Fredericksburg Songwriters' Showcase Zach Farrow

Zach Farrow

Zach Farrow is the kind of artist who is constantly striving to be incredible in the hopes that he might turn out just okay. He scolds himself for his shabby guitar playing and resents the fact that he wasn't born with the clear and precise tenor of a Beatle (or even the self-conscious tremble of an Elliott Smith). He hates the unoriginal, and is known to despise even his own songs for the slightest clichés, no matter how well they are received. He will work for weeks on a project only to throw it away and spit on it in the end. He has a very dry mouth… Fortunately, his listeners are saved these exhausting and self-deprecating efforts and are free to enjoy the resulting product, without guilt.


Zach Farrow's unassuming, yet undeniably unique sound falls somewhere between the Rubber Soul-era Beatles, Wilco circa Being There, and Elliott Smith as heard on XO. His voice slides guiltlessly between a wavering croon (think Jeff Tweedy or Ryan Adams) and a soulful expression that is at times reminiscent of Ben Harper. Rhythmically, his guitar work exhibits many similarities to traditional folk music. However, many of his songs show off a much less traditional type of pop songwriting that finds him drifting in and out of the standard verse-chorus structure at great liberty. Farrow has a penchant for crafting deliberate and inventive melodies that demand interesting chord structures, giving his music a fresh feel while maintaining its accessibility. Lyrically, he explores a great number of themes, including: addiction, connection, isolation, loss, and occasionally love. Farrow tackles these ideas with a sense of humility and a keen insight that is unusual for his age. While he is only 19, he writes with a level of dedication and a sense of purpose that is rare in a writer with twice his experience. Put simply, Zach Farrow writes songs that are dying to be heard.

In July of 2005, Farrow independently released a sparse, melodic folk/pop album entitled In Retrospect (this limited pressing was available only to family and friends). A more deliberately conjured and widely released follow-up is in the works.

 



Page put together (with info & pics from Bob Gramann ) by Ernest Ackermann.
Send rants/rave to above mentioned Ackermann
Last Time I changed anything on this page:


Google
 
This site is hosted by Webliminal.com, a site on one boundary of the Web. Visit the site, and while you're at it take a look at some of Ernie's books about the Web.

You can help support this site by buying books, CDs, and other items after clicking on any of these links.

 

 Feedback on this Web site

Send a comment Report a problem