State Shirt\'s first full-length release, Don\'t Die, is an 11-song collection written, produced and recorded by State Shirt. He gets a hand from local musician/producer Chad Fischer (Garden State movie score, Jude, Josh Clayton-Felt) on a couple tracks, as well as the mastering chops of engineering superstar Dave Collins (Chris Cornell, Perry Farrell, The Police). The album was recorded entirely in his bedroom studio in the outskirts of Los Angeles. Don\'t Die was self-financed by State Shirt and is released on his own LFA Records.
Although the name State Shirt may imply the presence of an entire band, it is merely a one-man operation by an enigmatic multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. Building on a collection of influences such as Radiohead, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and Beck, State Shirt has been playing, writing and recording music since he was five years old. His music has been praised as being \"powerful music that almost makes you forget that we\'re all going to die someday.\"
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State Shirt FACTS:
* State Shirt isn\'t really State Shirt\'s name. It\'s something other than State Shirt. But he does wear a lot of State Shirts.
* Earliest musical influences are at age 4 and are his mom\'s piano playing and his dad\'s whistling. Takes piano lessons at age 5.
* Bought a keyboard in 5th grade, brought it to school and got made fun of. Went back home and recorded 1000 goofy seven second long songs on portable cassette player.
* Age 14. Forms a wack Phil Collins inspired light-rock band with friends from grade school. Plays the Easthampton, MA fall festival among other fine establishments.
* Buys a $200 Slingerland drum set, breaks a lot of cymbals. As a drummer, bassist and guitarist, he plays in a death metal band, a light rock band, and an indie emocore band.
* Begs for and borrows music gear to record indie rock songs in his bedroom. Comes home from high school and records nearly every day. Records \'The Ethan Album\' and gives the cassette to friends. Goes to work at Caldor (a now defunct east-coast retail outlet) in the evenings.
* Gets a small scholarship and attends Hartt School of Music in Connecticut. Drops out of school and delivers pizza.
* Goes on tour with his crusty noise-punk band. They play clubs and dives all across the east coast. Band calls it quits, back to delivering pizza.
* Relocates to Los Angeles to get signed.
* Moves back to Massachusetts and works at a car wash. He doesn\'t record anything for a year. Gets drunk.
* Relocates to Los Angeles to get signed.
* Gets sucked into a mind-numbing day job and isn\'t heard from for a while.
* SongFight.com inspires State Shirt to start writing and recording songs again. Songs are received well and he keeps recording.
* Saves up some money, self-releases New Planet and people actually buy it.
* Signs on with The Planetary Group promotion/publicity and hopes that pressing 1000 copies of his new full-length CD Don\'t Die doesn\'t go to waste.
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