“If summer had a soundtrack, they’d be a power artist.” -Content Magazine<… Read Full Bio ↴“If summer had a soundtrack, they’d be a power artist.” -Content Magazine

Fialta, a California-based indie pop quartet, includes Michael Leibovich, Beth Clements, David Provenzano, and Sarah Shotwell, all experienced multi-instrumentalists who joined forces in 2011 to write and record their harmony, keyboard, and percussion-driven pop. Leibovich and Provenzano were touring with former band Sherwood when they met Clements and Shotwell, who were living in Connecticut and Seattle, respectively. At the time, Clements was ﬁnishing her Master’s in English Education at the University of Connecticut and Shotwell was enrolled in a creative writing MFA at the University of Washington. Soon, all four were sending tracks back and forth over email and holding critique sessions over Skype. When, one-by-one, the foursome ﬁnally returned to California, they already had a great foundation in place.

Self-described as a democratic collective of songwriters, Fialta has been characterized in live performances by constant movement and instrument-swapping (a spectacle that sometimes happens even mid-song). They have come to describe their sound as “Central Coast Literary Pop,” a genre they dotingly created for their sun-drenched, winter-dreading, narrative sensibilities, honed as much by a love of poetry, ﬁction and ﬁlm as by the landscape of their beloved town, San Luis Obispo. Fialta is fairly unabashed about this regionalism. As Turntable Kitchen writes, “...there is the sense that they couldn’t have come from anywhere else.”

On the first day of summer Fialta looks forward to putting out their debut full length album, Summer Winter. Currently unsigned, they will self-release the LP using funds earned by a serendipitous spring ad placement for KMART trampolines.

While Fialta’s 2011 release (a 3-track EP) was a great intro to the band’s music and remixed versions of those songs will be included on the full-length, Summer Winter will feature nine new ones, including a few darker ballads balanced by some kicky power-pop tracks. The album runs a spectrum in terms of mood, with the goal of taking the listener on a pop journey that explores both lyrically and melodically the changing of the seasons, fading youth, loss, new love, and homesickness.

Fialta will release Summer Winter locally on June 21, 2013, and nationally on July 23rd, 2013.

Photographs
Fialta Lyrics

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Your youth has run its race
Creeping up slowly

Your mothers face has changed
Ain’t wearing those mini skirts anymore

Drink the world it just won’t fill you up

Holdin’ on to something and you can’t let go
You’re hitting up the bottle right before the show
She’s never mentioned word of it to another soul
Except for somethin’ that she’s feelin’ like the Holy Ghost

Photographs of younger days
Will never make their way
Into your grave

Your father shaves his legs
It’s from his football days
Everyone’s doin’ it to be cool
Doin’ it to be just like you

Holdin’ on to something and you can’t let go
So you’re hittin’ up the bottle right before the show
She’s never mentioned word of it to another soul
Except for somethin’ that she’s feelin’ like the Holy Ghost

If you’re leaving in time for the mourning show
I’ll believe you’re using faith from the depths of your soul
I’ll believe you’re using faith from the depths below

Photographs of younger days

Will never make their way
Into your grave

Overall Meaning

The song "Photographs" by Fialta is a poignant reflection on the passage of time and the fleeting nature of youth. The lyrics paint a picture of aging parents and former party-goers, struggling to come to terms with the realities of growing older and the changing world around them. The opening lines suggest a sense of resignation, as the singer acknowledges that their youth has "run its race" and left them with little to show for it. They observe that their mother's appearance has changed, and she no longer wears the mini-skirts she might have once enjoyed. Despite their efforts to live life to the fullest, the world cannot provide them with the fulfillment they crave.

The second verse shifts to a consideration of the past, as the singer recalls the odd behavior of their father, who shaves his legs as a holdover from his days playing football. The chorus repeats the opening refrain, underscoring the inevitability of old age and the fact that memories of younger days will never accompany us to our graves. The final lines of the song suggest a glimmer of hope, as the singer believes that those who find faith might be able to transcend the limitations of the physical world and connect with something deeper.

Overall, "Photographs" is a thoughtful meditation on life, aging, and the transitory nature of existence. It encourages listeners to appreciate the fleeting moments of youth and to seek something lasting in the midst of life's impermanence.

Line by Line Meaning

Your youth has run its race
You are past the stage of being young.

Creeping up slowly
The realization that youth has ended is a slow process.

Your mothers face has changed
Your mother has aged, and is no longer the youthful woman she once was.

Ain’t wearing those mini skirts anymore
Your mother is no longer youthful, and has stopped dressing in the same youthful style.

Drink the world it just won’t fill you up
No matter how much pleasure the world provides you, it will never truly satisfy you.

Holdin’ on to something and you can’t let go
You are holding onto something that is difficult to let go of.

You’re hitting up the bottle right before the show
You are drinking to alleviate the pain caused by holding onto that difficult something.

She’s never mentioned word of it to another soul
You have kept your struggles to yourself, and have not confided in anyone.

Except for somethin’ that she’s feelin’ like the Holy Ghost
You may have shared something with God, feeling like the Holy Ghost is helping you bear the burden.

Photographs of younger days
Memories of youth are often captured in photographs.

Will never make their way
Those photographs will never physically reach your grave.

Into your grave
The photographs will never accompany you when you die.

Your father shaves his legs
Your father, like many others of his time, was experimenting with new styles and fads.

It’s from his football days
He may have shaved his legs for a specific reason during his football days.

Everyone’s doin’ it to be cool
People participate in certain activities in order to feel accepted by their social groups.

Doin’ it to be just like you
Others may have adopted this fad in order to emulate him and gain his admiration.

If you’re leaving in time for the mourning show
If you are departing before a sad occasion, such as a funeral, you are using your faith to comfort you.

I’ll believe you’re using faith from the depths of your soul
If you can leave without feeling sad or despondent, it means you are relying on the depths of your spirit and faith for strength.

I’ll believe you’re using faith from the depths below
You are not just relying on surface-level faith, but a faith that comes from deep within.

Contributed by Aria R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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