The Philistines Jr.

Music!

Help!
Available on bandcamp

NYC (single)

Cover of the Interpol song NYC. Sung by Tarquin's kids, Henry and Helen (14 & 10).
Digital download:

If a Lot of Bands Play in the Woods...?

DOUBLE ALBUM!! The original CD for "If a Band Plays in the Woods...?" plus an additional disc of amazing bands covering those same songs! Released November 1st, 2011!
Digital download:

If a Band Plays in the Woods...?

New album, 10 years in the making, released on October 19th 2010!
Digital download:

Analog vs. Digital -or- We Don't Get The Respect We Deserve In Today's Scientific Community
This record took several years to make and several years more to finally release. It's over 70 minutes of songs, musical adventures, and crazy guest solos.

The Sinking of the S.S. Danehower
The Original Soundtrack for the film we hope to someday make. Drenched in Lowrey Organ, this album is loosely based on our friends Paul and Dave Danehower and a pseudo-Proustian moment involving their rowboat. I think.

The Continuing Struggle of The Philistines Jr.
The First CD released by the band was this E.P. containing 5 songs (plus a hidden track). Peter and Tarquin's parents are featured on a couple of tracks.

Greenwich, CT
This was our first record. It got the ball rolling and got us our first Peel Session. Now over 30 years old, it contains songs that we still play live (Big Chief, Tarzan at the Met, and occasionally Reggie Jackson).

Anyone's Ghost
This cover of The National's song Anyone's Ghost was sung by Tarquin's son Henry at age eight. It also features the incomparable Rob Schwimmer on theremin.

The Ballad of Paul Yates b/w Schaumgummi

While there were some minor legal disputes with to-be-unnamed major labels, this record was (and i think still is) available from LISSY'S records in England. It is a tribute to our friend Paul Yates. The A-side is The Philistines Jr. with The Ballad of Paul Yates, and the B-side is Paul Yates himself (with his superstar ex-friend) rocking out as the somewhat German Schaumgummi.

The Russians Burned My Uncle's House Down b/w a Blumfeld cover

The A-side is an absolutely true story partly about the Russians who burned our Latvian uncle's house down. It's really more about our mom, though. The B-side is one of our favorite songs by one of our favorite bands... Drausen Auf Kaution (or something like that) by Blumfeld. Sing along in German!

The Sci-fi Song b/w Moon River

A 7" we put out in support of our Danehower L.P. The Sci-Fi Song backed with Pete's "recorded in an afternoon" version of Moon River. We bought our Lowrey Organ and found a song book in the seat. The rest is history. Props to Joel, Crow, and Tom Servo.
7" available under the The Sinking of the S.S. Danehower album on bandcamp.

Kas Tos Dumus Kupinaj? b/w Farmer Brown

The A-side is based on an old Latvian folk-song about a weasel who lives in the woods and makes beer. The B-side is some sort of tribute to the state of Vermont, I think.
7" available under the Analog vs. Digital album on bandcamp.

Happy Birthday Captain Columbus! b/w dual-mono, simultaneous versions of "Kids in America" and "Melt With You"
Our first 7" record. The A-side is a historically and conceptually confused account of something or other. The B-side was a breathtaking advance in vinyl technology and experimentation! Actually it kind of sucked (Tarquin loves it!). It's two poorly played cover songs running at the same time, one in the right channel, and one in the left channel (a half step off, to boot). The balance knob was used to decide which song you wanted to hear. It wreaked havoc in college radio stations across the country!

T-Shirts!

Help! T-Shirt - Red

Help! T-Shirt - Blue

(by Michael Azerrad)

Some people write great songs about larger-than-life things; on their new album If a Band Plays in the Woods…? The Philistines Jr. write about things that are exactly the same size as life: litterbug neighbors, unruly pets, broken cable service. "Write about what you know," explains Philistines mainman Peter Katis. "So I write about my brothers and writing songs and home life and recording our band and other people's bands." But the feat here is that it all adds up to something moving, inspiring, and maybe even a little profound. And you can hum along with it too.

The Philistines Jr. are brothers Peter and Tarquin Katis along with drummer Adam Pierce (Mice Parade) and an ever-expanding extended musical family. There's a good reason why the album title asks, if a band plays in the woods, do they exist? The Philistines Jr. have been playing in the woods of suburban Connecticut for 20 years, making charming, smart, even visionary music that has never seemed to catch a break. It's not for nothing that the band titled one early EP The Continuing Struggle of… "We got a great review in the Trouser Press Record Guide," Peter recalls. "And when the NY Press reviewed the book, they wrote 'And marvel at all the space given to struggling nobodies Philistines Jr.' Ouch. We've always had an underdog mentality."

Actually, in recent years Peter has gained some fame as an in-demand producer, having produced acclaimed records for Interpol, the National, Jónsi (of Sigur Ros), Frightened Rabbit, Tokyo Police Club, Mates of State, the Swell Season, Fanfarlo, Jukebox the Ghost and many others. No wonder the album sounds so gorgeous. But it's also the reason the record took so long to make. As Peter notes, "If you work on a record three days a year, it takes about ten years!" Peter wrote all the songs (along with Tarquin) and plays most of the instruments on the album — and no, that's not a fat lady singing on the exquisite title track, it's session ace Rob Schwimmer on the Theremin (and piano).

As with most Philistines Jr. albums, the music mixes rock instrumentation, vibraphone and glockenspiel, and electronic sounds like a half-broken sequencer, a cheap Casio keyboard, or the legendary Dewanatron, here played by its co-inventor Leon Dewan. In keeping with the lyrical themes, the sound is quietly radical — listen to the subtle but epic shift from keyboards to guitars on the majestic "B." "When I appreciate things for being weird," says Peter, "they're not obviously weird."

The album's ominous opening, with its definitively spooky strings, sounds like the part in an old horror movie where the ghoul is about to pounce on an unususpecting victim; it quickly gives way to a sun-lit, Xanax-fueled waltz about how the cable TV doesn't work and the band isn't going anywhere. But that specific, even pedestrian imagery swells out into something universal — every day, everybody feels the same way about something. Or as Peter sings, "the theme stays the same/ with the notes and words rearranged."

The guy who's frustrated by people honking their horns ("The Bus Stop Song") is the same guy who doles out heartfelt wisdom to his child ("Tarquin's Half-Assed Mission Statement"); he's the same guy who indulges in a Walter Mittyesque fantasy ("If I Did Nothing But Train for Two Years, I Bet I Could Be in the Olympics") and he's the same guy who reels in horror and disgust at burgeoning neo-McCarthyism ("Working Title: The Mob"), and feels relieved when his brother doesn't have to go off to war ("My Brother Tom, the Green Beret"). He's a guy who cares a lot, and when he starts to think people suck, his bitterness is mixed with a generous dose of melancholy. "These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to be happy," Peter says. "And many times I've figured out the secret of happiness — but then the next day it's gone. You've got to keep rediscovering it. And that idea is in the record, even in the instrumentals. It doesn't have to be a song with words to get that idea across."

Maybe you'll hear echoes of the pretty and finely wrought songcraft of Sufjan Stevens or the wistful, digital-flavored yearning of the Postal Service, but the fact is, Peter has never really delved into either of those. If a Band Plays in the Woods…? stems more from the Cars' sleek pop, '60s exotica like Martin Denny, the dramatic juxtapositions of soundtrack maestro Bernard Herrmann, New Order, the spartan sorrow of Erik Satie, the righteous power of Fugazi, the plainspoken musings of Jonathan Richman. Years ago, Peter absorbed Pet Sounds and that's in there too. "The Beach Boys are often overtly playful but with a very heavy underlying melancholy," he says. "Which I think is very much what our band is. To me, sadness in a song means power and beauty — not a crushing sadness, but a hopeful sadness." Which is why a song called "Hell No, We Won't Go" can sound forlorn, or why Katis can sing words as defiant as "All day, all night/We'll stay and fight" and make them sound resigned.

There's probably a little of the Who's rock opera Quadrophenia in there too. See, the Philistines often make what can loosely be called concept albums, like 1995's The Sinking of the SS Danehower, which suggested an analogy between a sunken submarine and the band's lack of success. "I've always found it fun to make records that aren't random collections of songs," Peter says. "We've always reworked musical or lyrical themes and extended them across the album. If you've got a good idea, why waste it on just one song?"

Here, it's the motif which goes, "Hey, hey, it's the end of the world again/ Here we are, just waiting for everything to end" — it's funny how one can take something like excessive car honking as a harbinger of the downfall of civilization. And each time that theme comes around again, it has a different resonance. In "Tarquin's Half-assed Mission Statement," it has a moving ring of mortality. But that "again" is key — the truth is, there have been plenty of times when a lot of people were convinced the end was nigh, and yet the world has gone on. By the end of the album, the theme seems to suggest that we all depend on a little drama to keep life interesting.

What does Peter hope people feel when the last song on the album is over? "I hope it makes them kind of sad," he says. "But it's all right to be sad. Life is sad and life is hard. But it's also really good."

And finally, to quote a voiceover by Peter and Tarquin's dad on a previous record: "...and so the Philistines Jr. continue to write songs only about themselves, further alienating their listeners and annoying their friends."

(from ten years ago)

The PHILISTINES Jr. are brothers Peter & Tarquin Katis and drummer Adam Pierce. With a reputation as No-Fi home studio recording wizards, they have been recording and releasing their unique brand of experimental pop music since 1990...on their own TARQUIN RECORDS label (also on Dot Dot Dash and on LISSY’S and SHIVER in the U.K.). All their releases have charted on numerous college radio stations across North America(their last L.P. spending several months on CMJ’s Top 200) and enjoyed frequent air play by dj John Peel on his B.B.C. Radio 1 program. Their 7" single(The Sci-Fi Song/Moon River) on LISSY’S was Single of the Week on the Steve LeMacq show on B.B.C. 1 radio in June ‘95 and earned a spot on Britain’s Indie Charts. Upon hearing their first 12", John Peel telephoned the band "just to say how much he liked the record" and to invite them to record a Peel Session in London for the B.B.C. The PHILISTINES Jr. have since completed three Peel Sessions and U.K. tours. Touring the U.S., they have played with such bands as MERCURY REV, YO LA TENGO, STEREOLAB, LUNA, CAKE, FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, KING MISSILE and JONATHAN RICHMAN. The band pursues numerous side projects that include THE ZAMBONIS, THE HAPPIEST GUYS IN THE WORLD, JAMES KOCHALKA SUPERSTAR, and THE PORK GUYS. Long time drummer, Adam Pierce, is busy with MICE PARADE, THE DYLAN GROUP and THE SWIRLIES. A cd re-issue of their early 12" and 7"s and an assortment of unreleased material is due out this Fall. The rest of 2002 will be spent promoting their new L.P. "Analog Vs. Digital" or "We Don’t Get The Respect We Deserve In Today’s Scientific Community."

(Mostly old) Press

Paste Magazine 11/2019
"Help! is the group’s first new album in nine years, and just its second LP since 2000—but they’re usually worth waiting for. Help! is no exception... as eclectic and whimsical as the songs on Help! sometimes get, they are sonically flawless."

Paste Magazine 12/2012
15 Best Cover Songs of 2012 - Producer and engineer Peter Katis, who is best known for his work with The National and Interpol, surprised us earlier this year with his band’s take on The National’s "Anyone's Ghost." The track... presented a faithful rendition of the song, recreating Bryan Devendorf’s unmistakable drum parts and the band’s moving progressions. But half of the charm in a cover is its contrast to the original, and The Philistines Jr. surely have a handle on that. Instead of Matt Berninger's gentle baritone on vocals, Peter enlisted then-8-year-old Henry Katis, the son of Tarquin Katis, Peter's brother and Philistines Jr. bassist.

SPIN Magazine 12/01
"The Philistines Jr. ANALOG VS. DIGITAL 52 tracks of pure, unadorned beauty."

Babysue.com
The Philistines Jr. - Analog vs. Digital (CD, Tarquin, Pop) Wow. We feel ashamed to admit that we had never heard of The Philistines Jr. until now. This band is right up our alley. It is also (apparently) an obscure delight among reviewers of underground music. Bandleader Peter Katis is a true mastermind in the world of home recording. The music here is rather difficult to describe. Katis and friends dabble in oddball lo-fi pop, instrumental, experimental, and soundtrack-sounding material....and the amazing thing is...it all WORKS. There are some folks out there who may be put off by the low fidelity nature of these recordings (Katis apparently prefers recording on analog equipment), but those folks are going to be missing out...as there are plenty of great gems scattered throughout this mind-bending collection of fifty-two tracks. Yes, you read that right...this disc features 52 (!!!) compositions...

The Philadelphia Weekly Editor's Pick 12/01
Given the quantity of songs on their latest release (52 total), their penchant for brevity and their poindexterish sense of humor, it's easy to be cynical about the Philistines Jr. The Katis brothers (Tarquin and Peter) are two more grinning graduates of the school of home recording, which grants them license to pound out two-minute compositions with titles like "We Don't Get the Respect We Deserve in Today's Scientific Community." And under ordinary circumstances, this cleverness would relegate Analog Vs. Digital to background music for discussions about experience points. But combine a measure of patience with a suspension of prejudice, and the myriad charms of the Katis' Casio-driven anti-fi rise like a time-lapse daybreak. "At Least You Had the War" floats and sways like a feather on a gust of wind and "The Unreliable Narrator" sounds like an organ grinder wheezing out a Tom Waits cover. And though their music is "smart," the Philistines never trip into the trappings of Mensa rock. Take as Exhibit A AvD's title track. It's a masterpiece of ebb and flow-- Tarquin and Peter's vocals drifting across a simple four-note melody line. It isn't until the third or fourth pass that it becomes clear that it's actually a meta-song, and that the Philistines are singing about writing the song that you're sitting there humming along to. It's the unobtrusiveness that's the Philistines' trump card. Their meek vocals and muted synths make Russian history sound like "Autumn Sweater."

pitch.com
Estranged Dead Kennedy Jello Biafra once sang I like short songs, and here are 68 nuggets that might make the old crank smile. The Philistines Jr. offers 52(!) on an album that's like an enormous assorted chocolates box with no scary fillings. After loading the first eighteen tracks with enchanting abstract instrumentals and pop ditties driven by cheery, quirky vocals, the group enters the "solos" section of the disc, which divides one epic jam into fifteen-second segments devoted to each instrument. The bass, guitar, trumpet, clarinet, sax, trombone, flute, drums and turntables all get close-ups in a song that remains so cohesive that anyone who wasn't watching the track numbers tick away wouldn't notice the gimmick.

The Trouser Press Guide To 90's Rock Fifth Edition 1997
"Hey, what are you guys doing down there?" "Oh nothing, mom, just recording one of the sweetest, most adorable and sublimely accomplished dinkypop albums of 1995." Connecticut brothers Peter (vocals, guitar, organ, drums) and Tarquin (bass, vocals) Katis are, with drummer Adam Pierce, Philistines Jr. Their stock in trade is simple, gentle songs of surreal whimsy that spin tunefully like Brian Wilson's mildest dreams while evincing the outlandish basement-brewed conceptual wizardry of pioneering British producer Joe Meek. All of this is accomplished in voices with the fresh-scrubbed wholesomeness of 4-H Clubbers. Rudimentary, perhaps, but hardly naive. Unlike most pop auters aiming to whip up confectionery masterpieces, the Philistines Jr. neatly balance guitar and rudimentary organ for an irresistable, joyful pop sound that is neither raw jangle nor synthesizer flash. Using toy piano as an accent and strikingly clear sound as an asset, The sinking of the S.S. Danehower...is a small masterpiece. Even the instrumentals are memorable. With equally sparkling music, the five-song Continuing Struggle is delightfully direct, offering engaging random-access autobiographical lyrics as a bonus...Mom and Dad Katis get in the act for "145 Old Mill Road" (the family's address in Greenwich); the latter parental unit points out that it's not too late for the brothers to apply to medical school. One hopes they haven't taken his advice.

Flipside 3/96 (regarding The Sinking Of The S.S. Danehower)
"A programmatic, atmospheric masterpiece! I really got into this recording because the texture just kicks my ass... Where do they come up with this material? There is no doubt that this is one of the best new finds I've come across in a long time." (regarding Kas Tos Dumus Kupinaj? 7")"No comparisons come to mind, they are different, clever and fresh...Another impressive release from a band who's sound is so hard to peg. What more can I say? These guys have got IT."

Puncture 3/96
"...On top of all this, producer/singer/guitarist Peter Katis has masterminded a deeply DIY sound in his basement studio without being even remotely lo-fi. Tons of bands have misread the lessons of Knox, Callaci, Barlow, and so on, trying to use sub-competence as a kind of badge of something to say. The Philistines Jr., on the contrary, are interested in doing it exactly their own way, and "their way" is a meticulous layering of syncopated percussion, living room organ for that underwater feel, and harmonic shifts carried by brother Tarquin's bass beneath an undertow of guitar obbligatos...this is an inspiring document of how far you can get by being miles from anything."

THICKER 9/96
"Wow! This is music of such complexity and beauty it's astounding. The Philistines Jr. are the only young pop band I can think of that can really hold their own against the old masters of classical music...exuberant and dangerous...I swear, people in the future will look back at The Philistines Jr. and say 'man, that's cool' the same way people today look back at Esquival. This album is a freakin' masterpiece. On a scale of one to ten I give it an A+."

The Music Paper 12/95
"There are no attempts at any recognizable format on this disc, just sincere, eclectic independence."

AJAX Records Catalog #23 3/97
"...oddball Connecticut basement-pop geniuses...the music here is what's great...layered, evocative guitar pop embellished heavily with keyboards of all stripe, reminiscent of Pavement circa Watery Domestic and James McNew's Dump stuff, albeit with a nerdy/in-jokey twist (which is not offputting at all). They obviously took the time to craft this record (no lo-fi copout here), and the results are totally worth it. A true sleeper, and one of 1995's best albums.

Steve Albini Thinks We Suck Fanzine #8 10/96
"I really don't know how to describe these guys, except to say that they're as fun and as wacky as The Flaming Lips, but with a more gently skewed pop sense. How can I describe a band that manages to write sincere, even affecting songs about their favorite T.V. shows and the sinking of their friends' boat? All I can say is that this is a fantastic album, and I can't recommend it enough."

Gallery of Sound GAZETTE 12/95
"Melodic and textural, The Sinking of The S.S. Danehower is a thoroughly satisfying musical experience. Multidimensional, The Philistines Jr. offer humor and beauty in one very interesting package."

David Garland WNYC (Spinning On Air) 12/95
"Really original...I really liked this album. Great sounds, nice recording, good feel...I want to listen to it more."

Irwin Chusid WFMU 12/95
"I was very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very impressed. A most unique album."

Sound Views 12/95
"Alternately dirgy and lilting...mellifluous...dramatic...passionate..clear production...delivered in a confident, distinctly un-angsty manner. The Sinking of The S.S. Danehower conveys a supra-literal, compelling theme...Let's hope they keep it up."

Melody Maker 8/15/92
"Sugar sweet satire! They laugh at themselves because they know they're bloody funny. ...these boys have musical substance to bolster their wit. They parody their peers and yet better them. And what's ironic is that this is just the sort of band Nirvana would love to be right now. They're spanking new, fresh as sea air, and sublimely indifferent to the evils of the bastard business."

Melody Maker 6/4/94
"The Continuing Struggle of The Philistines Jr., the superb new mini-album from Connecticut's satirical princes of understated angst."

John Peel, B.B.C. 1 (regarding Greenwich, CT)
"...so interesting, such a good LP...a band I think you'll want to hear more from, frankly."

OPTION 1/92
"...an interesting and intelligent band." 1/96 "charming...eccentric."

B-SIDE '94
"They are a real thing..."

Lime Lizard U.K. 6/92
"Are The Philistines Jr. the future of rock 'n' roll? I most certainly hope they are."

Cargo Record Distributors (regarding Greenwich, CT)
"The underground pop record of the year."

SWILL 1/94
"What?? You haven't heard of these guys??? A true shame. Go buy this and play it for your friends. They'll all want to tape it."

Splatter Effect (regarding The Continuing Struggle...)
"This is some honest music...If a band like R.E.M. could really just lighten up, they might make a record this cool. This one is a definite diamond in the rough."

Fairfield County Weekly 12/23/93
"...this Greenwich trio is so far out in front they're about to lap the pack. (The Continuing Struggle...) takes you into their world- their house even-for an intimate, touching, rocking, silly, smart, crafty, catchy look at their part of the universe...best album of the year!"

What? Help!

OK

Help! - Album Trailer

NYC

The Logical Song

The Ballad of Paul Yates OR "You Made Me Make a Funny Noise." by The Philistines Jr.

Tarquin's Half-assed Mission Statement (unfinished)

20 Miles to NH

2020

2019

2018

2017

2015

Music!

T-Shirts!

(by Michael Azerrad)

(from ten years ago)

(Mostly old) Press