Califone is an

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

band from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. The band is named after

Califone International Rheem Manufacturing Company is an American privately held manufacturer that produces residential and commercial water heaters and boilers, as well as heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. The company also produces and sells ...

, an audio equipment manufacturer. Their work has been critically acclaimed. Roots & Crowns review

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

Califone has released an album and feature film, both of which are titled ''

All My Friends Are Funeral Singers ''All My Friends Are Funeral Singers'' is a 2009 album by Califone. The album was the first release by Califone on Dead Oceans Dead Oceans is an American independent record label formed in 2007 and based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices ...

''. The album was released October 6, 2009 on

Dead Oceans Dead Oceans is an American independent record label formed in 2007 and based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Dead Oceans is part of Secretly Group, which also ...

. The feature film was made available in 2010, and the band toured as a live soundtrack to the film. ''All My Friends Are Funeral Singers'' is the follow-up album to 2006's ''

Roots & Crowns ''Roots & Crowns'' is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band Califone Califone is an experimental rock band from Chicago. The band is named after Califone International, an audio equipment manufacturer. Their work has been criticall ...

'', which ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called "enthralling." In 2011, a feature-length tour documentary about Califone, called "Made a Machine by Describing the Landscape", was released by IndiePix. The film was directed by Solan Jensen and

Joshua Marie Wilkinson Joshua Marie Wilkinson (born December 2, 1977) is an American poet, editor, publisher, and filmmaker. Life He was born on December 2, 1977, and raised in Haller Lake neighborhood, Seattle, Washington. His given name is Joshua Wilson; his grand ...

, and presents an intimate portrait of the band on tour in Europe and the US after the release of "

Heron King Blues The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychu ...

History

After the breakup of his former band Red Red Meat, frontman Tim Rutili formed Califone as a solo project. Rutili's solo effort soon became a full-fledged musical project with a regular and rotating list of contributors, including many former members of Red Red Meat and some members of other Chicago bands. According to Rutili, Califone started as a home project: "The statement of intent would have been 'easy listening' compared to what we were doing with Red Red Meat. This was supposed to be making little pop songs out of found pieces. It was supposed to be just a little home project, and it slowly grew from there. Now it seems like just about anything goes."Interview: Califone
Cokemachineglow.com, 6 October 2006 Califone's sound is a combination of Red Red Meat's blues-rock and experimental music, with inspiration drawn from early American

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

, as well as electronic and groups like Psychic TV. Listeners familiar with Red Red Meat can quickly tell that Califone is not an attempt to revive the old band; elements from a number of musical styles contribute to their distinctive sound. Their single "Funeral Singers" appears on the soundtrack of the video game ''

Watch Dogs ''Watch Dogs'' (stylized as ''WATCH_DOGS'') is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Ubisoft, and developed primarily by its Montreal and Toronto studios using the Disrupt game engine. The series' eponymous first title was rele ...

''. In 2019, Califone undertook a tour of house concerts and other small venues. The lineup consisted of Rutili, Massarella, and second percussionist

Rachel Blumberg Rachel Chaiya Blumberg (born February 10, 1969) is an American musician, artist, and filmmaker, best known for her tenure as the drummer for the indie rock band The Decemberists. Early life Blumberg was born in Portland, Oregon in 1969. She is ...

Concepts

Many of Califone's albums are individually thematic, sometimes inspired by stories (''All My Friends Are Funeral Singers''), dreams (''Heron King Blues''), and

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

films (''Deceleration'' albums).

''All My Friends Are Funeral Singers''

The album's companion film is about a psychic woman who lives alone in the woods. According to Rutili, who wrote the screenplay and directed the film,

She lives in a house full of ghosts, and one day, the ghosts realize they’re trapped, and she has to find a way–even though she doesn’t want them to go–to get them out of the house. Then they start destroying her life.

''Heron King Blues''

Califone's 2004 release ''Heron King Blues'' is a concept album involving a recurring dream:

Rutili has had a recurring dream since his youth, involving a giant man-bird creature, and then he discovered that the creature was actually a representation of an ancient Druid god called the heron king, which the British feared so deeply that they fled the battlefield when an effigy of the heron king was hoisted above the heads of the opposing army, and that Rutili realized that he had somehow been manifesting an image of this long-dead god figure in his head since he was a child.Review - Heron King Blues
Splendidezine.com, 15 March 2004

''Deceleration'' series

Califone has released instrumental albums that were recorded while the band played live soundtracks for films recorded in the 2000s. ''Deceleration 1'' and ''Deceleration 2'' were released in 2002 and 2003, respectively. ''Decelerations'' 3 and 4 are rumored to be released sometime in the future.

Collaborations

In 1997, members of Red Red Meat collaborated with members of

oRSo oRSo is a US-based band formed in 1996 and led by Phil Spirito of Rex, HiM (US), Loftus, and Califone featuring Brian Deck of Red Red Meat and Ben Massarella of Califone. The musical style is self-described a"carny rock, chamber folk or just orc ...

and Rex to record as Loftus for

Perishable Records Perishable Records is an independent record label founded by Chicago musicians Ben Massarella and Tim Rutili in 1993.Tim Rutili and Ben Massarella collaborated with

Modest Mouse Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members are lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influenc ...

frontman

Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. Brock was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he c ...

and others to release the album '' Sharpen Your Teeth'' under the band name

Ugly Casanova Ugly Casanova is an American indie rock band signed to Sub Pop Records. The band has released one album, '' Sharpen Your Teeth''. Career According to the Ugly Casanova website, in 1998 a man named Edgar E. Graham, a.k.a. "Ugly Casanova", impress ...

. In 2003, Tim Rutili, Ben Massarella and Jim Becker collaborated with

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

musician Miche Jetté, to record five of his songs for an independent mini-disc. This recording would later be released properly in 2005 as the first side of Jette's debut solo album (under his stage name Flecton), for the Canadian label, Kelp Records. The latter half Flecton's '' Never Took a Wife'' was recorded with Memphis indie rockers, the

Grifters A grifter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Grifters (band), a 1990s American indie rock band * ''The Grifters'' (novel), a 1963 American novel by Jim Thompson * ''The Grifters'' (film), a 1990 American adaptation of the novel * Grifter (ch ...

. In 2005, Califone collaborated with Freakwater as a backing band to record the album '' Thinking of You''. In 2006, Tim Rutili teamed up with

Wil Hendricks Wil () is the capital of the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Wil is the third largest city in the Canton of St. Gallen, after the city of St. Gallen and Rapperswil-Jona, a twin city that merged ...

and Michael Krassner under the name

The Unseen Hand ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

to record the soundtrack for ''

Rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * H ...

'', a documentary about bullriding. In 2006, Califone teamed up with animator/musician Brent Green on a series of performance art pieces featuring animation, live music, and spoken word. That same year, they were featured on the soundtrack for the movie '' Stranger than Fiction''. In December 2008, the Canadian band Flecton released ''

The Bright Side of Dying ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'', with Califone as the backing band. The album was recorded in Chicago and features Ben Massarella, Tim Rutili, Joe Adamik, and Jim Becker). The eight song vinyl LP (including a cover of

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled ...

's "Workin' Man Blues") was released on Ottawa's Kelp Records. Members of Califone made significant contributions to

The Fruit Bats Fruit Bats is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Noted as an early entrant into the folk-rock boom of the early 2000s, the group has had many personnel changes but revolves around singer/songwrit ...

' 2009 album ''

The Ruminant Band ''The Ruminant Band'' is the fourth album by American folk-rock band Fruit Bats, released on August 4, 2009. "Primitive Man" was chosen as the Starbucks iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library ...

''. Tim Rutili contributed vocals to the title song on the album, and Jim Becker provided vocals on the songs "Feather Bed" and "Flamingo", and guitar and fiddle on the songs "Tegucigalpa" and "Feather Bed". Members of Califone have also contributed to past Fruit Bats albums. Members of Califone helped record Iron and Wine's 2011 album, ''

Kiss Each Other Clean ''Kiss Each Other Clean'' is the fourth studio album by Iron & Wine, released January 25, 2011 via 4AD (worldwide) and Warner Bros. in the US. The album's title is taken from the lyrics of "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me". The first track ...

''.

Discography

*''Califone'' ( Flydaddy Records, 1998) *''Califone'' (

Road Cone Records A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

, 2000) *''Roomsound'' (

Perishable Records Perishable Records is an independent record label founded by Chicago musicians Ben Massarella and Tim Rutili in 1993.Dead Oceans Dead Oceans is an American independent record label formed in 2007 and based in Bloomington, Indiana, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin. Dead Oceans is part of Secretly Group, which also ...

, 2016) *''Sometimes Good Weather Follows Bad People'' (

Perishable Records Perishable Records is an independent record label founded by Chicago musicians Ben Massarella and Tim Rutili in 1993.Road Cone Records A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

, 2002) *''Deceleration One'' (

Perishable Records Perishable Records is an independent record label founded by Chicago musicians Ben Massarella and Tim Rutili in 1993.Thrill Jockey Thrill Jockey is an American independent record label established by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards and based in Chicago. History Richards started the label in 1992 with $35,000 of family and personal capital, while ...

, 2003) *''Deceleration Two'' (

, 2004) *''Everybody's Mother Vol. 1'' (Roots Crown Arts, 2005) *''

'' (

Thrill Jockey Thrill Jockey is an American independent record label established by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards and based in Chicago. History Richards started the label in 1992 with $35,000 of family and personal capital, while ...

, October 10, 2006) *''

'' (

, October 6, 2009) *''

Sometimes Good Weather Follows Bad People Sometimes may refer to: Music Albums * ''Sometimes'' (Bill Anderson and Mary Lou Turner album) or the title song (see below), 1976 * ''Sometimes'' (City and Colour album) or the title song, "Sometimes (I Wish)", 2005 * ''Sometimes'' (Facts of ...

'' (Jealous Butcher Records), 2012) *'' Stitches'' (

, September 3, 2013) *''Insect Courage EP'' (Future Oak Records, March 21, 2016) *''Guitars Tuned to Air Conditioners'' (Jealous Butcher Records, July 22, 2016) *''Echo Mine'' (Jealous Butcher Records, 2020)

References

External links

Official websiteDead Oceans Records page for Califone
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Califone American post-rock groups Musical groups from Chicago Dead Oceans artists Thrill Jockey artists