Photon Band is an American indie rock band formed in Philadelphia, PA in 1994. The only constant member is Art DiFuria, who has played with several Philadelphia bands, including Baby Flamehead, Brother JT and Vibrolux, the Brother JT 3 and the Original Sins. Key members have included Simon Nagle (Drums) and Jeff Tanner (bass, guitar, and backing vocals). The band has achieved critical acclaim, but little recognition outside of Philadelphia.
History
Early Development
A native of the Philadelphia area, DiFuria started playing guitar at a young age. Two main influences on his early musical development were his sister’s participation in a church guitar group and his mother’s work as an astrologer. When he arrived in Philadelphia to study at Temple University in 1985, he became a founding member of Philadelphia punk band Tons of Nuns. He then joined Uptown Bones, who were signed to the Black et Noir (fr) record label run by 1990s French punk band Les Thugs. Upon the demise of the Uptown Bones, DiFuria was asked by Bryan Dilworth to join the Lilys, fronted by Kurt Heasley. DiFuria joined but was experiencing a creative surge that the Lilys could not accommodate. DiFuria came up with the name "Photon Band" for his own band after reading an astrology magazine called Welcome to Planet Earth, which featured an article by Barbara Hand Clow describing a band of photons that would soon envelop the earth (aka the Photon Belt). DiFuria left the Lilys amicably and Heasley named his subsequent album Eccsame the Photon Band "in praise of" DiFuria’s new venture. Photon Band’s first single, "Sitting on the Sunn," appeared on Compulsiv Records in 1994 and featured DiFuria on all instruments. The songs were energetic affairs inspired by the Beatles and the Who, but with a Sonic Youth influenced lo-fi noise element added. Upon hearing this single, James Agren of Darla Records asked DiFuria for more recordings. The result was the 1996 three song CD single "747 (Don’t Worry)." The title track featured a blend of psychedelia and country that presaged the band's later release, "Alone on the Moon," and the sound later developed by the Beachwood Sparks and Darla label-mates, My Morning Jacket.
Formation of "Classic" lineup and full-length releases
During these early years, DiFuria had enlisted friend and drummer Simon Nagle and bassist Gary Plowman to perform his songs with him. By late 1996, Plowman had left and Jeff Tanner had taken over, stabilizing the band as a live unit. The trio spent the next few years building a repertoire, recording, and releasing singles and compilation tracks. Its first full-length record appeared in 1998 on Darla Records, entitled "All Young in the Soul." Like the earlier releases, the album featured a heavy late 1960s psychedelic influence, with noted off-kilter, "day-glo" overtones. The band was prolific over the next three years. 2000 witnessed two Photon Band releases on Darla: "Our ESP Driven Scene" collected the band’s singles, compilation tracks, and outtakes since their inception, and "Oh the Sweet Sweet Changes" featured new material in the vein of "All Young in the Soul," but quieter. While these releases feature some tracks with DiFuria playing all instruments, they mostly feature Nagle and Tanner on drums and bass, respectively.