- Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 is an experimental
indie rock group formed inSan Francisco, California , though half of its members are fromManchester, Iowa . Their albums combine dissonant lo-fi noise and ambient sounds (referred to as "Feller filler") with tightly constructed rock and pop songs. The band has a small but intensely loyal cult following.The band achieved their greatest critical and commercial success in the mid-nineties when they signed with the influential indie rock label
Matador Records . It was during this time that Thinking Fellers produced their most prominent albums, "Lovelyville", and the critically lauded college radio hit "Strangers from the Universe". In 1996 they toured briefly as an opening act for the then-popular band Live but were not received well by the Live fanbase. Thinking Fellers has been largely dormant since 1996. They have toured sporadically and released only one full album: "Bob Dinners and Larry Noodles Present Tubby Turdner's Celebrity Avalanche" which received mixed reviews.In 2001 author
Jonathan Franzen referenced the band in his widely-acclaimed bestselling novel "The Corrections ". The character Brian, a snobby fan of "west coast underground bands," listens to the albums of Thinking Fellers Union while writing the music software that will make him a young millionaire. Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 is inactive as of 2007, although band members have not ruled out the possibility of further albums and touring. Their song "The Piston and the Shaft" is frequently used as background music for announcements onNational Public Radio stations.Discography
*"Wormed By Leonard" Thwart Productions 1988
*"Tangle" Thwart Productions 1989 / Scratch Records 1995
*"Lovelyville" Matador Records 1991
*"Mother Of All Saints"Matador Records 1992
*"Where's Officer Tuba" EP Hemiola Records 1993
*"Admonishing The Bishops" EP Matador Records 1993
*"The Funeral Pudding" EP Ajax Records/Brinkman (Waaghaals) 1994
*"Strangers From The Universe" Matador Records 1994
*"TFUL282" Japan Overseas 1995
*"Porcelain Entertainments" Normal Records 1995 / Runt 2000
*"I Hope It Lands" Communion 1996
*"Bob Dinners and Larry Noodles Present Tubby Turdner's Celebrity Avalanche" Communion 2001External links
* [http://www.tful282.com Official Band Website]
* [http://www.midheaven.com/communion/tful282/index.html Communion Label TFUL282 site]
* [http://www.matadorrecords.com/bios/bio_tful.html Matador Records TFUL282 site]
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