By DON THRASHER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Nate Farley is best known as the hard-drinking guitar-slinger for Guided By Voices, The Amps and The Breeders. However, longtime followers of local music know the 37-year-old Dayton native also was the leader of two great, but lesser known bands: The Method and Robthebank.
After years of serving other songwriters, it’s great to see Farley in Shawen Acres, up front and leading a band, where he belongs. Although he admits it took some adjustments before he was completely happy with his contribution to the new group’s sound.
“After GBV split, I started recording immediately,” Farley said, speaking over the telephone from his Columbus home. “I started doing stuff and I tried to change the way I write and the way I sing. We recorded some stuff and I was trying to sing, and I’m not like that. I kind of scream my stuff out. Now, I’m just doing what I know and I feel a lot better about it.
“For so long I worked with two of the best songwriters we’ve got with Kim and Bob. I’m no Bob Pollard and I’m no Kim Deal, so I’ve got to do my own thing. I’m just glad to finally have the album out. It was like carrying a baby for four years.”
Shawen Acres — Farley (vocals, guitar), Duane Hart (bass), Dave Glenn (guitar) and Josh McGregor (drums) — celebrates the release of its debut CD, “The Precious Blood Festival,” at Canal Street Tavern today, July 25.
The new disc bridges the gap between the raw power of The Method and the melodic sensibilities of GBV and The Breeders. Opening cut “Prism Lights” sets the tone for the album with melodic guitar lines, a punk underbelly and a poppy verse-chorus-verse arrangement. Rocking cuts like “I’m Savin’ Up” and “The Sugar Act” are balanced by short acoustic songs “In the Future (We’ll Be History)” and “My List of Lame Complaints.”
“If you notice, the band is called Shawen Acres and the album is called ‘The Precious Blood Festival,” Farley said. “You can tell I miss Dayton a lot. It’s crazy to be an hour away from a place and be homesick. So, yeah, I’m really looking forward to Canal Street.
“I’ve mellowed out from the cocky kid I used to be, which I think is a good thing,” Farley added. “I’m not saying I don’t still get crazy every now and then, but I just want to play this music for my friends I grew up with. I want it to be a fun show, just like a party.”
ROCK INSIDER,by contributing writer Don Thrasher, appears weekly and gives a behind-the-scenes view of the Dayton music scene. Contact Thrasher by e-mail at [email protected].
how to go
WHO: Shawen Acres, with the Terrifying Experience and Captain of Industry WHERE: Canal Street Tavern, 308 E. First St., Dayton WHEN: 9:30 p.m. today COST: $5 MORE INFO: (937) 461-9343 or www.canalstreettavern.com
(c) 2008 Dayton Daily News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
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