Mighty Girl
Monroe, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Mighty Girl: Long Gone
www.myspace.com/mightygirlmusic
This record is far more to my liking.
The whole thing seems to belong to the present century. It’s earthy and realistic and the music pays attention to the historical development of rock since those heady days of hippiedom when everything was so potentially ‘NICE’ [I know it never really was – but Colbie Caillat still seems to labour under that illusion!].
I’m trying my best to pigeonhole this record but I can’t – that has to be a positive thing. I notice Mighty Girl are in a similar quandary – they use those meaningless standbys ‘Indie/Pop/Rock’ on their MySpace page.
It’s just good old fashioned (in the nicest possible way) MUSIC!
- Abi Rhodes
Lena Fahringer was destined to be in a band.
Her dad, a jet fighter pilot for the Swedish Air Force, was a guitarist who liked to play Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger tunes. When he met her mom, the daughter of Finnish composer Harri Bergstrom, she managed a music store. Odds were pretty high that their daughter would be musical. " I went to a family reunion and my aunt picked up a guitar and started singing 'House of the Rising Sun'. I was completely floored," Fahringer said. "Right then and there, I thought, that's what I want to do with my life."
Fahringer learned how to play guitar early on and eventually began writing songs, one of which was played on Swedish radio when she was only 12 years old. She moved here in 1981 and married her husband, Bill, a drummer. After pursuing a psychology degree and working in the business world, she received her degree in special education and has been teaching in the Warwick Valley School District for the past 18 years.
For 10 of those years she played in the rock band Ghostvilla. When it disbanded, she made the decision to put down her guitar. "I went for a couple of months without picking up the guitar," Fahringer said. "I just needed a break."
A while later, Fahringer and her husband met bassist Bob Torsello. Founding member of the Shrubs, he also plays with poet Janet Hamill and Moving Star, and has recorded with Glenn Mercer and the Feelies, Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye, and jazz legend David Amram. Fahringer never stopped writing songs, and the trio eventually began working on arrangements together.
"We rehearsed for a really long time before we decided to start playing out because I'd always had a lead guitar player, and I missed that, and I wasn't really sure a three-piece band would fit the music I was writing. Bob filled in that role by doing some lead work on the bass, so that was a cool direction," Fahringer said. "Our friend, Tony, who's also in a band, finally told us to stop trying to find a lead guitarist and to just start playing out as a trio."
Six years ago, with the name Mighty Girl, they did just that. The indie pop/rock outfit recorded its first album, "Long Gone", which included 11 Fahringer originals. Soon after, Torsello recommended guitarist Mark McNutt, who joined the band just in time to perform with them for their album release party.
The band celebrated the release of its second album, Ultraview", Oct. 29, 2010, at the Howland Cultural Center. "Ultraview" has more Fahringer originals and was recorded at Sky High Music Recording Studio in Monroe.
- Times Herald-Record
Someone's... - Chronogram
Someone's... - Chronogram
Discography
LP's:
Long Gone, 2007
Ultraview, 2010
Photos
Bio
Lena Fahringer was destined to be in a band. Her Dad, a jet fighter pilot for the Swedish Air Force, was a guitarist who liked to play Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger tunes. When he met her mom, the daughter of Finnish composer Harri Bergstrom, she managed a music store. Odds were pretty high their daughter would be musical. "I went to a family reunion and my aunt picked up a guitar and sang 'House of the Rising Sun'. I was hooked."
Lena learned guitar early on and began writing songs, one of which was played on Swedish radio when she was only 12. After moving to the States she married her husband Bill, a drummer. Together they met bassist Bob Torsello, founding member of the critically acclaimed Shrubs (his other credits include playing and recording w/ Glenn Mercer of the Feelies, jazz legend David Amram, Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith, and Patti's roommate from college, poet Janet Hamill). Mark Mcnutt, guitarist and Nashville transplant, was the final piece of the puzzle. Mcnutt, like Bob, is also a singer/songwriter in his own right. Mark joined the group right before the release of their first CD, "Long Gone", released in 2007. Mighty Girl's second album, "Ultraview", was released October 2010.
"Lena's vocal style is a cool Nico having lunch with Aimee Mann at an uptown '60's chanteuse festival", Mike Jurkovic- Chronogram 6/07.
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