Brian Liesegang (programming, guitar, keyboards, drums) and Richard Patrick (vocals, guitar, bass, programming, drums, ex-Nine Inch Nails) first hatched the idea of working together during a cross-country trek when they visited the Grand Canyon. Patrick had already been experimenting on an eight-track console in his parents’ basement in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Liesegang, meanwhile, had just finished a degree in philosophy and turned his hand to music himself, experimenting in his own small electronic studio, which was adjacent to that owned by Robert A. Moog (originator of the Moog synthesizer). Occupying his time by investigating the world of computers and their applications to music, he found what he describes as a ‘perfect musical match’ in Patrick. Both were interested in producing hard electronic music. The line-up of the band was completed for touring purposes by Geno Lenardo (guitar), Matt Walker (drums) and Frank Cavanaugh (bass). Short Bus was co-produced by Ben Gross (Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers), while the single ‘Hey Man Nice Shot’ became a staple of college radio. Walker left the band to join the Smashing Pumpkins in August 1996. Liesegang also abandoned the band in September 1997 to pursue a solo career. The same year, Patrick contributed ‘(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do’, a collaboration with the Crystal Method, to the soundtrack of the movie Spawn. The second Filter album, Title Of Record, eventually appeared two years later, featuring a backing band comprising Cavanaugh, Lenardo and drummer Steve Gillis.
