Janine Farragher

7:50: One song down, we get treated to the music of Janine Farragher. A local up-and-comer, she seems to fit nicely into the ever-growing catalogue of modern female singer-songwriters.

7:58: Launching into her song Words, the song gives off a Kathleen Edwards-vibe, with a bit less country and a bit more alt-folk spirit.

8:02: It’s time for Band Introductions. Farragher, who so far has been a commanding presence on stage despite the small crowd, lovingly does a role-call to her support system.

8:06: The acoustics prove to be quite good at the Bread & Circus, which allows some great clarity in not only the instruments, but the vocals themselves, which can so often get lost in certain venues. Farragher has a knack for songwriting, as she displays some great vulnerability in her lyrics.

8:16: In an all-too-brief set, Farragher finishes up, proving that she’s got a ton of potential and can definitely make her mark in Toronto and beyond. She’s one to watch (and listen to), producing some infectious melodies and candidly honest lyrics.

8:30: A brief meet & greet with Farragher proves she’s just as humble and down to earth in person as she is on stage. - A'n'E Vibe

Janine Farragher is one of the darlings of the Toronto Indie Music scene. With a “Best Pop EP” from the Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards under her belt from 2008 and a smash showing at 2009’s CMW, Farragher is edging into deeper waters. Her latest EP, The Colour Of Morning is only four songs in length but is full of more quality than many full length discs on the market. With a distinctive voice, a compelling writing style and an ability connect with listeners even through the sterile studio setting, Farragher’s time is now.

The Colour Of Morning opens with So Easily, a moderately paced Country/Rock tune about realizing what you have and what you want just before it’s gone. The narrator here acknowledges it might be too late but refuses to give up, wanting to not just say sorry but find the old magic with someone she's wronged. The song is very well written; full of a quiet urgency and matter-of-fact nature that's endearing. We're Not Alone is an interesting tune. I wasn't as impressed with this as some of the other material song-wise, but Farragher is in top voice, giving an impassioned performance that's believable and nearly tangible. Memory Lane is about the power of the past to haunt us. The song is done in a straight-up Americana style with a dark, moody musical aspect. The melody line is a strong one, particularly in the chorus. This is the best song on the disc. Farragher closes out with Salt Water, a song about falling in love with someone who's not good for you. The object of affection here is likened to salt water, which fills a need by creating more need and eventually will lead to the death of those who drink it. The pointed subtlety of the song is refreshing, and an indication that Farragher's songwriting talent runs much deeper than the four songs presented here.

The Colour Of Morning is a strong debut EP for Janine Farragher. Her singing voice is eminently listenable, and her songwriting/storytelling style is entertaining and affecting. I suspect Farragher is destined for bigger things musically. There's real talent here and a sound that's bound to grab attention. Get to know her now while she's still accessible.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5) - Wildy's World

Janine Farragher smiles for the camera, her acoustic guitar resting in front of her, as the photographer snaps frame after frame.

It’s a rainy Thursday afternoon, and the midtown area Starbucks is packed to the brim with people all vying for their next cup of java.
In between ordering their lattes or cappuccinos, they watch Farragher, no doubt wondering if the young musician is the afternoon entertainment.

Or it might be just another musician having their photo taken.

But for Farragher, the photo session and subsequent interview is a step in the right direction in the 21-year-old’s journey from unknown university student to fulltime indie singer/songwriter whose talent matches her desire to succeed.

With the spring release of her EP, Fill in the Blanks, and ever-increasing list of gigs citywide, Farragher is well on her way to that goal.

“It’s my window of opportunity and I’m trying to take it,” she says.

After graduating in June with a B.Sc. in Psychology from U of T, Farragher decided to take a break from the pressures of school to focus all her efforts on her budding music career.

Farragher, who describes her music as pop mixed with folk elements, knows she’s taking a risk putting school on hold and competing against the thousands of eager young musicians who want to make it big.

But the wise-beyond-her-years singer knows there’s no time like the present to go after her number one dream.

School can wait, she says.

“It’s a big risk and I know it, but I have a sense of confidence just because I know this is what I want to be doing,” Farragher says. “It’s not a confidence in I know how great I am and one day I’ll reach the top, but it’s a confidence in knowing it’s exactly what I want to do.”

And so far so good.

With her MySpace and Facebook pages receiving thousands of hits, Farragher has landed Toronto gigs, playing in the past two months at Holy Joe’s, the Savannah Room and more recently the Gladstone Hotel.

Through the Internet she also formed her band, made up of a keyboardist, guitarist, drummer and bassist with Farragher on acoustic guitar.

When performing she says she feeds off the audiences’ vibe, making her want to play live music again and again.

“I was the type of person who followed the rules, especially when I was growing up … when I started getting into music and songwriting, (I saw that) there’s no right or wrong with music … there’s no correct or incorrect answer,” she says.

“When you sit down to write a song you can do whatever you want with it … Every kid has their little creative outlets they do to get away from all the parental guidance and that stuff … (Music and songwriting) were my things.”

Growing up, Farragher listened to Billy Joel and Alanis Morissette, eventually writing her first song “Dance Floor” when she was 10.

“It was a really bad imitation of Madonna but it kind of got me going,” she says, with a laugh.

From there Farragher started studying classical voice when she was 12, but soon realized pop, folk and rock genres allowed her more room to experiment with songwriting.

While she often writes from the heart – writing songs about her upbringing, different relationships and the world in general, Farragher says she sometimes takes on different personas to pen tracks.

In one track, “Dig Deeper” she sings from the perspective of a stalker, an experience Farragher knows nothing of but chose to write about because she enjoys diving into other people’s experiences.

“Songwriting has always been about reminding myself that I have an imagination and I should be really using it,” she says. - Lorianna De Giorgio, "The Town Crier"

Video: www.unchartedsounds.com/video - February 2009

Radio:
www.thatchannel.com/unchartedsounds - search Janine Farragher - Uncharted Sounds

1. How did you first get involved with music?

Besides short-lived piano lessons when I was a little kid, I started studying classical voice when I was 11, and that’s what I consider to be my first real rendezvous with music. When I was around 14 or so, I began to experiment with songwriting...and that’s when I really fell in love.

2. If you had to describe your sound to someone who has never heard it
before, what would you say?

I usually refer to it as “acoustic pop/folk-rock”… but honestly, what I’m really doing is just throwing together a few music descriptor words and hoping it means something to the person I’m talking to! Haha, I always find it impossible to adequately describe music using words. I guess you might say my sound is a little something like a cross between Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow and KT Tunstall.

3. I understand that you're in the studio recording a second EP (correct me if I'm wrong). What kinds of themes/ ideas are you working with to create this EP?

My first EP was really heavily weighted with songs about figuring out who you really are, and who you want to be. At the time, I was going through a small personal rebellion against songs about love. I just really wanted to try to show that there are other common struggles and issues we all face apart from romantic love issues… so that was the main focus of my first EP. The new EP will hopefully just reflect how far I’ve come and how much I’ve learned about life and music over the past 2 years. I tried to explore some of the struggles we face with things like admitting when we’re wrong, knowing when to walk away from a bad situation, and being able to stand up to society when it’s necessary, in the name of a greater cause/belief.

4. Where does your songwriting inspiration usually come from?

Inspiration is such a funny thing for me, because the situations in life that are supposed to be really awe-inspiring, like say a beautiful sunset, often don’t spark anything creative in me at all… and it ends up being the most mundane, boring stuff you can possibly imagine that seem to bring my creative side to life. For example there’s a song off my last EP called ‘Invested’… I got the idea for it when I was sitting at the computer one day and a pop-up ad for Investment Banking came up. Something about the word ‘invested’ struck me, and I had the song done in like 20 minutes! So it’s kind of a crapshoot, what will be the catalyst that will enable me to connect to a certain thought, feeling or sentiment that’s been incubating in my subconscious. But no matter where I get that initial idea from, the song that results from it is always honest, raw and genuine.

5. Who are your favourite artists and how do you think they have influenced your music, if they have?

I owe a lot of what I do to the people that I’ve listened to over the years… artists like Billy Joel, the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Sarah McLachlan, Fiona Apple, Jewel. But even the people I currently listen to, they steer me in new creative directions – great singer/songwriters like KT Tunstall, Sara Bareilles, James Morrisson, and Brandi Carlile are always teaching me something new about the art of songwriting.

6. How do you feel about the Canadian indie music scene? Good or not so good place to be?

I personally love the Canadian music scene on the whole. The artists that tend to emerge from Canada onto the world scene are often authentic, fresh and incredibly talented musicians who really deserve it. As for the current Canadian indie scene, I think it really reflects the state of indie music around the globe these days… it has now become entirely possible for musicians to stay independent and still support themselves financially, as long as their product is good and they market it well. So I think it’s a great thing to be an indie artist in Canada these days…the possibilities really are endless.


7. Where do you hope to see your career in five years?

Uh oh, here comes the dreaded cliché answer… but honestly, the music business is so completely unpredictable that I just approach everything I do for my music career with no expectations… in other words, whatever happens is okay by me. The good news is that I’ll be happy in five years even if I’m back to square one… back to singing songs in my living room for my dog. Ultimately, I think that having a genuine love of music, where you can take the whole ‘career’ part away and still be happy with just getting back to the basics of music-making… it allows you to approach everything with a no-pressure attitude and achieve great things creatively as a result.

8. What's the best part about making music?

The thing that initially made me love songwriting is the fact that when it comes right down to it, there are no rules to worry about. We go through 14 years of school where everything we do is judged as being either ‘right’ or ‘wrong’… and yet making music is a process that really allows you to go in whatever direction you feel like. It’s a freeing feeling to have something like that to fall back on in life. I also just love the way music brings people together. It makes us feel like we have something in common with other people. How comforting is it when you’re feeling like crap about something and you find a song that exactly expresses what you’re going through? It’s like “Wow, the person who wrote this must know exactly how I’m feeling”. So it gives us all a platform to relate to each other in ways we otherwise never could. It’s really something, to be a part of that as an artist and have the opportunity to connect with total strangers.

9. Any news/ upcoming events we should know about? Keep in mind that
this interview will be published sometime in February.

I’ve got shows coming up on March 5 at Holy Joe’s and March 12 at Bread and Circus, both in Toronto…come out if you’re able and nearby! Also, watch for my upcoming EP with brand-new tracks to be popping up in late March…


10. Where would people go to purchase your music and/or learn more about you?

The best place to go to keep up-to-date on all the latest is www.myspace.com/janinemusic … you’ll hear it first there!
- The Movementz