Tall Firs

by Heather PharesPlaying what they call "underground electric folk," Tall Firs began in 1990, when singer/guitarists Dave Mies and Aaron Mullen were still teenagers in Annapolis, MD. The pair taught each other to play guitar by learning Circle Jerks and Sex Pistols songs, but didn't play a gig until 2001. In the interim, Mullen worked with Chris Corsano, helped record other bands as an engineer, and also worked as a guitar tech for Sonic Youth. Mies, meanwhile, played with various bands in Baltimore. When Mies and Mullen were both in New York City, they began playing shows and recording, eventually bringing drummer Ryan Sawyer (who was in an early lineup of At the Drive-In and also worked with the Fiery Furnaces and TV on the Radio) to complete Tall Firs' lineup. Signed to Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace imprint, the trio recorded in Sonic Youth's practice space and released its hypnotic self-titled debut album in 2006. After shows with Celebration, Shellac, and Awesome Color and an appearance at the U.K. All Tomorrow's Parties, Tall Firs issued Too Old to Die Young in spring 2008.