Thinking Fellers Union Local 282

Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 is an experimental indie rock group formed in 1986 in San Francisco, California, though half of its members are from Iowa. Their albums combine lo-fi noise rock and ambient sounds (referred to as "Feller filler") with tightly constructed rock and pop songs. The band has a small but intensely loyal cult following. Band members are Brian Hageman, Mark Davies, Anne Eickelberg, Hugh Swarts and Jay Paget. Hageman was also a member of the Iowa City based group, Horny Genius.

The band achieved their greatest critical and commercial success in the mid-nineties when they signed with the influential indie rock label Matador Records. It was during this time that Thinking Fellers produced their most prominent albums, Lovelyville, and the critically lauded college radio hit Strangers from the Universe. They toured the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and the U.K. in 1994. In 1996 they toured briefly as an opening act for the then-popular band Live but were not received well by the Live fanbase. Thinking Fellers has been largely dormant since 1996, having toured sporadically and released only one full album, Bob Dinners And Larry Noodles Present Tubby Turdner's Celebrity Avalanche, since. (From Wikipedia)

Links to Peel
The band's quirky sense of humour extended beyond their name: John noted, "I quite often, you know, when I am picking a track to play from an LP, I’ll pick one that has a title that kind of amuses me. There was one I played last night which was something about a hummingbird locked in a block of ice or something, from a new LP by Thinking – what’s it called, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. And, you know, I shall play other tracks from it, but that’s the one that I played first – because I liked the title as well."

Festive Fifty Entries

 * None

Sessions

 * One session, no known commercial release. Anne Eickelberg wrote in her diary, "SSL computerized board. We recorded Star Trek, More Glee, 1 Inch Tall, Father–all live except for vocals. It was the best sound we’ve ever gotten in a studio. Massive room w/ perfect acoustics. It was amazing to work with such an experienced engineer as well. I love to watch engineers feel out music and see how quickly they grasp it."

1. Recorded: 1994-02-13. First broadcast: 18 March 1994. No repeats.
 * Star Trek / More Glee / One Inch Tall / Father

Other Shows Played

 * 29 March 1990: 'Change Your Mind (LP-Tangle)' (Thwart)
 * 20 December 1992 (BFBS): 'Gentlemen's Lament (CD-Mother Of All Saints)' (Matador)
 * 28 May 1993 (BFBS): 'Strolling Big Butter (LP-Where's Officer Tuba?)' (Hemiola)