Tartufi

Formed in 2001, San Francisco’s TARTUFI released three albums as a power-pop trio, Westward Onward (Thread Records- 2002), So We Are Alive (Thread Records – 2004), and Trouble (Acuarela – 2005), and garnered heaps of press and “Best of…”s before members Lynne Angel and Brian Gorman decided switch gears and head in a new direction. In 2006, having just played a South by Southwest showcase and with an album at #75 on CMJ charts, the now duo had much to prove and an eager desire to fulfill their like-minded sonic vision. Ditching their previous material and hitting the studio armed with bigger amplifiers and modified loop stations; Angel and Gorman began developing their new sound. In 3 months time, the reinvented band had written and recorded Us Upon Buildings Upon Us (2006- Thread Records) with the help of Tim Green (Joanna Newsom, Melvins, Monotonix) in the engineer’s seat.

Having shed many of the band’s previous pop sensibilities, UUBUU’s rich, epic and complex sound surprised many critics and fans alike. The album propelled Tartufi farther onto the national stage. Tartufi made three laps around the U.S. in support of UUBUU. Audiences nationwide were left awestruck as the duo was able to reproduce the complexities of the album using live looping as opposed to with the aid of a laptop or Midi time clocks. Critics around the country picked UUBUU as one of the best albums of the year. In 2007, after more than 120 shows, Tartufi was voted Best Indie Band in the Bay by The San Francisco Bay Guardian.

Known for their commitment to their local music scene and strong work ethic, Tartufi has created a rock and roll school for kids called Rock Band Land, a program designed to assist children aged 4-7 in the fundamentals of music theory, creative exploration through sound, lyric writing, and group performance. Tartufi has also formed Thread Productions, a record label and production collective aimed at generating a larger sense of community among San Francisco musicians and artists. Thread has been dubbed “The Bay Area’s Best Music Collective” by The East Bay Express, and to date has released three local music compilations, Dragon Slayers Volumes I-III, organized numerous Bay Area concerts, helped other bands with tour resources and industry information, organized the hugely successful Rock Make Street Festival, and has become a source of support for many bands in the Bay Area and beyond.

In the spring of 2008 Tartufi returned to the studio (again with the help of Tim Green) and began working on their next album, Nests of Waves and Wire. After months of recording, overdubs and mixing, Angel and Gorman left the studio with an album that they are extremely proud of and that is, without a doubt, their most mature work to date. Further exploring the boundaries of vocal and instrumental layering, polyrhythmic deconstruction and song arrangement, NOWAW is a lush and weighty mix of the band’s compositional sensibilities and sonic daydreams. At eight in the morning the following day, five hours after they finished the album, Tartufi received a call from Southern Records offering to sign the band and release the new album. Nests of Waves and Wire was released in May and has been receiving critical acclaim in the US and EU.

Tartufi has just completed a new EP entitled The Goodwill of the Scar. The EP consists of one, twenty six minute epic song, “The Butterless Man” that has brought the band into some new and exciting musical territories. The Goodwill of the Scar is available on vinyl and digital download from Southern Records.

Tartufi is currently working on material for a new album, booking a spring US tour, and planning a European tour for early next summer.