the cave

 "...a stunning and diverse collection of tunes exhibiting a marked evolution in both style and scope..."                 - Seven Days, Dan Bolles

"I've found my three new favorite bands and they're all Farm."   - State of Mind, Ryan Lowell

"It’s hard to imagine something that’s both beautifully austere and ambitiously epic, but “The Cave” accomplishes just that."   - Burlington Free Press, Brent Hallenbeck

gray birds

Seven Days, Farm, The Cave
Album Review
By Dan Bolles [10.08.08]

From the woolly nether regions of northwestern Vermont, experimental-folk trio Farm return with their highly anticipated third album, The Cave. Local music critics, rejoice! Following last year’s excellent, if somewhat unwieldy, Gray Birds, the disc defies easy categorization — local music critics, grumble! It’s possible to identify influences on a track-by-track basis, but as a whole the album is a stunning and diverse collection of tunes exhibiting a marked evolution in both style and scope.

Role-swapping chameleons Ben Maddox, Joshua Givens and Jedd Kettler — each a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter — lead off with “Bulls,” a tune that justifies Camper Van Beethoven comparisons. It’s short and sweet, with just a dab of plaintive lyrical innocence.

Obliging the “Americana-noir” tab thrust upon them by certain members of the local press . . . ahem, “Revelation Sessions” follows. Atmospheric slide guitar swirls around a gently roiling acoustic guitar, while the lyrics are delivered in an Isaac Brock-meets-Valium fashion. If Modest Mouse went on a folk bender, it might sound a lot like this — or Sun Kil Moon’s Tiny Cities, of course.

“Second Song” is a pleasant little ditty with the slightest breezy-Brit-pop tinge. It’s the closest thing to a love song you’ll find here.

With guitars blazing over pounding drums and bass, “Noah’s Horse” is brutal and devilish, exuding Mule Variations-era, Waits-esque tomfoolery.

“Future Things” follows, keeping the volume turned up and listeners guessing with a full-throttle, indie-rock romp.

“Bread Dust Gold Dust” is a sinister instrumental interlude, setting us up for the album’s second half.

“Vaquero” provides lilting acoustic relief from the aural assault of the previous three tracks. Having mentioned Mark Kozalek’s Sun Kil Moon already, I’m a bit loath to do so again. But if I did, it would work.

The remainder of the album follows in similarly unpredictable style. If nothing else, Farm keep us on our toes. Exhibit A: the bouncy, borderline dance-pop groove of “Flew Off,” which might be the best cut on a terrific album.

Farm was already good. And they’ve gotten even better. So where the mammoth 18-track Gray Birds was almost too much of a good thing, the 15 songs found on (in?) The Cave are almost not enough. But so goes that old showbiz axiom, “Leave ’em wanting more.” We do, boys. We do.

Farm celebrate the release of their new album this Saturday at Winooski’s Monkey House with a smorgasbord of local rockers, including The Breaking In, How to Stay Alive in the Woods and northern New York’s Monsterbuck.

State of Mind review

Farm - The Cave   [self-released]
by Ryan Lowell
November 13, 2008
 
I've found my three new favorite bands and they're all Farm. Whether they're easing listeners in with stripped-down folk‚ weaving elaborate blues-tinged masterpieces‚ or offering straightforward rock‚ Farm offer something for everybody. The first time I listened to The Cave‚ it seemed so scattered across the genre map that it felt more like a compilation than the fruits of one band. The songs are cohesive as a group‚ but there are so many different voices‚ noises and moods on the album that it seemed improbable for only three men to have created it.

Farm succeed at being so diverse by tossing out traditional band guidelines of one guy to an instrument by allowing the multi-talented Jedd Kettler‚ Joshua Givens and Ben Maddox to take turns with the microphone and a slew of instruments. What results is a musical Chinese fire drill; every time you think you know where Farm is headed next‚ someone else grabs the wheel and peels out in a completely different direction. At the entrance of The Cave‚ we find "The Bulls‚" a playfully naïve narrative that serves as great foreplay for the audio orgasm ahead. "Revelation Sessions" follows with a twangy acoustic feel that dominates the first few songs on the album. The beginning of "Blast Furnace" hints at Farm's diversity by opening with an array of percussion that sounds like a blacksmith was in the studio forging steel to the beat.

But it's not until the seductive blues rock of "Noah's Horse" that Farm reveal their louder side. Energy climaxes in "The Middle‚" a catchy instrumental track driven by minimalist blues riffs and punctuated with harmonica. Cave comes to a mellow end with "Roots Dug In‚" a relaxed ending to an exciting album. While "Roots" may not be the most surprising result of the fire drill‚ it gives listeners a chance to catch their breath and reflect on the incredible joyride Farm just took them on.

Burlington Free Press - Brent Hallenbeck, Dec. 4, 2008

Farm — The Cave — The Franklin County trio has reined in the omnivorous musical approach they took on their fantastic 2007 debut “Gray Birds” in favor of something that’s meets that album’s breadth halfway. “The Cave” is a little more streamlined, a merger between low-fi indie-rock and straight ahead but creative rock ‘n’ roll. It’s hard to imagine something that’s both beautifully austere and ambitiously epic, but “The Cave” accomplishes just that.

            FARM, GRAY BIRDS
                by Casey Rea, Seven Days
    St. Albans will probably never be known as a fount of quality indie-rock, but local boys Farm are making music as though that were indeed the case. I gave their debut CD (released under the short-lived moniker House Horse) a pretty positive review a year or two ago, and I’ve been eagerly anticipating its follow-up, Gray Birds. I’m pleased to say it doesn’t disappoint.
    To call Farm indie-rock is a bit like saying Led Zeppelin is just a cock-rock band. While the two acts don’t exactly sound alike, both showcase a wide range of influences. In Zep’s case, it’s American blues, British Isles folk and the Devil. Actually, the same could be said of Farm, if you substitute acoustic Tolkien-isms for Appalachian anguish. But guitarist Ben Maddox does rip like Jimmy Page from time to time.
    Gray Birds boasts a whopping 18 tracks, which makes it tough to sum up in this wee space. Let’s start with the basics: Each member of the band is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. This kind of situation can engender creativity, but sometimes affects a band’s cohesiveness. That’s not the case here. Members Maddox, Jedd Kettler and Joshua Givens share a similar musical outlook, which results in some spooky-ass Americana that’s unpretentiously rural yet musically sophisticated. Read on for the highlights.
    Kettler’s sooty ditty “Boomtown Basement” plays like a Stones number from that band’s country-blues period. Maddox’s Mellotron strings create a lovely sonic pillow for Kettler’s gruffly melodic vocals. Note to geeks: These keys are likely a synth emulation of the cumbersome, tape-operated instrument popularized by The Beatles and King Crimson. Real Mellotrons cost more than some houses, and they weigh nearly as much.
    I also quite like Givens’ “Spineless,” which opens with dark, odd-metered chords and eerie slide guitar. The drums are slightly trashy, which gives the tune a ragged majesty. Maddox’s guitar solo is patient and modally adventurous, with weird ghost bends and trills.
    “Something I Drew” is a twisted little blues tune with gurgling synth tones and laconic vocals, while “Devil” (see, I told you he’d make an appearance) is a black-as-pitch ode to a soul in the grips of evil that literally gave me goosebumps.
As did quite a few of the other tunes, including the molasses-thick “Old City” and the spacey, Eastern-flavored jam “St. Albans Blues.” The latter track alone is well worth the price of the disc.
    Farm are a unique band with one foot in roughshod rock ’n’ roll and the other in experimental folk-blues. The third foot, if they had one, would surely be in the grave.

review in the February 2008 edition of Boston rock magazine, The Noise
    FARM
    Gray Birds
    18-song CD
    Hailing from Enosburg Falls, Vermont, Farm clearly seems to be a product of their environment. The echoed guitars and sparse yet intricate arrangements on the bands stellar record, Gray Birds, clearly come from an atmospheric backdrop that Vermont would seemingly award the three-piece perfectly. Call it what you want, be it freak-folk, indie rock or just folk music with an experimental slant, it all applies. The record skillfully meshes folk, country, classic rock and jam music into their own twisted musical animal. There's a real unified sound on the record, no easy feat when the band, multi-instrumentalists Ben Maddox, Jed Kettler and Joshua Givens, all share songwriting duties. Oh, and did I mention they switch instruments with one another from track to track?
    Calling Gray Birds arguably one of the best records you've likely never heard isn't a stretch. As far as highlights go, check out "Mance," "Devil," or just take it all in. At close to an hour and fifteen minutes, it's a lot to absorb, but oh so worth it if you give it a chance. (Ryan Bray)
    http://www.thenoise-boston.com/

        FARMERS' MARKET
    Batman has the Bat-cave, Superman has his Fortress of Solitude, and in St. Albans (actual slogan: "Maple Sugar Capital of the World") Americana-noir anti-heroes Farm have the Cave of Legends, otherwise known as their basement. Though it doesn't have Kryptonian hi-def crystal holograms, a tricked-out 1965 Lincoln Futura with a jet engine exhaust or —I'm guessing — a fatherly English butler, it was the birthplace of one of the best local albums to hit the streets in a long time.
    Recorded over seven months, one instrument at a time, Grey Birds is indie-folk of the most spine-chilling variety. If nightmarish illustrator Edward Gorey could have drunk a case of beer and fronted Camper van Beethoven, it would probably have sounded a lot like Farm's new album — assuming Gorey could sing, of course.
    This Thursday, the trio unveils the new disc at the Monkey House in Winooski (working slogan: "Home of the World's Goofiest Rotary!"). If you go, you might want to take the bus.

        Friday, July 27, 2007
    introducing my new favorite band: drums: etc...
Farm put on an excellent show at the monkey last night. nimbly switching between instruments, the three members invoked everything from ballsy blues to late 60's psychedelic guitar rock. haven't been this unexpectedly impressed by a local band since the first time i saw the cripples. if you're a fan of anything from the band to wilco to the white stripes i recommend you check out any of farms several shows in the next few weeks. ....

ENOSBURG FALLS –– When critiquing new bands, music reviewers often drop familiar names (ex: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd), to give listeners and readers a sense of who the new group sounds like.
But Farm?
    Well, they compare to …
    … Farm.
    And that's a good thing.
Farm's members – Ben Maddox, of Enosburg; Jedd Kettler, of St. Albans; and Joshua Givens, of Winooski – just released their first, full-length album, "Gray Birds," an 18-song set of sometimes spooky, always super, easily addictive music.
Farm will showcase songs from "Gray Birds" during a free concert inside Maddox's store, The Flying Disc, at 3 p.m.    Sunday, in Enosburg Falls. Cornwall-based Dirtminers are also on the bill.
    "I feel better about this album than I have about a lot of other things I've worked on," said Kettler, 36, seated Thursday in The Flying Disc basement.
    "We put a lot of work and attention into this," Kettler said.
    On its MySpace site, Farm bills itself as "three two-handed men (who) write songs and play them."
Under. Statement.
    Already, Farm might have made regional music history as the only rock band to fully record and mix not one but two albums on St. Albans City's Main Street – right between the old post office and Kevin Smith's Sports Connection.
Before Maddox moved The Flying Disc from St. Albans to Enosburg, he transformed a tight, back room at the store into a recording studio.
    With that arrangement, Farm avoided hundreds of dollars in studio-rental costs; lists of orders from engineers and producers; and other external pressures that break bands as fast as they're made.
Farm called its own shots by making "Gray Birds" on Main Street.
    "If you're not in a studio and pressed for time," said Maddox, 32, "you can do as much as you want."
Of all the band configurations that exist, rock trios might be the easiest to manage musically, and financially. Historically, they're also the most volatile, and short-lived. Think Cream. Or The Police.
    In Farm, however, there is no Andy Summers or Stewart Copeland who is jealous of Sting. Watch Maddox and Kettler interact, and it's evident they are proud of each other, their band, and their music. No in-fights allowed.
    "We don't fight at all," Maddox said. "There are definitely disagreements, but we usually work through them quickly."
Farm happened like an unexpected baby in a family that welcomes it. There was no formal thinking or planning, but it happened, and it has filled its creators with joy.
Super proud
    A few years ago, Givens, a 30-year-old painter behind the stunning album artwork on "Gray Birds," was making four-track recordings with Kettler. The two had met at Kettler's former St. Albans coffee shop and bookstore, The Kept Writer.
    Maddox moved to Vermont from Mississippi, opened The Flying Disc, and helped Kettler move out of his store when it closed in February 2005. They shared a common passion.
    "You play music," Kettler told Maddox. "I play music. Wanna jam?"
Givens joined. Every Saturday – sometimes Sunday – they played in the rear of The Flying Disc. In two years, they only missed about 10 weekends. Weddings, funerals and illness were the only excuse to miss a session.
    "Pretty early on, we ended the jams saying, 'See you next week,'" Kettler recalled. "There was no question you were going to come back."
    They each brought original songs to the table. By spring 2005, they desired gigs. They needed a demo.
Using free software, guidance from Internet forums, and any accessible equipment, the band released its first, five-song EP, "House Horse," which was Farm's first moniker.
    "They were just two words we thought sounded good together," Kettler said.
"Then people kept asking if we were the 'House Whores,'" Maddox added. "Then there was this idea that we were the house band, like we could play classic rock all night."
    "So we changed the name," Kettler said, "because of the connotations that came with the other one."
    First, they toyed with Ghost Farm. Then, the Dirt Farmers (already taken). Kettler felt they were trying too hard.
    "What about just … Farm?" he asked Maddox and Givens. "I'd be happy with just … Farm."
    Too simple? Maybe. Kettler, however, has tacked a thoughtful meaning onto his band's name.
    "On a farm," he explained, "everyone has to know all the components of it to make it work, and work successfully."
    The same goes for this Farm. Its members are all multi-instrumentalists who share vocal and songwriting duties – well.
    "I think it's a drag to have to sit there and play guitar on every song, all the time," Maddox said. "It's nice to break it up some."
    In the last two years, Farm has played 26 shows in Vermont and New York, but only one locally: at the St. Albans Community Park Sale last year.
    "There's no original music allowed in St. Albans, man," Maddox joked, with a faux stoner voice. "There's an ordinance, you know."
    Farm broke from playing live, returned to the rear of The Flying Disc in May 2006, and began work on "Gray Birds"; they released it last month.
    Kettler said Farm started the sessions with an arsenal of 30 songs, ready for recording. Initially, they discussed making "Gray Birds" a double album but concluded that was self-indulgent for a debut.
    "Gray Birds" is split into two sections – "First" and "Second" – and they are distinct, but it's not a concept album.
    "We're not that smart," Maddox quipped.
    "Spineless" and "Devil" are among Maddox's favorite tracks on "Gray Birds." Kettler likes "Street Lights" and "Bad Oasis." For Givens, it's "Here It Is" – the short, quirky opener – and "St. Albans Blues."
    Other listeners might latch on to "Boomtown Basement" – Kettler's stick-with-you tribute to delta blues finger picking – the solemn "Mance," or the chuckle-inducing "You Can't Be the Dog."
    "Gray Birds" has garnered great reviews, which pleases Givens.
    "It gives us confidence and inspiration," he said. "I'm super proud of this. It's a really good portrait of us from when we first started playing until now. I think we got across what we wanted to get across."
    Soon, Farm will retreat to The Flying Disc basement in Enosburg and work on a new, 10-track album. Only this time? No break from playing live.
    "And we're just going to work on being a better band," Maddox said.

(we used to be called House Horse) St. Albans-based trio House Horse are an organic, post-folk delight. Featuring the multi-instrumental and vocal talents of Joshua Givens, Jedd Kettler and Ben Maddox, this debut EP boasts a gorgeous, indie-goes-rustic sensibility. It's a rare release that hooks me on the first track. This one did. Gently strummed acoustic guitar and muted electric piano announce the opening of "Glass of Wine." In an odd production choice, the tune features lightly distorted vocals. The effect only enhances the track's sinister beauty, however. With a buoyant bass line and cavernous percussion, the song provides a lush, if unsettling, ride through folk rock's darker avenues. "Work Boots" floats from the speakers in delicate tonal tendrils. Pedal steel guitar intersects with workmanlike drumming and spare electric guitar. Warm, clear vocals sing of skeletons and the summer sun in an intoxicating mix of the everyday and the idyllic. "Drunks need bars like mechanics need cars and romantics need stars," states the alt-country shuffle "Jesus Song No. 1." Nifty line, but what makes the song really interesting is an atonal organ lurking in the periphery like a madman. This juxtaposition of traditional song structure and avant-garde elements separate House Horse from other neo-Americana acts. "Yonder Comes a Sucker" boasts an evocative electric guitar figure and hypnotic backing vocals. The tune is a testament to restraint; the empty spaces seem as important as the notes themselves. Although most of the song is subdued, the coda features a cyclical bass and guitar motif loaded with intricate trills. The part is all the more powerful because you don't expect it. Closer "Paul Klee" sounds like something David Lowery might have written in his Camper van Beethoven days. The tune tells the tale of an aspiring bohemian who falls short of his artistic goals. I'm not sure what it has to do with the legendary expressionist painter, but with music this enticing, who cares? House Horse win big with their patient interplay and smart arrangements. I'd love to hear them on a double bill with Burlington's ethereal rockers Swale. Who wants to set it up?

            The Times Argus, June 1, 2007
            By Art Edelstein Correspondent
    St. Albans is not known as a hotbed of progressive rock music but the group "Farm" may change all that. This talented trio, which visits Montpelier on June 7 for a CD release show at the Langdon Street Cafe, has just released "Gray Birds" an eclectic, quirky and ultimately very interesting first album.
    Gray Birds is a CD without much of a direction, including as it does a variety of styles from electronica, folk, country, blues, and yes, rock music in its generous 18 tracks. The listener never knows what to expect next. Track One "Here it is" would put off most listeners who might find this instrumental a bit weird, with its eerie blues-based keyboard sounds. However, if you can get past this short track, or are open-minded enough to give the CD a full listen, there's something for everyone.
    With three writers, Ben Maddox, Jedd Kettler and Joshua Givens, there's bound to be a variety of styles and musical ideas. Since each member plays more than one instrument – there's electric and acoustic piano, drums, percussion, harmonica, banjo, trumpet, organ, bass and something called "morin hurr" – there's a lot of different sounds to digest. The CD moves through various sound elements and each member alternates on vocals and instruments.
    With it all, none of the tracks on Gray Birds (an odd title this writer is trying to understand since there is no song by that name) seems cluttered. The band chooses its instrumentation carefully and as tastefully as this odd collection of songs will allow.
    I liked the sense of humor here especially on the track "Mance" an ode, sort of, to blues performer Mance Lipscomb. This isn't an elegiac song; instead it comes across more as a chant, or mantra never explaining why Lipscomb was being sung about.
    The writers have given the tracks interesting titles. There's "Stuck in my Head," "Bad Oasis," "Mongolian Attic," "31," and "You can't be the dog" to entice the listener.
    There's something of the Beat Poets here, perhaps Messieurs Kettler, Maddox and Givens have been reading a lot of Allen Ginsburg and Jack Kerouac.
    It took Farm two years to release its first CD having formed in 2005. Jedd Kettler, from St. Albans was joined by Maddox, who had played in a Mississippi-based instrumental band called Cookout and had also played keyboards for Afroman. Givens, who had independently released several solo albums joined soon afterward. Their first recording was a five-song demo recorded in the back of the record store where they practice.
    In performance, the trio constantly switch instruments so there is no permanent player of anything. As they write on their Web site, "if you don't like the way something sounds don't worry, it will all change by the next song."
    Farm and Monsterbuck perform at the Langdon Street Cafe Wed June 6 at 7 p.m.