On Fillmore

The spark for On Fillmore started in 2000 when Jim O'Rourke utilized bassist Darin Gray and drummer Glenn Kotche as his rhythm section for a performance at the Melt Down Festival in London. O'Rourke, who once played in Gastr del Sol, was with Sonic Youth at the time, and after the show he returned to touring with them. While Gray and Kotche traveled back to their respective homes on a transatlantic flight, they became well acquainted and made plans to start an experimental standup bass and percussion duo. With both members well versed in post-rock and jazz, the two improvised their first recording session. It was not widely released, but with the wheels in motion, On Fillmore mapped out a structured debut, which was released on Quakebasket in 2001. Just after, the two went their separate ways. Gray went to St. Louis to play bass in Grand Ulena and Kotche joined Wilco in Chicago, just before the recording of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. In 2004, Kotche and Gray reunited to make Sleeps with Fishes, a more ambient release, complete with field recordings. A statewide tour followed immediately after, but with the exception of a few occasional performances, their commitments to other projects limited their time together. Even so, over the next five years, they composed soundtracks for two J.T. Petty films, and put together a fourth full-length, titled Extended Vacation, in 2009.