Utah band For All The Girls has released a self titled work of experimental folk music. From his bandcamp page Damian Fairchild, the sole member of FATG, describes his music as “songs for the girls I am in love with or have loved at one point in time”. It makes sense, considering every song on the album is a short testament to the emotions each girls name invokes- with those names serving as the song titles. Lyrically the release is quite simple, boldly asking questions like “Maryanne, why’d you break my heart in two?”
As it turns out this 14 year old ,whose music reminds me of The Avett Brothers if they experimented with synth beats, is a fictional character from the mind of Drew Danberry. I’ve recently had a chance to speak with the man behind FATG to get a better idea about what the new album really is and why it took such an unexpected twist:
Ricky: So I understand that your real name is Drew and that Damien Fairchild is a fictional character. How did you come up with the idea to write music under the guise of adolescence?
Drew: That’s kind of a long story. Simply put, I felt confined in my creation of music. I felt a lot of pressure and stress with music and I wanted music to be fun again. I felt like if I could create a character and write songs under the pseudonym, then I could write any kind of song I wanted and I wouldn’t be bummed if people liked it or not, because it wouldn’t be me necessarily…
Ricky) What was the writing process like? What did you do to get in character?
Drew: Like an actor plays a role in a movie…..Damien isn’t me, but he’s an extension of me in a sense. So I would get in character by just remembering what it was like to be 13 again. Kind of relive my youth mentally. Ricky) If Damien were real, what would he be like?Drew: A lot like me when I was younger. A lot like the way he behaves on his facebook page. Probably annoying to a lot of people, but excited and innocent.
Despite knowing that Damien isn’t real, For All The Girls‘ new release is still really good. Its complexities only make it more interesting. You can purchase For All The Girls’ debut album HERE
