Band Worth Mentioning
Fair to Midland
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Depending on who's counting there are anywhere from 100 to n-frigging-thousand sub genre's of rock music a band can slide into for easy categorization. And depending on where you drop the laser on Fair to Midland's Serjical Strike debut, The Dawn and Quartered E.P., at least half of those sub-genres are being reinvented at once. But to call this Dallas quintet (who ironically get their name from an old Texan play on the term "fair to middling") merely "eclectic" is to sell them way short. No, Fair to Midland are masters of fusing those sub-genres into something that's cohesive, intensely focused, and in a bold new category all its own.
Founded in the quiet farm town of Sulphur Springs, Texas—"Where people still say 'please' and 'thank you,'" as its chamber of commerce notes—Fair to Midland have become one of the most idiosyncratic musical forces in the Lone Star State. But as singer Darroh Sudderth—who rounds out FTM's current lineup with guitarist Cliff Campbell, drummer Brett Stowers, bassist Jon Dicken, and keyboardist/electronics manipulator Matt Langley—explains, idiosyncrasy also helps give the band its internal power.
"For the most part, our musical tastes are completely different," Suddereth begins. "All of our songs are just us trying to find a happy medium between what everyone in the band listens to—and I think that actually being able to do that is what makes us so different from a lot of other bands today."
"Disciplined stream-of-consciousness" is an apt phrase to describe Fair to Midland's music, which deftly fuses hard rock with art rock, shot through with soaring vocals, virtuoso guitars, allegorical lyrics, a driving rhythm section and richly woven keyboards. This stream-of-consciousness is impressively showcased on Fables From a Mayfly, the band's full-length debut being jointly released by Universal Republic and Serjical Strike on June 12th, 2007.
With songs such as "Kyla Cries Cologne," "April Fools and Eggmen," "A Wolf Descends Upon The Spanish Sahara," and "Dance of the Manatee" (the album's first single which is currently taking radio by storm) the band captures the ear with unparalleled force, coupled with rich orchestration reminiscent of Queen and hard rock dynamism in the vein of Tool, King Crimson and Mars Volta.
And if their song titles sound more like names of paintings, this may be intentional; they do reflect the grandeur of Fair to Midland's music: Sparkling, but not ostentatious...beautiful, but not overwhelming...powerful, but not pummeling.
PRESS QUOTES
“During the young Dallas band's set on Sunday, the singer went wail for wail with System of a Down's Serj Tankian (who signed them to his label) and later convulsed like Iggy and hit the floor, helping intensify the band's potent emotional hard rock.” --Richard Cromelin on lead singer Darroh Sudderth at Coachella 2007, Los Angeles Times (5/1/07)
“…it’s Serj Tankian-approved Texan quintet Fair To Midland who steal tonight’s show, with their off-kilter, keyboard-laden alt-prog rock, falling somewhere in between the soaring heights of Dredg, the erratic gentleness of Coheed And Cambria and the Mars Volta’s visionary psychofugues.” – Daniel Lukes, Kerrang! (3/2/07)
”…Fair to Midland are ultra-eclectic, but their multitracked warbling, dexterous piano caresses, flecks of falsetto, and guitars more sturdy than shreddy lend their art-rock an organic, almost folkie fireside glow. Judging by the live tracks on their Drawn and Quartered EP, these Texans can light up a stage too.” -- Paul Rogers, LA Weekly (2/22/07)
“Texas' Fair to Midland…promises to make commercial inroads with its punchy, melodic guitar rock and unusually strong songwriting.” -- Greg Burke, Los Angeles Times (2/21/07)
“The quintet's brawny, dire rock, punctuated by violent hard-core breakdowns, came off as the real deal, neither as overwrought or whiny as many young bands venturing into that territory. The difference? The range of vocalist Darroh Sudderth, who can belt it out, growl, croon ... you name it.” -- Kevin Bronson, LATimes.com “Buzz Bands” blog (4/29/07)
“…a well-deserved epic sound, reminiscent of the '70s with a big, clean style that highlights the group's virtuosity and their amazing dynamics. Those dynamics come instantly into play on the set's opening number and first single, "Dance of the Manatee," as the group shift from U2-ish swelling, chiming, guitar passages into thundering hard rock. Singer Darroh Suddereth follows suit, careening between alt rock to classic rock vocals, then down into the menacing growl of metalcore. And it's the bandmembers' amazing ability to adroitly shift styles on a dime that impresses, but not as much as their talent to sound phenomenal in them all.” -All Music Guide
“…Darroh Sudderth's vocals are a strength: he matches his bandmates' backing with ferocity and range, lifting denser songs "Dance of the Manatee" and the jagged "Vice/Versa" with clarity. "The Wife, the Kids and the White Picket Fence" varies the pace with piano, strings and a surprisingly sweet melody, offering an accessible entry point for more mainstream listeners and showing Fair to Midland aren't afraid to show their wistful side.” --Abby McDonald, Artist Direct (6/8/07)
“…the progressive alternative quintet’s strengths are brought to the forefront on this superbly produced and rather dynamic debut effort. Vocalist Darroh Sudderth has a set of pipes that most bands would dream of, garnering the ability to hit balloon-popping highs and window-rattling lows within an instant of each other.” --Dustin Bennett, Synthesis Weekly (Volume 13, Issue 42)
“Vocalist Darroh Sudderth transforms from a timid frontman to a spasmatic burst of flailing arms and uninhibited vocal explosions that make him one of the most courageous singers in rock music…F2M are not a band that's going to just hand you a sing-a-long chorus, or a moshable beat. Like The Mars Volta or Tool, their skills are multifaceted and require more than just a distracted listen to fully appreciate. This is a band that deserves to be applauded for the chances they are taking.” -- Jennifer Cray, Ink19.com
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