wire, Syd Barrett, Roky Erickson, Throbbing Gristle, “and every Kraut rock band you’ve ever heard and then some.” Sonically, Cipolla is channeling his favorite releases; nearly all of them are from the early 1970s. “I’m trying to get the best quality of recording of a studio in 1973,” he says.

The Brooklyn-based Cipolla comes by way of Louisville, KY music scene - My Morning Jacket, Slint, and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, to name a few - and was a member of formidable Louisville collective Sapat. During the sessions, Cipolla played most of the instruments, with William Benton handling bass duties. Benton and Cipolla both play guitar; Cipolla provides the “unorthodox” moments. Additional work (keys) was contributed by Brian Foor.

There are some amazing sounds on the disc as you’d expect from a Phantom Family Halo album. Cipolla was going for the pinnacle of analog sound on this recording and the sound is mind-blowing. He used two sets of drums with different snares, kick drums - panned hard left and right for a weird analog true stereo effect. It gives it a “super stereo” effect and delay …  a “short, fast slapback delay,” he explains. Along with his love of Kraut rock and ’70s glam, Cipolla mentions the Plastic Ono Band and Phil Spector as reference points and well as Roky Erickson’s solo releases.

Writing and recording the album was cathartic to Cipolla. Some of the tracks are literal - “Dirty Blade” is hypnotic and dreamlike, while “White Hot Gun” is raw and urgent - a sliding fuzz bass note anchors the track while Cipolla intones, “you’ve got nothing to fear … loaded gun” as the song builds to a screaming climax. The album is alternately resigned, angry, and hopeful - the tracks are about someone who loses their battle to the darker side and the friends they leave behind. It’s a powerful record that pulls you inside and immerses you in its mood and sound.

Phantom Family Halo On The Web:

http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/phantom-family-halo     

http://www.facebook.com/phntmfmlyhalo    

PHANTOM FAMILY HALO - special preview show SUN, Nov 27 @ Death by Audio in Brooklyn

Knitting Factory records signees Phantom Family Halo will be performing their upcoming studio release, When I Fall Out (street date Feb. 14 2012 on Knitting Factory Records), for the first time in its entirety this Sunday, November 27 at Death by Audio; showtime 9:30 pm. The band is the brainchild of Brooklyn-via-Louisville multi-instrumentalist Dom Cipolla and they’ll be performing as a 5-piece. This release is insane – like Kraut rock meets Roky Erickson’s solo albums.  Expect a show — projections, retro fugged up sounds and a full-on performance.

When I Fall Outwas recorded at The Funeral Parlor studio with Kevin Ratterman. Recording-wise, Dom played most of the instruments but — as a first — William Benton played bass. William and Dom both play guitar;  Dom provides the “unorthodox” moments. Additional work (keys) was contributed by Brian Foor. There are some amazing sounds on the disc as you’d expect from a PFH release.  Dom was going for the pinnacle of analog sound circa 1973 on this recording and the sound is mind-blowing. He used two sets of drums with different snares, kick drums — panned hard left and right for a weird analog true stereo effect. It gives it a “super stereo’’ effect and delay …  a “short, fast slapback delay,” he explains. Along with his love of Kraut rock and 70s glam, Dom mentions the Plastic Ono Band and Phil Spector as reference points. 

http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/phantom-family-halo

http://www.facebook.com/phntmfmlyhalo

All-­Star Troupe Bring Eno’s “Here Come The Warm Jets” To Joe’s Pub Live on Jan 8th, 2012

New York, NY - November 17, 2011:  Nearly 40 years after its recording and release, Brian Eno’s Here Come The Warm Jets is just as relevant and exciting as ever. Recorded in 1973 and released in 1974, this epic finger-waving flip-off, rated 9.2 by Pitchfork and considered inspirational for musicians of all ages, has never have been performed song-for-song, note-for-note in live presentation prior to this production*.  Here Come The Warm Jets makes its Joe’s Pub debut on January 8th, 2012. Showtime is 9:30 pm.

In early 2011, as a birthday present to himself, Rob Christiansen, a recording engineer (Labradford, Unrest, Tuscadero) for WFMU and WNYC (programs Spinning on Air, Soundcheck and New Sounds), and multi-discipline composer/ sound designer (music: East Ghost West Ghost, Eggs; sound-design: Sue DeBeer’s 2004 Whitney Biennial, Christian Bruno and Natalja Veckich film scores, NPR’s Radio Lab) decided to transcribe the entire album and perform it live in keeping with Eno’s original thoughts on Here Come The Warm Jets, with special musical guests. 

“One of the things that I tried to do with Warm Jets was to bring musicians together who would normally never play together and to play a music that they couldn’t agree upon. The music would come from the chemistry,” ­ Brian Eno, 1974.

The evening’s emcee will be WNYC’s John Schaefer (New Sounds and Soundcheck) and the first round of announced featured musicians will be Joan Wasser (Joanaspolicewoman), noted guitarist Vernon Reid (Living Color) and Travis Morrison (The Dismemberment Plan), as well as Sohrab Habibion from Obits (Sub Pop), Knitting Factory / Partisan Records upstarts Paul Duncan (Warm Ghost) and Dom Cippola (Phantom Family Halo). More performers are to be announced.

Legendary rock critic Lester Bangs wrote this about the album in Creem Magazine on its 1974 release: “Solid and throbbing primitivo all the way but with the strangest increment of avant­ garding… Eno is the real bizarro warp factor for 1974…The drums are pounding and the guitars are screaming every whichaway in a precisely orchestrated cauldron of terminal hysteria muchly influenced by though far more technologically advanced than early Velvet Underground. Don’t miss it; it’ll drive you crazy.” ­    

Blackbook reviews the “The Mindeater” EP by KFR artist Phantom Family Halo (with Bonnie “Prince” Billy)

Since it’s release, The Mindeater, a four-song EP by Knitting Factory Records’ artist Phantom Family Halo with Bonnie “Prince” Billy,” has gotten a lot of love. The blend of Will Oldham and Dominic Cipolla’s musical tastes is organic and a work of subtle genius. Check out what has to say:

Bonnie “Prince” Billy & The Phantom Family Halo, The Mindeater (Knitting Factory) The auspicious meeting of freak-folk artists Bonnie “Prince” Billy and the Phantom Family Halo’s Dominic Cipolla has produced a weirdly engaging four-track EP that reminds us that the American south is still a vital place for modern pop. With a talent bordering on magical, the duo tweaks the twangy guitars and plaintive lyrics of their shared hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, to produce tracks that are at once powerful, haunting, and catchy. A remake of the Everly Brothers’ classic “I Wonder If I Care As Much” showcases their polish and range, but it’s cuts like the title track that show just how much feeling six strings and a pair of vocal chords can convey. —Victor Ozols

Phantom Family Halo and Bonnie “Prince” Billy

“The Mindeater” EP out today on Knitting Factory Records

 Phantom Family Halo kicks off tour with Bonnie “Prince” Billy  today!  

CMJ dates to be announced soon! 

Stream the title track HERE  

The Mindeater is a collaborative project birthed by the ever-prolific recording artist Bonnie “Prince” Billy (aka Will Oldham) and Dominic Cipolla, multi-instrumentalist and main brain behind the elusive Phantom Family Halo.  Knitting Factory Records is proud to present the 4-song EP on CD and digital formats for the first time on September 27, 2011. (The EP sold out its limited-edition pressing on the Sophomore Lounge label.) Phantom Family Halo kicks off their fall tour with Bonnie “Prince” Billy  tonight - September 27 - at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville, OH (scroll down for complete dates).  PFH will also be in NYC performing at CMJ; stay tuned for updates. 

Having met through mutual friend/local video store-owner and former SLINT bassist, Todd Brashear, The Phantom Family folks hit it off quite nicely with Bonnie “Prince” Billy last year when he joined them for a performance of a song at an anniversary party they were asked to play with Roky Erikson.  

That was last summer in their shared hometown of Louisville, KY. Since then, the two forces have joined again, not only to record their psyched out, full-band, live-in-studio rendition of The Everly Brothers’ classic ”I Wonder If I Care As Much” but also to cast a few spells of their own. The resulting tracks,”The Mindeater,” “Roki For Now,” and “Suddenly the Darkness” were stripped to the bone and recorded to tape on the second floor of a funeral home where Cipolla lived at the time; he’s recently relocated to Brooklyn.    

While Mr. Billy needs no introduction, with his seemingly unending contributions to the presentation of contemporary “folk” music continuing to surprise and impress audiences for nearly two decades. The Mindeater is an intriguing introduction to Cipolla and Phantom Family Halo.   Beyond the world of kraut-encrypted, Amon Duul-meets-Roxy Music glam jams, Cipolla, long-time member of Siltbreeze crack-folk improv ensemble Sapat,  is the lesser known of the duo yet plays no less valuable role, taking  the songwriting reigns throughout the majority of the EP.   

The Mindeater is just a taste of what’s to come from the Cippola and Phantom Family Halo. Look for a full-length release from the band in early 2012 on Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory Records and call for press, interview or guest list requests.

Press for The Mindeater:

“It’s a real brain melter.” - Buzzgrinder

“A return to the spooked-out country of Oldham’s earlier career.” - Prefix Magazine  

“Phantom Family Halo is THE Must-Hear Band” - Examiner.com  

“Clocking in just over 20 minutes,The Mindeater explores the vibes of rustic folk and late ’60s/early ’70s twangy psychedelia, spooky glam swagger, and the desolate milieu where monolithic desert rock meets the Sweetheart of the Rodeo.”  - The Decibel Tolls  

Phantom Family Halo tour dates with Bonnie “Prince” Billy:  

09-27 Nelsonville, OH - Stuart’s Opera House
09-28 York, PA - Capitol Theater
09-29 Wilmington, DE - World Cafe Live @ The Queen 

10-02 Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
10-04 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre
10-05 Marshall, NC - Marshall High Studios
10-06 Wilmington, NC - The Soapbox
10-09 Louisville, KY - The Clifton Center      

To order The Mindeater:  

http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/phantom-family-halo/store/    

Phantom Family Halo On The Web:

http://www.knittingfactoryrecords.com/artists/phantom-family-halo   

http://www.facebook.com/phntmfmlyhalo