Biography
Film School have spent decades shaping a rich and flexible sound that draws from post-punk and shoegaze traditions. Their 2006 self-titled release skillfully combined those elements, while Hideout in 2007 shifted toward dream pop and Fission in 2010 explored electronic textures. Following a reunion in the late 2010s, the group’s blend of those approaches felt newly vital on Bright to Death in 2018 and Field in 2023, both of which highlighted the psychedelic currents running through their work.
Vocalist and guitarist Greg Bertens founded the project after an early spark from Elliott Smith and Nirvana’s Unplugged in New York; hearing My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless later defined his songwriting and recording methods. He launched Film School in 1997 with a roommate on drums, issuing the “I’m Not Working” 7-inch on MeToo! Records. For the 2001 album A Brilliant Career, Bertens assembled a shifting lineup that included musicians from Fuck and Elephone along with Scott Kannberg of Pavement and Preston School of Industry. Keyboardist Jason Ruck and guitarist/vocalist Nyles Lannon, also of Technicolor and his solo project n.lannon, joined permanently during those sessions. The supporting tour added bassist Justin LaBo, another Technicolor member, and drummer Ben Montesano. That configuration recorded the Alwaysnever EP in 2003 for Kannberg’s Amazing Grease imprint. After performing at South by Southwest in early 2005, the band signed with Beggars Banquet and brought in drummer Donny Newenhouse; the On & On EP appeared that autumn, preceding the self-titled album in January 2006. Film School also created the soundtrack for the online campaign “Clearification,” which starred comedian Demetri Martin.
By the release of Hideout in 2007, the roster had largely turned over, with bassist Lorelei Plotcyz, guitarist Dave Dupuis, and drummer James Smith joining Bertens to produce a darker, tighter album that featured My Bloody Valentine’s Colm O’Ciosoig. The group toured extensively in 2008 and contributed a cover of “An American Dream” to the Love and Rockets tribute New Tales to Tell the next year. When Beggars Banquet folded, Film School intended to issue their fourth album, Fission, independently until Hi-Speed Soul, which had worked with former tourmate Adam Franklin, stepped in for a mid-2010 release.
Following tours into 2011, the band entered a hiatus. Three years later the original Film School lineup—Bertens, Newenhouse, LaBo, Lannon, and Ruck—reconvened for a one-time show at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill celebrating Newenhouse’s fortieth birthday. Enjoying the experience, they returned to the studio for the June EP in 2016 and the 2017 single “Bye Bye Bird.” To make Bright to Death, Bertens, Ruck, Lannon, and LaBo spent a week recording outside Joshua Tree; the album appeared in September 2018. We Weren’t Here, released in 2021 with new drummer Adam Wade, was tracked largely in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, its themes reflecting that period’s emotional and spiritual distance and connection. Film School then added vocalist Noël Brydebell and moved to Felte for Field in 2023, a wide-ranging meditation on regret and acceptance.
Vocalist and guitarist Greg Bertens founded the project after an early spark from Elliott Smith and Nirvana’s Unplugged in New York; hearing My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless later defined his songwriting and recording methods. He launched Film School in 1997 with a roommate on drums, issuing the “I’m Not Working” 7-inch on MeToo! Records. For the 2001 album A Brilliant Career, Bertens assembled a shifting lineup that included musicians from Fuck and Elephone along with Scott Kannberg of Pavement and Preston School of Industry. Keyboardist Jason Ruck and guitarist/vocalist Nyles Lannon, also of Technicolor and his solo project n.lannon, joined permanently during those sessions. The supporting tour added bassist Justin LaBo, another Technicolor member, and drummer Ben Montesano. That configuration recorded the Alwaysnever EP in 2003 for Kannberg’s Amazing Grease imprint. After performing at South by Southwest in early 2005, the band signed with Beggars Banquet and brought in drummer Donny Newenhouse; the On & On EP appeared that autumn, preceding the self-titled album in January 2006. Film School also created the soundtrack for the online campaign “Clearification,” which starred comedian Demetri Martin.
By the release of Hideout in 2007, the roster had largely turned over, with bassist Lorelei Plotcyz, guitarist Dave Dupuis, and drummer James Smith joining Bertens to produce a darker, tighter album that featured My Bloody Valentine’s Colm O’Ciosoig. The group toured extensively in 2008 and contributed a cover of “An American Dream” to the Love and Rockets tribute New Tales to Tell the next year. When Beggars Banquet folded, Film School intended to issue their fourth album, Fission, independently until Hi-Speed Soul, which had worked with former tourmate Adam Franklin, stepped in for a mid-2010 release.
Following tours into 2011, the band entered a hiatus. Three years later the original Film School lineup—Bertens, Newenhouse, LaBo, Lannon, and Ruck—reconvened for a one-time show at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill celebrating Newenhouse’s fortieth birthday. Enjoying the experience, they returned to the studio for the June EP in 2016 and the 2017 single “Bye Bye Bird.” To make Bright to Death, Bertens, Ruck, Lannon, and LaBo spent a week recording outside Joshua Tree; the album appeared in September 2018. We Weren’t Here, released in 2021 with new drummer Adam Wade, was tracked largely in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, its themes reflecting that period’s emotional and spiritual distance and connection. Film School then added vocalist Noël Brydebell and moved to Felte for Field in 2023, a wide-ranging meditation on regret and acceptance.
Albums
Singles
