Fairgrove:
It's All in the Name
by
Mark Richards
Lost in the
moment, Jay Harrison leans, open-mouthed,
over his keyboard during the final few moments of
a recent Fairgrove set at the Monkey Pub.
His head bobs. His hands twitch rhythmically. His
eyes focus somewhere in the recesses of his mind.
Meanwhile, Guitarist Michael Graham is down on
the floor milking his Fender for all the volume
and distortion it's worth, as bassist, Art
Behrman and drummer Chris Vandebrooke, former
rhythm section for Engine Kid, hammer out a low
end crescendo like there is no tomorrow.
The point I'm
trying to make here is that despite the fact that
Fairgrove is performing at a small
birthday party for a friend at the U-District's
less than "hip" and even less than
spacious Monkey Pub (which, BTW, has the best
goddamn jukebox in town), this band is completely
focused on their sound. They've taken even this
inauspicious opportunity to commit fully to what
they're doing (now how often do you see that in
your life -HUH???).
Speaking with
the band later, I ask , "Just what is a 'Fairgrove?' and why would one want
to go there?"
"It's all
expressed by the name itself… Fairgrove to me is simply a
wide-open landscape full of infinite
possibilities and freedoms and
collaborations," Graham states.
Harrison adds,
"When you are in a landscape like that or
when you're listening to music that takes you to
your own landscape - that's what we're all
about."
The music of Fairgrove is apt for their name.
By looking at the landscape cover art of their
demo e.p., The Winter Wait, you get a
definite sense of space and expansiveness. It's
clear that they are definitely trying to push and
pull both themselves and luckily, the listener,
into some uncharted territory that is scenic in
the extreme, yet punctuated with long, dark
shadows.
Tension ridden
and extremely melodic, Fairgrove's sound is a
welcome prog-punk addition to the suddenly
eclectic Seattle music scene. Graham's Chicago-sound-inspired guitar lines
combined with Harrison's unique keyboard work
lays poignantly on top of Behrman's and
Vanderbrooke's dynamic, yet heavy foundation.
Harrison's searching and emotional vocals help to
push the listener into exploring the sonic
landscapes that his group so artfully creates.
Fairgrove recently recorded five
tracks (some were also on "The Winter
Wait") with up and coming producer/engineer
Kip Beelman (Juno, Sleater Kinney). They found
the production/recording process to be quite
profound in terms of their collective and musical
growth as many bands do.
"I think
the biggest thing we learned while we were
recording is that when you're playing by yourself
you are always going to be really busy and when
you're playing with a group you need to learn to
tone it down and let the other people play…
you gotta check your ego at the door," says
Graham.
Harrison adds,
"We already had a good ground as far as
giving each other space, but now we really
understand how to communicate. In our songwriting
lately… it's been more copasetic."
Fairgrove's new, EP length, batch
of songs has been titled, In Defense of the
Inexperienced. They are currently shopping
it around. With its polished Beelman production
and strong performances, we can expect to see and
hear more from and about Fairgrove in the coming months.
For more
Fairgrove info, or to download some of their
songs, go to www.indyrock.com/fairgrove
Or go to www.indyrock.com - a
music site maintained by Fairgrove's Chris
Vandebrooke and check out everything there.
Email Mark Richards
Black 47: Erin Go
Broke
NYC's
jazzy, progressive-gael rockers, Black 47,
experience all famine and no feast while living
under the tyranny of major labels
Buzzcocks: A Long
Way From Rigor Mortis
Todd Weber investigates the Modern
ambitions of these 70s Britpunk
survivors
Len: Stealing
Sunshine, Custom Bitches, and the Anti-Stardom
Vibe
Damien M. Jones talks to Planet Pea
about life and touring in the old-school, good-time lane
From Nirvana to
Ninth Grade
Former
Nirvana bassist, Krist Novoselic, shocks troubled
teens with frank talk about sex (not), life, and
how to "be real," by Jeff
Burlingame
Power Pop and
Public Suicide
The Candy Butchers' Mike Viola hung with
Kim Fowley, sang with Tom Hanks, and watched the
ultimate act of desperation from a concert stage.
Gail Worley gets him to put it all in
perspective
A Project Called
Lincoln
This Seattle band melds "soft
melodic touches with aggressive guitar work in an
accessible, yet innovative framework," says Mark Richards
God Is From
Seattle
Gail Worley talks to legendary
industrial drummer Bill Rieflin about
his recent solo album and life after leaving Ministry
SMP Sets the
Industry Afire
J. Kim talks to Seattle
"rapunkrial" trio, SMP
There is Only One
Type O Negative
Gail Worley interviews Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative
|