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Many national acts have combined rock music with a theatrical show, but the most famous on the Ohio beat has to be vocalist/front man Paul Fayrewether, out of Lorain County. Fayrewether is the main songwriter for a band that uses his surname and has traveled all over the midwest, doing their originals. He recently exchanged some thoughts with OhioOnline music correspondent Peanuts over Fayrewether's 11 song solo acoustic project, "Echo," which has just been re-released. |
| OO: |
Are you an Ohio native? |
| PF: |
"I was born in East Rochester, Pennsylvania and moved with my family to Lorain County in 1955." |
| OO: |
What started your interest in music? |
| PF: |
"It was sparked as an infant by my Aunts Mimi and Pauline. They babysat me and sang all the popular songs of the day. My formal music training was in eastern European folk music. During college at Duquesne University, I had a full ride music/performance scholarship. I've been fortunate to work with some very talented musicians and songwriters thorough out my career. To name a few: Emery Kapple, Rick Rebman, Buzzy Linhart, Michael Stanley, Geoffrey Moore, Jeff Hutton and Bob Smit. They all have had an effect on my music." |
| OO: |
Were you in any bands of note before this one? |
| PF: |
"I sang in a short lived but popular band 'The Book Of Strawberry.'We performed at the old Smiling Dog Saloon on W. 25th St. in Cleveland. We recorded an album at Motion Picture Sound in Cleveland in 1973 with producer/arranger Tom Baker. The band broke up, so drummer Mike Graves and I started Fayrewether." |
| OO: |
What national acts have influenced you? |
| PF: |
"Early on I was interested in the blues, thanks to Paul Butterfield, then folk singers like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, CSN&Y. Then Leon Russell, Donald Fagan, Ian Anderson, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Lennon/McCarthy. I love interesting lyrical stylings and vocalizations." |
| OO: |
In that case, describe your music. |
| PF: |
"My music is a combination of autobiography and pure fantasy. I try to give the listener a variety. I want the audience to be touched personally by my music, but I want them to expect the unexpected. I was never easy being pigeonholed as a certain type of writer." |
| OO: |
Who would you like to split a bill with? |
| PF: |
"Michael Stanley, for one." |
| OO: |
'Echo' isn't your first release, so what came first? |
| PF: |
"Four to five albums are floating around out there. The Fayrewether picture disc in the late 1970's, then three albums of material in the 1980's. We released a live cassette in 1991 called 'Rough Cuts,' which was taken from an old Cleveland Agora coffeebreak concert we did in the early 1980's." |
| OO: |
Tell me about the recording of 'Echo.' |
| PF: |
"We recorded the foundation tracks at Magnetic North Studios in Cleveland with Chris Keffer and did the overdubs at Absolute Studios in Lakewood with Dustin Elliott. There were touch ups done by producer Jerry Becker at his San Francisco studio." |
| OO: |
Was it tough naming the band after yourself? |
| PF: |
"The word fair weather has pleasant yet ominous connotation that always intrigued me. When I visited the University of Rhode Island in 1974, one of the dormitories was named Fayrewether, or a similar spelling, so it looked good to me." |
| OO: |
Final thoughts? |
| PF: |
"My plans are to keep writing and performing until I drop. I love the musical process of writing and live performance. Also, you can get the disc by visiting my web page and ordering it by clicking the PayPal icon." |
