"Pain Don't hurt" CD from Motif RI Magazine
While watching the 2013 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony, I heard a
fascinating quote during a videotaped package played before Randy Newman’s
induction. In it, the notoriously acerbic singer-songwriter bemoans the fact
that rock music takes itself far too seriously. And now here I am a week later
listening to Rhode Island rock band Faber’s new CD, Pain Don’t Hurt, and
I’m thinking to myself, “No one is ever gonna accuse these guys of
that!” Any band whose biography accounts how “[Faber's] display of
alternative rock riffs and references to 80s movies pleases their four loyal
members of the Faber Army …” clearly has their collective tongue planted firmly
in cheek.
If you’re not familiar with the musical juggernaut that is Faber, they can
best be described as a cross between Green Day, The Vapors, and Zamfir: Master
of the Pan Flute (ok, not so much the latter, but I thought the boys would
appreciate the reference). Their quirky brand of three chord rock won’t be
causing Emerson, Lake and Palmer to lose any sleep tonight. But that said, there
is something extremely satisfying about their unabashed lack of pretense. And
that’s not a bad thing at all!
Faber consists of Dave Calkins (lead singer and guitarist), Sean DeLong
(bass), Matt King (another guitarist) and Artie Tefft (drums). A quick glance at
their promotional photos tells me these guys are anything but wide-eyed kids
attempting their first stab at big time rock & roll. They’ve clearly been
around the block and unless I’ve completely misinterpreted their music, they
know exactly what they’re doing and are having a blast doing it! Hell, one of
them is wearing leather chaps for f@#ksakes! The prosecution rests, Your
Honor….
Pain Don’t Hurt consists of 12 catchy tunes whose genius lies not in
the often-adequate instrumentation, but rather in the lyrics. One such example
is “Some Strange,” a three-minute litany of every bad pick-up line known to man.
Although I’m inclined to just reprint the entire set of lyrics, here’s a select
few. “Do you have a Band-Aid? I scraped my knee falling for you. / I am not a
genie, but I can make your dreams come true. / Was that just an earthquake, or
did you just rock my world? / Do you know CPR, because you take my breath
away?” Fair warning ladies, I’ll be using a few of those lines myself this
weekend.
“Let Me Know” is a perfect example of Faber’s minimalistic, yet extremely
effective, approach to songwriting. Three chords – CHECK! Repetitive refrain
of “Let me know, let me know, let me know how you feel” – CHECK! A
classic mid-70s-style Who ending that could be mistaken for a train set falling
down a flight of stairs – CHECK! It’s only rock & roll, but I do like
it.
Clearly these guys are not a studio act by any stretch. Faber’s music is
quintessential live fodder, meant to be absorbed through a heaving cloud of
humidity, sweat and sound that only a bilgy club venue can provide. Granted,
some of the material falls under the “It’s so bad, it’s good!” banner, but by
and large, Faber is exactly what much of the alternative audiences today crave –
three chords and three minutes of unpretentious rock. Faber made me smile today,
and that’s more than Justin Bieber has ever done for me, dammit. Who could ask
for anything more?
http://motifri.com/cd-review-fabers-pain-dont-hurt/
fascinating quote during a videotaped package played before Randy Newman’s
induction. In it, the notoriously acerbic singer-songwriter bemoans the fact
that rock music takes itself far too seriously. And now here I am a week later
listening to Rhode Island rock band Faber’s new CD, Pain Don’t Hurt, and
I’m thinking to myself, “No one is ever gonna accuse these guys of
that!” Any band whose biography accounts how “[Faber's] display of
alternative rock riffs and references to 80s movies pleases their four loyal
members of the Faber Army …” clearly has their collective tongue planted firmly
in cheek.
If you’re not familiar with the musical juggernaut that is Faber, they can
best be described as a cross between Green Day, The Vapors, and Zamfir: Master
of the Pan Flute (ok, not so much the latter, but I thought the boys would
appreciate the reference). Their quirky brand of three chord rock won’t be
causing Emerson, Lake and Palmer to lose any sleep tonight. But that said, there
is something extremely satisfying about their unabashed lack of pretense. And
that’s not a bad thing at all!
Faber consists of Dave Calkins (lead singer and guitarist), Sean DeLong
(bass), Matt King (another guitarist) and Artie Tefft (drums). A quick glance at
their promotional photos tells me these guys are anything but wide-eyed kids
attempting their first stab at big time rock & roll. They’ve clearly been
around the block and unless I’ve completely misinterpreted their music, they
know exactly what they’re doing and are having a blast doing it! Hell, one of
them is wearing leather chaps for f@#ksakes! The prosecution rests, Your
Honor….
Pain Don’t Hurt consists of 12 catchy tunes whose genius lies not in
the often-adequate instrumentation, but rather in the lyrics. One such example
is “Some Strange,” a three-minute litany of every bad pick-up line known to man.
Although I’m inclined to just reprint the entire set of lyrics, here’s a select
few. “Do you have a Band-Aid? I scraped my knee falling for you. / I am not a
genie, but I can make your dreams come true. / Was that just an earthquake, or
did you just rock my world? / Do you know CPR, because you take my breath
away?” Fair warning ladies, I’ll be using a few of those lines myself this
weekend.
“Let Me Know” is a perfect example of Faber’s minimalistic, yet extremely
effective, approach to songwriting. Three chords – CHECK! Repetitive refrain
of “Let me know, let me know, let me know how you feel” – CHECK! A
classic mid-70s-style Who ending that could be mistaken for a train set falling
down a flight of stairs – CHECK! It’s only rock & roll, but I do like
it.
Clearly these guys are not a studio act by any stretch. Faber’s music is
quintessential live fodder, meant to be absorbed through a heaving cloud of
humidity, sweat and sound that only a bilgy club venue can provide. Granted,
some of the material falls under the “It’s so bad, it’s good!” banner, but by
and large, Faber is exactly what much of the alternative audiences today crave –
three chords and three minutes of unpretentious rock. Faber made me smile today,
and that’s more than Justin Bieber has ever done for me, dammit. Who could ask
for anything more?
http://motifri.com/cd-review-fabers-pain-dont-hurt/