Los Angeles’ The Far West came
together in 2010, thanks in part to a Craigslist ad featuring nothing
but a link to a live clip of Waylon Jennings on YouTube. Each of the
five members left other bands for a common goal: to make music inspired
by artists such as Gram Parsons, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, and The Band.
They released their self-titled debut album in 2010. Before long the
band partnered with respected booking agent Mongrel Music, and have been
consistently growing and selling out shows in the West ever since.Their
second album, Any Day Now, is out February 25, 2014 on
Medina River Records and is steeped in alt-country with a few flourishes.
Their debut in 2010 immediately
attracted attention. “The Far West bring LA’s signature
Gram-Parsons-style country rock together with the type of honky tonk
that is unmistakably Texan,” said Turnstyled Junkpiled. “But
whatever it is they play, The Far West exceed in coming together to
produce a distinct sound that is undeniably their own.”
Any Day Now stays close
to the roots of their inspiration. The album kicks off with “On The
Road,” written by vocalist and guitarist Lee Briante from the Hudson
Valley. Driven by train-beat drums and haunting Leslie organ, "It's
about my perception of Hollywood after moving here," says Briante. "It’s
a place of self-created identities and it may certainly seem like
people out here think they are the next big thing, but there's a bigger
Tinsel Town ethos and mythology at play.”
But not everything has a roadhouse
sound. “Leonard,” about the folk-artist who built the famed Salvation
Mountain in the California desert, includes horns. "You can definitely
hear the influence of songs like 'Minnie the Moocher' here," says
Briante, "but this arrangement is also influenced by Springsteen’s
Seegar Sessions, and some of Levon Helm’s horn treatments.” The band
called on Nic Chaffee, who added the warm and vibrant brass.
“The Bright Side” has a little more
kick reminiscent of The Old 97s with excellent picking on guitar by
Aaron Bakker. Writer Robert Black (bass, mandolin, vocals) says, “We all
take our little trips to the dark side from time to time. ‘The Bright
Side’ is your fist-in-the-air anthem for those days when you wish the
rest of the world would just ‘f--k off’ already.”
“The song ‘Wichita’ is about the
journey back to a certain time and place when I was a kid,” says Black.
The band decided to give the title something of a double-meaning and, in
keeping with the Midwestern theme, they pay respects to some of their
favorite music from the region including Son Volt, Wilco and of course
The Jayhawks on this song -- a deliberate homage.
Black backed many a band in his home
state of Texas as well as groups from the across the country. Briante,
from New York state, has played in dozens of bands since he was a teen,
and found Black in LA via the sparse Waylon Jennings Craigslist ad.
James Williams has lent his keys to several acts over the years and has
performed live on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic with Nic
Harcourt. Chicago native Aaron Bakker (guitars, vocals) found his true
passion for music when he picked up his first guitar at fourteen. He was
an integral part the Chicago outfit Dorian Taj, and dozens of
others.Travis Popichak has been a hotly sought-after drummer in Los
Angeles for years.
This is producer Colin McLean's second
album with The Far West. He recorded their first album at an American
Legion Post while the bar was open for business – and, in keeping with
his interest in using unusual spaces, recorded Any Day Now in a vintage
hot rod repair shop. “The room you use to record really makes an imprint
on the overall sound of a record, so using places that have lives of
their own adds something special I think,” says McLean. The album’s
title, Any Day Now, was borrowed from an article on the
band that asserted expectantly, "A follow up album is due any day now."
That was over a year ago, and any day now has finally come.
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