Say "Hello" to Farewell Fighter

by Lauren-Olivia "Liv" Simister

After recently winning the Alternative Press Hometown Hero competition, Farewell Fighter makes their Danny Says debut.
Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, the headquarters of gospel and country, Farewell Fighter, a powerpop/rock ensemble, comprised of Kenny Fleetwood (vox/guitar), Lee Morton (guitar/vox), Matt Hooper (drums), and David Jahns (bass), has made their name known throughout the United States with their win. Like many bands today, this bro-mance began on Craigslist, an act of serendipity many listeners fully appreciate.
“We received an e-mail from the editor of Alternative Press about a month before the issue hit the shelves informing us that we made it into the Top 10 Hometown Heroes,” says Fleetwood. “The catch, however, was that they didn't inform us of where we ranked in the top 10.”
“We had to wait until the issue came out,” laughs Jahns. “Needless to say, it was a very intense month for us.”
An intense month largely worth the wait.
“We were all in our respective hometowns when we found out. It was Christmas Eve, and Hooper saw a tweet from a fan on Twitter saying that they got the issue early and that we were the #1 band” says Morton happily. “He relayed the message immediately and we all freaked out pretty hard. It was a very exciting and proud moment for us, and we couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present!”
On January 18th, Farewell Fighter released their EP, “The Way We Learn.” An EP that they claim “didn’t have a set writing process.” This means all the energy put into the songs is raw, real, and perfect for that summer road-trip all listeners are craving.
This raw energy translates well into live performances, with a lot of fan-interaction. “We love to get the crowd singing in key parts. That's how we get fired up on stage,” says Fleetwood.
Obviously, this works for Farwell Fighter, because fans cannot say enough about how fantastic their performances are. (If you have an opportunity to see them live, go for it!)
“[By getting the crowd involved] it makes the show more fun and personal,” agrees Hooper.
Before a gig with another band, Farewell Fighter also likes to get familiar with the other bands’ music, which is a contributing factor as to why the band is so popular amongst listeners and musicians.
After being in the studio for months, Farewell Fighter is more than ready to try out their new material. “It’s exciting and very refreshing,” admits Morton.
“We have a larger selection of songs to choose from,” says Hooper. “It makes it easier for us to fill out our tour set.”
Starting out on the right foot (they played the anniversary show for Rocketown, a premier venue in Nashville), and continuing to shine, Farewell Fighter is a must-watch band.
They’ll be in Freehold, New Jersey on February 4th, so save your cash kiddies! And head to myspace.com/farewellfighter or purevolume.com/farewellfighter to stream their EP, “The Way We Learn.”
“The Way We Learn” is available on Itunes and Amazon---check it out now!

Sharon Van Etten tours with The National and more

Singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten originally of Hampton, NJ will be touring this year with The National as well as collaborating with Aaron Dessner of the band for “more intimately heart-wrenching songs". A few years ago Sharon could be seen at places like Red Bank, NJ's now defunct Internet Cafe now you can catch her on one of these dates:

Sharon Van Etten 2011 Tour Dates:
01/19 – New Haven, CT @ BAR
01/20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s %
01/21 – Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center at Ohio State %
01/22 – Nashville, TN @ The 5 Spot %
01/23 – Asheville, NC @ Broadways %
02/13 – London, UK @ Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen
02/15 – Brussels, BE @ Forest National *
02/17 – Utrecht, NL @ Netherlands Cross-Linx Fest
02/18 – Eindhoven, NL @ Netherlands Cross-Linx Fest
02/19 – Groningen, NL @ Netherlands Cross-Linx Fest
02/20 – Rotterdam, NL @ Netherlands Cross-Linx Fest
02/22 – Krakow, PL – Studio *
02/24 – Warsaw PL – Stodola *
02/25 – Berlin, DE @ C-Halle *
02/26 – Aarhus, DK @ SCC *
02/28 – Lund, SE @ Färs & Frosta *
03/01 – Stockholm, SE @ Cirkus *
03/03 – Helsinki, FI @ The House of Culture *
03/04 – Helsinki, FI @ The House of Culture *
03/10 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
03/11 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings Barcade
03/12 – Atlanta, GA @ 529
03/17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/18 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/22 – Tucson, AZ @ Solar Culture ^
03/23 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room ^
03/24 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar ^
03/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite ^
03/26 – Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar ^
03/27 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill ^
03/29 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club ^
03/30 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir ^
04/01 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux ^
04/02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ State Room ^
04/03 – Denver, CO @ Walnut Room ^
04/04 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown ^
04/06 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center ^
04/07 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater ^
04/08 – Madison, WI @ University of Wisconsin ^
04/09 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall ^
04/10 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern ^
04/12 – Toronto, ON @ Drake Hotel ^
04/13 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo ^
04/14 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ^
04/17 – Washington, DC @ Red Palace ^

* = w/ The National
# = w/ War On Drugs, Sebastian Blanck
% = w/ Julianna Barwick
^ = w/ Little Scream

Top 10 Films of 2010

By Danny Wreck

10. The Wolfman- A Horror movie done the old fashioned way for the most part. This was more stylized than any horror movie I've seen of recent and just for that it's made my top list.
9. Babies- This documentary was both strange and funny. There is no dialouge, just footage of babies!
8. Death At A Funeral- This remake of the Frank Oz film from just a few years ago took the best parts of the original and added some new jokes to it. This is one of those comedys where seeing it in a big audience in a theater is better than watching it at home.
7. Diary Of A Wimpy Kid- This is not just a kids movie, it's meant for the adults to remember funny memories of their childhood.
6. Cyrus- This indie film was not the typical indie artsy fartsy fair, nor was it the typical Jonah Hill fart joke movie.
5. Oceans- One of the best uses of 3D was for this film where you actually feel like you're in the ocean. This pre-BP spill film also spent a small amount of time on conservation which is more important now than ever.
4. Tangled- Part Disney, part Shrek, both elements together equal something entirely better than either of those elements on their own.
3. The Social Network- This is the film which will define 2010, when we look back years from now and remember just how popular Facebook was as we can now look back on the former popularity of Myspace.
2. Dinner For Schmucks- The funniest comedy I've seen since 2009's Bruno.
1. Alice In Wonderland- Combining Alice In Wonderland, Disney, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Danny Elfman, and 3D? Instant Classic.