Farflung

Farflung
Farflung
	;
Background information
Also known as	Helianthus (1992 - 1994)
Origin	Los Angeles, California
Genres	Space Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Years active	1992 - Present
Labels	MeteorCity Records, Heavy Psych Sounds, Bad Acid Records, Big Jesus Enterprise, Flipside, Cobraside Distribution, Bloodrock, Nois-O-Lution
Associated acts	Hawkwind, Id Battery, The Freq_Out Orchestra, Dashboard Prophets, Don Knotts Overdrive, Head Set, Chrome, Helios Creed, Anubian Lights, Brainticket, Nektar, Xambuca, Purse, Bakamono, Hunting Lodge, Damo Suzuki's Network
Website	Farflung on Facebook

Farflung are a space rock band based out of Los Angeles, California. Forming in 1992 and going under the Farflung moniker in 1994, this band draws heavily from Hawkwind space rock (Even touring and collaborating with Nik Turner.), kraut rock ala Can and stoner rock to compose a sound that is often free-form and unpredictable. Henry Rollins would cite Farflung among one of his favorite acts in a 2010 interview, describing them as "It sounds like a bunch of guys that grew up on [Hawkwind's] In Search of Space. They have their own thing, but it's all echoed out. Right up my alley.".^[1]

To date Farflung have released eight studio albums be it through notable stoner labels such as MeteorCity Records and Heavy Psych Sounds or rare, independent releases. This is among several split albums, EPs, compilations and tours of Europe.

Farflung stands for an independent freakish blend of space, kraut and stoner rock.

History[]

In 1992 Brandon LaBelle (drums) and Michael Esther (guitar) founded a band called Helianthus and after some personal changes Tommy Grenas (vocals, guitar, synth) of Pressurehed came in. At this point circa 1994 the band changed its name to FARFLUNG and started with the singles The Way The Sky Is/Daedalus and Vision Of Infinity/Icarus, both released by Big Jesus Enterprise. The band's early sound contained Hawkwind-inspired space jams coupled with ambient elements.

Signing to Flipside Records and working up enough material for an album (Some of which written during Helianthus' tenure), Farlung would release their first album 25,000 Feet Per Second in 1995. Their debut offers a high energy blend of space rock, punk, krautrock and acid freakouts. The line-up at that time consisted of Grenas, Esther, LaBelle, Paul Fox (guitar, keyboards) and Buck McGibbony (bass) and they were supported by several guest musicians. With a stable lineup and gaining momentum a second album would quickly follow in Raven That Ate The Moon, released in 1996. Paul Fox would leave the band before the album was released. from 1996 where Fox already had left the band.

A compilation release would follow in So Many Minds, So Little Time......., a collection of singles and remixes containing the tracks appearing on the two early 7" releases and a cover of Can's "Future Days". The band toured with Nik Turner under the moniker 'Nik Turner and Farflung as The Sons of Cydonia'. Buck McGibbony was substituted by Dan Meyer (guitar, bass) and Doran Shelley (guitar). Farflung released their third album in 1998 via Bad Acid Records. The Belief Module would further expand on their acid-feuled jam style and space rock inspiration. The next year saw a fourth album in The Myth of Solid Ground, a self-released album on CD-R only sold at the Strange Daze 1999 Space Rock Festival. During the recording sessions both Shelley and Meyers left the group and were replaced by Ryan Kirk (bass, guitar, synth) and Scott Rusch (guitar).

After Michael Esther had escaped the band mates probably took it easy for a while until in 2002 new albums saw the light of day released by different labels. When Science Fails was intended as a soundtrack to the movie "Guardian Of The Frontier", a Croatian-German avant-garde supernatural film and thus a further emphasis on atmosphere. 9 Pin Body would also see release that same year, comprising a collection of unreleased recordings over several years into an album. Farflung toured as part of the Anubian Lights Tour in 2002, went over to Europe and played with The Earthlings?.

After another break of some years the band reformed and started to work at the new release A Wound In Eternity (MeteorCity Records May 2008) appearing closer to stoner than to space rock. Touring Europe in 2009 they played on the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg/Netherlands, later releasing the set as a live album via MeteorCity. The band would continue touring over the next few years.

After a bit of a hiatus the band would sign with Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds to release 5 in 2016, touring Europe to support the album. An EP known as Unwound Celluloid Frown would follow the next year. The band's next two releases would take a different direction, first being the self-released EP Treachery of The Course and later the band's eighth album This Capsule, released in 2018 via punk label Nois-O-Lution.

Discography[]

Studio Albums[]

25,000 Feet Per Second (1995, Flipside)
The Raven That Ate The Moon (1996, Flipside)
The Belief Module (1998, Bad Acid Records)
The Myth of Solid Ground (1999, Self-Released)
When Science Fails (2002, Falçata-Galia, Transparency)
A Wound In Eternity (2008, MeteorCity Records)
5 (2016, Heavy Psych Sounds)
This Capsule (2018, Nois-O-Lution)

Split Releases[]

To Find The Secret Door / Fade (Split 12" with White Hills) (2012, Cobraside Distribution)
Farflung & Black Rainbows (Split 12" with Black Rainbows) (2012, Heavy Psych Sounds)
Orbital Decay / The Ecstasy Of Awakening (Split 12" with Black Land) (2012, Bloodrock)
Split Album (Split 12" with Fatso Jetson) (2015, Heavy Psych Sounds)
Long Distance Calling (Split 12" with 3AM) (2016, Headspin)

Other Releases[]

Icarus / Vision of Infinity (7" Single) (1994, Big Jesus Enterprises)
Fade In (7" Single) (1996, Big Jesus Enterprises)
So Many Minds, So Little Time....... (Compilation) (1997, Purple Pyramid)
Live At Strange Daze '99 (Live album with Nik Turner) (1999, Strange Recordings)
9 Pin Body (Compilation) (2002, Brainticket; Orchard Records)
1995 - 2001 (Compilation) (2002, Self-Released)
Live At 013 Roadburn 2009 (Live Album) (2009, MeteorCity Records)
Unwound Celluloid Frown (12" EP) (2017, Heavy Psych Sounds)
Treachery of The Course (CD EP) (2018, Self-Released)

Members[]

Tommy Grenas
Michael Esther
Paul Hischier
Chris Nakata

Past Members and Collaborators[]

Andrew Scott
Brandon LaBelle
Daniel Meyer
Lux Vibratus
Richard Skott
Ryan Kirk
Nik Turner
Buck McGibbony

List of Known Tours[]

1997 Tour (With Nik Turner) (1997)
Anubian Lights Tour (With Earthlings?) (2002)
2009 European Tour (With White Hills) (2009)^[2]
2010 European Tour (With Black Land) (2010)^[3]^[4]
2011 European Tour (With Black Rainbows) (2011)^[5]
2012 European Tour (With Black Rainbows) (2012)^[6]^[7]
2016 European Tour (2016)^[8]
2017 European Tour (2017)^[9]
2018 European Tour (2018)^[10]

External Links[]

References[]

[1] Farflung Blogspot

[2] Last.fm

[3] Last.fm

[4] Farflung Facebook

[5] Last.fm

[6] Last.fm

[7] Farflung Blogspot

[8] Last.fm

[9] Last.fm

[10] Last.fm

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