Comets on Fire, an American noise rock band from Santa Cruz, California, was formed in 1999 by guitarist and vocalist Ethan Miller and bassist Ben Flashman. Their album, Comets on Fire, released in 2001, showcased influences from bands like the Butthole Surfers and Hawkwind. In 2002, with drummer Utrillo Kushner and saxophones added to their sound, they released Field Recordings from the Sun on Ba Da Bing Records. The band's lineup expanded in 2003 with Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance joining. Their critically acclaimed album Blue Cathedral, released in 2004 under Sub Pop Records, exposed them to a wider audience and led to tours with Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. In 2006, they released Avatar. They went on an extended hiatus after completing tours for Avatar in 2008. In June 2013, the band announced via their website that they would play the final All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Camber Sands.
