Fairway (band)

Fairway is a New York based Pop-Punk Indie rock group that started in 2001. They previously called themselves "The Degenerates". [Fairway [http://www.absolutepunk.net/artists/showlink.php?l=2271&catid=2&ltr=F absolutepunk.net Fairway] "absolutepunk.net" (webpage)] [Fairway's redirect [http://www.purevolume.com/thedegenerates purevolume.com Fairway (AKA "The Degenerates)] "purevolume.com" (webpage)] They changed their name around the same time that the late '70s group, "Degenerates" released a new CD of their old songs. The Fairway's original members consisted of Noah Vella on Guitar/Vocals, Zack Schoedel on Bass/Vocals, and Greg Mcclure on Drums. After their debut release of their full length CD titled "To Those Responsible" produced by Dave Rand at Cipher Studios, they quickly picked up a second Guitarist/Vocalist by the name of Justyn Brodsky in early 2003.

With their recent new lineup, the band quckly began to write fresher and better material with the same amount of energy and catchiness of their melodies and hooks. Justyn and Noah both sang lead vocals and their sound began to evolve intensely and soon enough, another album of songs got written. The band demoed 3 new tracks at Whalen Music Hall located at Ithaca College, and was produced/engineered by one of their interns. The band began to gain a strong internet presence and NY state draw, and even managed to claim the #1 most played band on Myspace.com in early 2004. Fairway began receiving a lot of attention by music scenes all over the NY area, and somewhat out of state areas from the internet traffic. Soon enough, the band entered More Sound Studio in Syracuse, NY to record their second album, "A Simple Explanation Would Do", which was engineered and produced by Jason Randall. The album got released by Selfish Records located in Stroudsburg, PA in February 2004.

Almost immediately after the new CD's completion, the band started to receive regular airtime on many local and regional radio stations. 2 singles off their new CD, with titles "She's Overrated" and "Fairytales & Cigarettes" began to receive airplay on radio stations such as 91.7 WICB (Ithaca, NY), 106.5 The Dog (Syracuse, NY), 93.5 WVBR (Ithaca, NY), 95.1 Rock Radio (Rochester, NY), and many other college radio stations.

With the success of drastic amounts of CD sales and show turnouts, the band shortly embarked on their first tour shortly after their CD release party in their hometown of Ithaca, NY in April 2004. The tour went great, and shortly after arriving home they proceeded to do another tour with Rushmore Records recording artists, The Track Record all the way down south. The tour took place in July 2004, and was also sponsored by Florida based clothing label Ascend Apparel. Drive Thru/Rushmore Records also started to notice the band's activity, and soon enough was called down to Aberdien, NJ for an interview. Though the label didn't sign Fairway, they were still interested in hearing how their sound evolved and the band was called back for a second interview later in the year. The band sort of lost interest and decided to move on with focuses of writing and touring instead of seeking labels at the time.

Around November 2004, the band had more songs written and entered a Home Studio in the town of Trumansburg, NY to record an upcoming EP. During this process, Noah Vella and the band also decided to part ways due to musical and somewhat personal differences, and the band ended up recording as a trio with Zack Schoedel doing Lead Vocals on the record. The EP was released Independently and self titled.

The band performed on a live TV show called "Beyond The Chords" which was broadcasted and engineered by the Sound Recording team at Ithaca College. The band performed 6 live acoustic songs and was followed up with an interview about their upcoming EP. Shortly after their performance, the band was asked to do an in-studio interview about their upcoming EP followed by the station playing one of the tracks off the EP as well.

In May 2005, the band recruited a new Second Guitarist/Backup Vocalist by the name of Aaron Spinks, who plays in local rock act Endive and played in the local screamo band For The Horizon.

With the new lineup of the band once again, the band was approached by Taco Knight Records from Washington, DC to spark the interest of an all expenses paid Music Video for their current single off their EP titled "It's The Law". The video was shot in September 2005 in Philadelphia, PA. The band shortly after got scheduled by Flying Penguin Entertainment to headline a show with Drive-Thru Records Artists, Homegrown, in Binghamton, NY. The band also got opening slots with other well known artists such as: Armor For Sleep, Chiodos, Rusted Root, Cute is What we Aim For, All Time Low, Just Surrender, Comeback Kid, Kill Your Idols, Rookie of The Year, Guff, The Escape Engine, Junction 18, The Pietasters, Digger, This Day & Age, Zox, John Brown's Body, Donna The Buffalo, Ever We Fall, The Acacia Strain, Count The Stars, and many others as well.

Shortly after the music video's release and playing many shows as well as taking new promo shots, Fairway and Justyn decided to part due to an unfortunate personal dilemma. The band continued as a trio when they decided to change their band name to Fairway. The band recruited a second Guitarist by the name of Travis Methany. Currently, the band is finishing up a full length album expected to be released in early 2008.

Fairway is known for their intense live shows and heavy interaction with the crowds that stand before them. They maintain an energetic and tight performance and never leave a soul unhappy at one of their shows. The band is also known for their incredible sincerity towards every musical genre possible, and endless respect for other artists they share the stage with. Between internet traffic, hundreds of shows and word of mouth, Fairway holds a really strong name and continue to be one of the most down-to-earth hard working bands in the scene today. Their full length album (release date: early '08) was recorded in Maryland with acclaimed producer Paul Leavitt, and vocals are currently being tracked in Ithaca NY.

Distinction

This 2001 group previously called themselves “The Degenerates” but were distinct from an older Detroit based group, “Degenerates” who originated in 1979.CD Baby Online Records [http://cdbaby.com/cd/degenerates "degenerates: degenerates"] . "CDBaby.com" (website).]

DISCOGRAPHY

"To Those Responsible" full length 2001 - Cipher Records. Produced by Dave Rand at Cipher Studio.

1. The Alien Song2. What a Surprise3. Kill Your Boyfriend4. Contradicting Larry5. Reasons Why6. Food Club7. Degenerate8. Government Boy9. The Boy Next Door10. Emo Kid11. This Saturday

"A Simple Explanation Would Do" full length 2004 - Selfish Records. Produced by Jason Randall at More Sound Studio.

1. Intro2. Like Some Stories3. Apology4. Fairytales & Cigarettes5. Heart-on Success6. Still Waiting7. She's Overrated8. A Simple Explanation9. Better Days10. Reading Rainbow11. All a Mistake12. HS Tragedy

"Self Titled" EP 2005 - Aux Records. Produced by Scott Nelson.

1. Intro2. PG 13 (new cast of characters)3. October Accident4. Diablo En Musica5. It's The Law6. Open Minded Surgery

"B-side Unreleased Material"

1. Record Breaking Year2. 30-Minute Mile3. The Last Call4. Forget What I Said5. Singing Telegram

"Self Titled" REMASTERED EP 2007 - Self Released. Produced by Scott Nelson. Mastered by Pyramid Sound Studios.

1. Intro2. PG 13 (new cast of characters)3. October Accident4. Diablo En Musica5. It's The Law6. Open Minded Surgery

References