Hush - My Darling Dia
Camel Crusader - My Darling Dia
History: Past, Present and Future
Shanks and Dreamers was first conceived around 2005 in Orange County, California. In the beginning, it was a solo act, consisting of auteur filmmaker & artist Amir Motlagh using mostly an acoustic guitar to create a soundtrack of cinematic minimalism. The first commercial release was in 2007 with the ep A DAY LATE: INSTRUMENTALS FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS co-produced by Sam Oak from the OC band Unfamiliar Occurrence. The album included earlier compositions that Motlagh recorded for the 2003 award-winning short film, STILL LOVER.
After the record was released, Motlagh started to play more frequently with guitarist Art Toussi. They continued the project with the conception of a new album, and also a drastic move away from the instrumental past. After a year in the studio, 2008 saw the release of the first full-length record, MY DARLING DIA with the help of drummer Chris Henderson. Shanks went on to create soundtracks for three of Motlagh's films within relatively the same time frame: KNOCK. KNOCK. (2007), PLAIN US (2008), and the feature-length indie DIY classic WHALE (2010).
The band went on to release several singles after and continued to license music for other media projects. Shanks and the Dreamers went on permanent hiatus in August 2010. Motlagh went on to form the active music & cinema project Mirs, releasing a handful of singles, several eps & a full-length album accompanied by several ancillary films.
A Day Late: Instrumentals for Illegal Aliens
Buy A Day Late: Instrumentals for Illegal Aliens on iTunes
Track List:
1. Surfriders Morphine
2. Little Miss Teddy Bear
3. Cookie the Thug
4. Lonely Palm Pilot
5. A black and white portrait of a woman with short red hair
6. Tweeds
Album Credits:
Music written and composed by Amir Motlagh.
Guitar/Keys/Etc. - Amir Motlagh
Bass - Sam Oak
Drums on tracks 1,3,4 - Chris Henderson
Additional FX on track 6- Art Toussi
Produced by Amir Motlagh, Sam Oak
Cover Art/Layout Design: Martin Nilchian, Amir Motlagh
©2007
My Darling Dia
Buy My Darling Dia on iTunes
Track List:
1. Extra Ordinary Machines
2. Hush
3. Camel Crusader
4. 405
5. IBM
6. Disintegration
7. 777
8. Charle, get a job
9. Popsicles
10. Whitehouse
11. Last
Album Credits:
All music written by Shanks and the Dreamers (Amir Motlagh, Art Toussi)
All instrumentation by Amir Motlagh, Art Toussi
Vocals - Amir Motlagh
Additional Drums on tracks 1,4,6,7 - Chris Henderson
Additional Recording - Steve Sherlock
Additional Vocals on IBM - Art Toussi
Additional Vocals on Whitehouse - Detail
Produced by Amir Motlagh, Art Toussi
Mastered by Andy Vandette (MasterDisk NYC)
Cover Art/Layout Design: Amir Motlagh ©2008