State Shirt
Encyclopedia
State Shirt is Ethan Tufts, an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Easthampton, Massachusetts
. He is known for his hand-crafted, diverse and often unpredictable indietronic style, integrating live looping
in both his recordings and live performances. All of his songs are open source and licensed via Creative Commons
, providing raw materials for the hundreds of remix artists that have created new works based on his source tracks.
He released his debut EP Don't Die in 2004, and his second album This Is Old in 2008. The first single from This is Old is "Fell Out of the Sky," a song inspired by the black box data recordings recovered from the crash of Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182, September 25, 1978.
He is currently working on an open source collaboration album, using only fan-submitted audio samples and his voice. The album will feature audio by Dan Friel (Parts & Labor
), Chris Fudurich (producer, Nada Surf
), Jamie Kime
(Zappa Plays Zappa
), Tim Godwin (Air Supply
), among others.
Easthampton, Massachusetts
Easthampton is the second largest city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is on the southeastern edge of an area called the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst, MA...
. He is known for his hand-crafted, diverse and often unpredictable indietronic style, integrating live looping
Live looping
Live looping is the recording and playback of looped audio samples in real-time, using either hardware or software. It is a process with numerous sonic directions, open to instrument textures, improvisation and composition techniques. Famous musicians who use this technique include Australian...
in both his recordings and live performances. All of his songs are open source and licensed via Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
, providing raw materials for the hundreds of remix artists that have created new works based on his source tracks.
He released his debut EP Don't Die in 2004, and his second album This Is Old in 2008. The first single from This is Old is "Fell Out of the Sky," a song inspired by the black box data recordings recovered from the crash of Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182, September 25, 1978.
He is currently working on an open source collaboration album, using only fan-submitted audio samples and his voice. The album will feature audio by Dan Friel (Parts & Labor
Parts & Labor
Parts & Labor is an American experimental rock/noise rock band. The group was formed in 2002 by B.J. Warshaw and Dan Friel in Brooklyn, NY. Drummer Joe Wong joined the band in 2007. Parts & Labor has released five albums, two EPs, one split album , and numerous 7"s and compilation tracks...
), Chris Fudurich (producer, Nada Surf
Nada Surf
Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws , Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca .-Early years:...
), Jamie Kime
Jamie Kime
Jamie Kime is an American guitarist, best known for his work with artists such as Michelle Branch, Jewel, and as a member of the Zappa Plays Zappa world tour....
(Zappa Plays Zappa
Zappa Plays Zappa
Zappa Plays Zappa is an American tribute act led by Dweezil Zappa, the eldest son of the late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted to performing the music of Frank Zappa.- History :...
), Tim Godwin (Air Supply
Air Supply
Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo, consisting of Graham Russell as guitarist and singer-songwriter and Russell Hitchcock as lead vocalist. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten hits in the United States, in the early 1980s...
), among others.
Albums
- This Is Old (Nov, 2008)
- Don't Die (Jun, 2004)
- New Planet (Jun, 2002)
Reviews
- Heather Rush, "An Interview with State Shirt - Ethan Tufts", HiddenTrack (Blog), masslive.com, February 16, 2009
- Paul Zimmerman, "This Is An Old State Shirt", FirstCoastNews, firstcoastnews.com, November 19, 2008
- "The Guitar Hero Series: State Shirt", Interview, JemSite, jemsite.com
- "State Shirt - Don't Die 'Whisperin' And Hollerin', Review
- Indieville "Don't Die", Review, indieville.com,
- "Editor's Pick", Review, Smother.net
- "State Shirt - Don't Die", Review, Plug-In Music.com