Faultlines

Todd McCool, Ashley Morgan, and John Flanagan make up the indie folk/pop trio known as Faultlines. Their recent single “If you only knew” is a beautiful honest track asking for an answer from a lost lover who broke your heart and probably walked away with no remorse or even being in a constant state of not knowing if a relationship is real or not. In a way it leaves the door open for either interpretation, is all up to you and the story your heart concocts with the melody. This talented trio have a gift of telling stories through a guitar, a piano and voices that each bring something so unique and so beautiful while being able to harmonize in a way that just mesmerizes me. There’s a reason why they have had the chance to open for artist like Christina Perri and Easton Corbin – that reason: talent mixed with voices that simply attract you and pull you to stay quiet and listen to each and every verse and every note. - Wolf in a Suit

Packing venues in the Southern California scene, folk-pop trio Faultlines is comprised of members Todd McCool, Ashley Morgan, and John Flanagan – each with a resume backing up major label artists as singers, players, and songwriters respectively. The combined synergistic effect has been described as an amazing and impressive breath of fresh air. Their lauded three-part harmonies are a metaphor for their work. With unique strengths these individuals are able to put their best cards on the table for a royal flush of a musical performance. In 2016, Faultlines opened up for a range of artists including Christina Perri and Easton Corbin, owing to their urban pop and roots country sound. Faultlines’ goal is simple: to play everywhere, all of the time, and of course, shake up the current state of commercial music.

In this interview spotlight, we chat with the band about music, influences, their new project, and more.

Q&A, links, and streams can be found below.

Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?

Faultlines is a wild amalgam of blurred and colorful influences. Ashley, an R&B singer, grew up on Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. John, a rock singer, grew up on Led Zeppelin and emulating singers like Freddie Mercury. Todd can play anything, and has been playing the guitar for 25 years. His musical influences include Huey Lewis, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Jellyfish, Eric Johnson, Edie Brickell and the new Bohemians, John Cougar Mellencamp….everything that revolves around pop and Americana greatly influences most everything he does.

What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?

Faultlines met doing cover gigs, but quickly realized we were armed with an arsenal of unused original tunes and a lengthy back catalog, so we began dusting off tomes to create our first EP, Hearts (and other things that break). Having discovered a unique blend of melody and harmonic arrangements, the inevitable creation of a second EP came as naturally as tying our boots.

Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?

Piggybacking on our first response, we come from so many diverse musical influences that we have each individually shaped the sounds of this group, and evolved the ears of our fellow band-mates.

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?

It was John’s idea to turn the cover band into an original one so his ideas become the directive of the band’s original music. Speaking for myself (Todd,) I just want to use synergy, make good music with talented people, win a Grammy or two, seem like magic to everyone who hasn’t seen us and keep them captivated [but know that it is years of unique experiences and hard work that make us what we are]. I want to use all I’ve learned and channel it into an endeavor like this. and I want to have my friends back in the mid-west look at me and be inspired about their own lives.

What was the last song you listened to?

“Closer” – Johnnyswim (Ashley)

“Old Days” – Ingrid Michaelson (John)

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

We love dropping the stylus on that old PVC; however, The beauty of music is how it changes, and we’re excited to see the diversity of formats that will emerge over the length of our career.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

We see the biggest return for our investment by selling hardcopies. That being said, Spotify is an incredible way to discover new music.

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?

We have the most incredible fanbase that radiates from Southern California and beyond. Of course, our greatest challenge in expanding is accessing new fans in an age of overabundant free music. How do you convince a venue on the other side of the country to book you based on the quality of your content and not the number of fans you can bring in?

Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?

You can keep tabs on all things Faultlines at our Facebook page… Every time we post a new YouTube video, released a new single or album, or book a tour or show, it will be posted on our hub.

Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?

Our new EP, Telephone Philosophies, is available on iTunes, Amazon, and everywhere digital music is sold. - Middle Tennessee Music

Genre: Country/Folk

I know that nowadays, many people instantly shut down when they hear the word “country” in a genre description, but don’t be that person. The trio that is Faultlines is redefining what it means to be “country.” Sassy and fun, “Wooden Bridges” is a full-on “sorrynotsorry” to an ex-lover/friend who royally screwed up (I assume). The harmonies are “on fleek” as they say, the clever moments of silence are smile-inducing, and the musical talent is out of control. Very excited to hear more from Faultlines. - Milk Crater

My first impression of Faultlines was something like, “oh wow, these folks can SING.” The lead singer sounds like Jennifer Nettles and the overall sound reminds me a bit of the progressive bluegrass band The Green Cards. If you’re a fan of pop country music, you might not love Faultlines, but if you’re a fan of more of a traditional harmonic country music you’ll enjoy this one quite a bit.

“Wooden Bridges” is the opener and I have to warn you it takes some intriguing (progressive?) turns at times. It’s almost jazz in its construction. But the overall feel of the song and message works really nicely. The harmonies, like the rest of the album, is definitely the high point.

The second track “Waiting for You” is a hopeful “maybe love will happen” song. It’s a sweet song, really, and the vocal work is excellent. In fact, you’ll hear some inflections that could have come out of the discography of a 90s boy band. But no, this is a country act who can really sing well. The sound blends so well you’ll be swooning and dancing right along with the song. It’s also the album’s title in the lyric about “telephone philosophies coming true.” Nicely done.

The third track “If You Only Knew” is similarly down tempo, although with a slightly different message. The sweet sound from the lead vocal feels like a pop song. As the different voices take the lead, you can hear the versatility of the singers in Faultlines. It’s another song based on a relationship. Some of the chord progressions and overall structure have more of a jazz feel than a typical country song. It’s not often you hear so much by way of experimentation in a slow, more subtle song.

“Starting at the Finish Line,” if I’m honest, sounds like a wedding song at the beginning. It’s one of those songs where you’re shifting in your seat waiting for things to start. Maybe that’s a stretch, but the song certainly captures anticipation nicely. The melody follows a nice chromatic line and when the full vocal joins in, the song really takes off. I’d venture to guess that these musicians have a background in traditional/bluegrass vocals if not also church music. There’s definitely a spiritual feel to this one, also.

The last track “The Long Run” highlights an understated electric guitar in the opening. As the song unfolds, you’ll find yourself drawn into the sound, wondering where it’s going. The song has a different lead than other songs on the album. The lyric, “life is just too short to live for the long run” has a sort of hedonistic undertone but ultimately points us to deeper meaning in life. It’s a sweet way to end the album.

I’d call this collection of songs an interesting variety of emotions and quality. Some of the tracks stand out a bit more than others. “Wooden Bridges” is by far the best song on the album. Future work from Faultlines should continue with the hard-hitting, bluegrass-influenced style of that track. The vocal on Faultlines is in a completely different league than the rest of the album, honestly. That said, you’ll find much to enjoy from this delightful, unique country album. - Ear to the Ground Music