Familiarize Yourself

Chicago is a mecca for emerging artists, especially if you are a solo artist looking to perfect that live back-up band. For John Farrell, it was easy to find close friends to support him during his live show. His backup band came from a previous collaboration that dispersed from the lack of time each member could commit. Instead, John decided to write and record a new round of songs, brought in a killer manager to handle all that paperwork, and gave his former band the chance to play live together once again.

Enjoy this week’s edition of Band of the Week.

How did the John Farrell band come about and how did the collaboration with the musicians in the back-up band come about?
I basically asked these guys (Dave, Kyle, Greg,) to help me play my songs live because we all didn’t have enough time to keep our former band ( Voodoo Youth) together.  I figured at least this way we could keep playing together.  The problem was that between song writing, practicing, booking shows, and everything else that encompasses being in a serious band, we couldn’t get off the ground.  With Dave and I being in school, and Kyle and Greg having full-time jobs among other personal commitments made the idea of a band seem unrealistic.  So I figured if I wrote the songs myself, recorded the songs myself (Kyle of course playing the drums), and brought Andrew Coate into the mix for booking and other managerial duties, then maybe this could work.  I later added Rico Vigil ( You, Me, and Everyone We know) who is a long time friend, because he happened to be in town for the winter and brings so much energy and experience to a live performance. I have known all of these guys for years, and truly appreciate there willingness to partake in my insanity.  In a nutshell, band is basically me and my closest musician friends getting together and playing my songs together.

What instruments do you play and how long have you had a background in each [instrument]?
I have been playing the guitar since I was about thirteen I’d say, and I started writing my own songs (as terrible as they were) soon there after.  I did play everything on the album other than the drums, however, I don’t consider myself much of a musician.  I was able to play those parts well enough to get by because I could track them over and over again.  That’s one benefit of recording your own music.  Other than guitar, over the years I have dabbled in Keyboards, bass, programming, and a little trumpet, but I would consider myself a novice in all of them.  In my opinion, what little talent I posses more so falls into the song writing spectrum, rather than musicianship.

When composing music for films do you read the script beforehand, and what kind of mindset do you put yourself in to create the perfect soundtrack that alines with the film?
As far as soundtracks go, thats something that I find myself more and more infatuated with.  I don’t get as many opportunities as I would like, but when I do I put everything I have into them.  I’ve never read the script before hand, in fact, the majority of the work I have gotten came straight from the editor so the film had already been shot.  There is no particular mind set that I put myself in, it’s whatever mindset the film puts me in.

David – As a music composition major at Columbia, do you find many opportunities to collaborate with students on campus for projects, or is it easier for you to step off-campus and work outside the creative confines our college music scene may create?
Columbia is a great place to meet musicians and artists. The school provides many opportunities to project your art in galleries and such, but I see no reason why collaborations that begin in the school can’t extend into the entire chicago art/music community. What is great about Columbia is that it is in the heart of the city and students are always exposed to the arts outside of the academic community. So in short I don’t feel as if I’m trapped in an academia bubble, columbia’s atmosphere is much more nurturing than confined.

On the other hand there is an incredible amount of creative minds outside the academic setting. Great musicians are everywhere and I try to encourage myself to experience Chicago’s entire art community. You never know who you may meet and collaborate with. Also, performing at a music club is much different than an academic hall. Clubs provide an expressive freedom to the performer that sometimes provides a deeper personal connection with the audience. But of course, that’s based on my personal experience.



The album is currently for sale on JohnFarrellmusic.com on a “name your price format,” why did you decide this was the best way to release your album to public instead of putting it up on iTunes or passing it out for free on the street?
Today it’s about the spread. I’ve noticed that even if an album or song is available for free online, if you preview it and don’t like it you’re not going to download. So if someone’s willing to download the album, that means they clearly like what they’ve heard and are actually likely to spread that on to friends and come out and see a show, which is where musicians are really making money nowadays. The key is that when someone downloads In Passing from Johnfarrellmusic.com, they enter their email address. So even when they don’t pay they give us something – a way to stay in touch with them, to thank them. It also lets us know who likes the music and we can reach out to them and invite them to shows and to encourage them to spread the word. Plus, 70% of the people who have downloaded John’s album have actually paid something for it  (one person even paid double what it would typically cost at a show!) when given the option not to (and yes, more than 4 people have downloaded it, skeptics). People will support artists willing to put themselves out on the line like that. Many people will later buy the hard copy for the album art as well. So it can work that way as long as we stay vigilant with being involved with fans.

What bands have influenced your writing and musical style that our reader’s should be familiar with?
So many bands and artists have influenced me over the years that it would be impossible to name a few without leaving a few out, but I think thats a given so I’ll give it a shot.  The Beatles were obviously a big influence on me, but I think that goes for everyone in American music from the 1960s on.  In fact, I would go as far as to say that even if you didn’t like them, you’d be lying if you said they had nothing to do with you becoming a musician.  Although, Led Zeppelin was probably most influential in my actually picking up the guitar.  As far as bands that have influenced my style of music, the list is a bit more modern.  Jimmy Eat World, The Smashing Pumpkins, Death Cab for Cutie, and Weezer dominated most of my high school years.  As time went on I became much more interested in singer/songwriters like Elliot Smith, Ryan Adams, Damien Rice and David Bazan(Pedro the Lion.)  Lyrics, in my opinion, are as equally as important as the music they accompany which is why I’ve always held guys like Ben Gibbard, who I believe is one of the best lyricists I’ve ever heard, in such high regard.

Do you have any upcoming shows?
February 20th at Cullen’s Pub in the Southwest Suburbs. I’m currently putting together a few shows at The Elbo Room, Tonic Room, Uncommon Ground, Reggie’s Music Joint and a few others in the Southwest Suburbs

Check out more of John’s music at:
http://www.johnfarrellmusic.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/johnfarrellmusic
http://www.facebook.com/johnfarrellmusic
http://www.thesixtyone.com/johnfarrellmusic
http://www.purevolument.com/johnfarrellmusic