Album Notes

Upstate's songs for the independent movie "Missing" combine indie rock sensibilities, jam-band rhythms, and folkie acoustics into a melodic, textured backdrop of haunting melodies and driving beats. Upstate is the continuation of the Dishwater Psychics recording project. Formed in 1999, Dishwater Psychics released four home-recorded albums under their own name and one in conjunction with the now-defunct Savannah, Ga. label Circuit Records. Their first release, the "Industrial Prophet" EP, garnered minor radio play and favorable reviews in their hometown of Dayton, Ohio. The follow-up, "Blueprint of a God," was recorded on analog 4-tracks in cramped closets and basement stairwells in the summer of 2000. When founding member John moved to Denver, Colorado, the others continued sending their input to each other, layering their parts onto cassette tapes and Zip discs and dropping them in the mail. They recorded the lo-fi "Candlewax Horizon," and the hi-fi "The Signal Will Fade" EP using their long distance method, eliciting moods from the vast expanse between Colorado and Ohio. Eventually, the band broke up due to geographic constraints and mounting dissatisfaction with their weird-ass, unwieldy band name. After Dishwater Psychics broke up in 2002, Upstate formed by adding James Focht (Razor Baby, Tarantula Dinner Party) on guitar and Jamie Heaps (The Maji, Soulever) on drums. The band again recorded using the mail route, never having practiced or played together in the same room. The songs for "Missing" were written and recorded from 2002-2003 and mixed by Dan Miller.