 |
  
 
 |
|
Farewell
Posted by Steven Robertshaw on 13-Feb-08 @ 05:21 PM|
HQ: Greensboro, NC NOW PLAYING: Isn't This Supposed To Be Fun!? (EPITAPH; epitaph.com) YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE? Motion City Soundtrack / Cartel / Saves The Day STORY: Jonah Bayer PHOTO: Chris Crisman Don't be fooled by their 18-year-old guitarist or the fact the band's Moog-fueled brand of pop-punk seems all the rage right now: Farewell aren't doing any bandwagon-jumping. "People often ask us why we're on Epitaph because it's such a legendary punk-rock label and we're such a poppy band, but our whole band is way more into stuff like Jawbreaker and Lifetime than Blink-182," explains the band's singer Marshall Davis, who cites the Alkaline Trio's Goddamnit as his all-time favorite album. "It's funny that we make this music that's pop-oriented because we grew up listening to punk rock and hardcore stuff." Although Davis (who went to school for design and does all the band's artwork) had never played an instrument let alone performed in a band prior to joining Farewell, he "fought his way into the group" while he was in college and eventually became their keyboardist. However, when the band went into the studio to record their debut EP, the producer told them to get a new singer. Drummer Jeff Ellis suggested Davis give it a shot-and afterward things quickly began falling in place for the band. "It was a battle for us [in] North Carolina to stand out as a pop-punk [group]," Davis says about the uphill battle the six-piece have faced back home, "so we were really lucky that Brett took a liking to us and could see beyond what was on the surface." The "Brett" that Davis is referring to is Brett Gurewitz, the legendary guitarist for Bad Religion and owner of Epitaph Records who discovered Farewell while surfing on MySpace-and after listening to the band, the only surprise is why it took so long. Farewell's debut full-length Isn't This Supposed To Be Fun!? is an instantly infectious collection of pop-punk tracks destined to become classics in their own right, like "Stay Pretty" or the cleverly titled "First One On The Blog." "It's kind of a commentary directed toward the people in Greensboro who think what we're doing is insignificant," Marshall explains about the album's title. "Isn't the reason why all of us are doing this because it beats the hell out of working at McDonald's?" Judging by the band's empathic fanbase, it looks like Farewell aren't going to be cooking up McGriddles anytime soon-a fact even more impressive considering the lack of press the band have gotten to date. "This is one of the first interviews I've ever done," Davis readily admits, adding that the band are more concerned about building a career than hype. "If we don't get big, we don't get big. But as long as we can stay on the road and play music, that's all we're looking for." ALT |
