Friction Farm

"Friction Farm's latest CD, 'Every Mile is a Memory,' is a refreshing collection of songs that look at life by soaking in every detail and putting the sentiments to music. Christine and Aiden show a comfort and chemistry in working together that shines through in their performances. My one complaint? There aren't enough songs on this CD. It makes me want more. So I'm waiting..." - Wanda Fischer, WAMC

Though often augmented by additional players, Friction Farm is at heart the duo of singer/bassist Christine Stay and singer/guitarist Aidan Quinn (no, not the actor). Stay's voice has the reflective tenderness of 10,000 Maniacs-era Natalie Merchant and the commandingly emotive range of Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano, while Quinn's guitar combines dulcet jangle, down-home picking, and chunks of stadium-rocking power chords - New Times Magazine (FL)

They embrace the minimal approach to music, which allows audiences to better hear the interplay of Stay's vocals and Aidan's harmonies and flat-picking. Friction Farm is the rare group that can mix pop hooks with a conscience in its music. The band loves to tour, and is packing heat from an outstanding new acoustic album - Connect Savannah (GA)

For their latest effort, Aidan Quinn and Christine Stay are leaning toward something different. It's 60s folk with an updated message. They open the very first track with:

Two wrongs for every right
Well you've got to love the odds
To put your money on a man
Who says his faith will not rule
But still puts his trust in god ...

I think Baez and Dylan would approve. Once I got used to it, so did I. And you really can't lose when earth-folky artist Tracy Feldman, also reviewed on this site, contributes lovely, melancholy violin on several tracks.

The music is a more consistent folk sound all the way through, sweet and cool in some places, and in the case of "Drag Me Down," almost ominously steady and deliberate. The music remains wrapped around serious lyrics; after the politically-charged title track, we get the warm, acoustic "Louisiana." This is a song inspired by Quinn's father, who turned down a good job to avoid relocating to an area where his son would grow up in a segregated school system.

They can even turn a song about a washing machine into some serious introspection:

I'm watching the clothes go round in the washing machine
fourth time this week
I hate the way it cycles and it screams but I've got to come clean
I confess all to the trailer park priest, but he cannot save me
I might be living with the traitors and the thieves, but this is not me

Through it all, Stay's voice is as sweet, high, and quietly operatic as ever. They may be exploring new musical territory, but they remain, as always, assertive and relevant. Friction Farm is still a duo of substance in an often mindless Top 40 pop world.
- Indie-Music

The 11-song CD tries to lie back, but always feels it's on the edge of bubbling over which gives it an odd energy. Listening is a bit of a tight-wire act, as you navigate the tension between the folky vibing laid down by guitarist Aidan Quinn and the wanting-to-be-released voice of Christine Stay. It makes for good drama, and a new life for Friction Farm.
- Street Weekly (FL)

Blending country, folk, and pop into a seamless package is not easy, but West Palm Beach duo Friction Farm has it down. The opener, "Believe," tiptoes through soft balladry before running into the twangy, pedal steel-laden bayous of "Louisiana" and the lazy waves of pop on "Gravity" and "Washing Machine." Friction Farm's strong point is gorgeous harmonies, which thread nearly every song. - City Link (FL)

Firction Farm's live performance is full of funny and poignant stories, spontaneous diversions, audience participation, good music, and lots of fun. - Pine Island Eagle (FL)

Her four-octave range and dramatic delivery are reminiscent of disparate singers like Melissa Etheridge and Natalie Merchant - meaning she's carved out an original style. - Free Press (FL)