Ed Anderson and Scott Tipping have been making music and mayhem together since the late ’90s, when they hosted an open mic featuring drunken jazz artists, angry poets and puppeteers.

Ed moved on to found roots rock trio Backyard Tire Fire in 2001. Through the 2000s, the band toured relentlessly, recording 5 albums and 2 EPs.

Scott went on to become a mainstay of the Chicago music scene, playing and touring with bands like Mighty Blue Kings, Peter Himmelman, The Steak House Mints and Dayna Malow.

Their paths crossed again in 2008 when Ed asked Scott to join Backyard Tire Fire on tour to round out the band’s sound. BTF’s album Good To Be, produced by Steve Berlin, saw them touring the country, headlining shows and opening for the likes of Los Lobos, Buddy Guy, ZZ Top and Cracker.

In back alleys, dank hotel rooms and a van that at least once tried to kill its masters, a new music partnership was formed, and when Backyard Tire Fire decided to take a break from touring, Scott and Ed chose to bring together some of their favorite Chicago musicians to work on new songs: Steve Gillis (drums), Scott Stevenson (keys and vocals) and Matt Thompson (bass).

The new project features songs by both Ed and Scott, staying true to the rock-and-roll tradition of BTF while transitioning into a more dynamic, harmony-oriented sound.

Pieces from Woven Tide as well as solo work by Aaron Martin accompanies the new documentary film by Lost Hill Picture's Ross McDonnell and Carter Gunn for Fastnet Films, Remember Me, My Ghost, which is currently touring the film festival circuit.?McDonnell and Carter are most recently known for their award winning documentary film Colony which documents the unexplainable phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder that has left landscapes of empty beehives all across America, and also features music by Aaron Martin.? An upcoming short film by McDonnell and Carter featuring Color Loss from Woven Tide will be included on an upcoming Wholpin DVD magazine published by McSweeney's.

Since 2005 Gothenburg, Sweden based musician Dag Rosenqvist's work has graced imprints including Miasmah, Fang Bomb, Under The Spire, Lampse, Lidar, Slaapwel, Kning Disk, Dead Pilot Records, Lowpoint, and Rural Colors.

Since 2006 Topeka, Kansas based composer Aaron Martin's work has found its rightful home on labels such as Preservation, Mobeer, Experimedia, Type, Under The Spire, and Sonic Meditations. Aaron's most recent solo album, Worried About The Fire, is also available from Experimedia.

This album tells the story of someone falling in love again, and every song on the album acts as a scene in the story.

The band made a music video for every song on the album, and will be releasing one video online every week starting at the beginning of April. They will be doing an East Coast tour in April -- Dates to be announced soon.  Stay tuned to The Zoltars for these forthcoming videos and tour info...

Click here to view the embedded video.

"San Francisco. It's a great place to come and wave your freak flag or whatever you want to call it. It can suck you under. That first hit. It really does a whammy to you. And if you're like me you can find yourself chasing the San Francisco dragon for the rest of your life. That's what the record is about.

The record's an unsentimental (though loving) tour of San Francisco. Made in San Francisco by San Franciscans about San Francisco. My effort to tap into the history, the weirdness, the energy and spontaneity that brought me here in the first place." ~ Chuck Prophet

(Orders will ship just prior to the Release Date, Feb. 7, 2012)

Davila 666, "Pa Que Vives"
Side A: Pa Que Vives
Side B: Sera Sera