Interview: Fair To Midland release Fables From A Mayfly

by Erin Rice

Last night was a crucial one for Fair To Midland. Their show at the Curtain Club marked the release of their new full-length album, Fables From A Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True.

The band, who if you tried to peg them with genres would give you a list nearly as long as their album title, are notably a little stressed at the moment. After being a DIY group for so long, and pushing hard this past year, after signing, to get exposure on the national stage, the release could be a make or break time for FTM. “Being such a fickle industry, now we have the problem of whether or not we have a career,” says Darroh Sudderth, lead vocalist, “We don’t know that yet. How this album does determines that.”

Fables From A Mayfly… is the band’s first release on Serjical Strike Records. According to Sudderth, about half of the songs are from the band’s previous album, inter.funda.stifle. Part of what made inter.funda.stifle a successful, independent release was the eclectic nature of the songs, wrought from every band member having input in the creative process. As such, the same goes for the new album. “We all try to throw our two cents in whenever we can,” according to bassist Jon Dicken, “It’s a long, tedious process, but I guess the end product turns out somewhat decent, at least we hope. We’ll find out soon.”

Sudderth continues, “We try not to compromise the character of the song as much as possible. I mean, we do steer a little off course here and there, and that’s what makes it eclectic and progressive.”

All fans that paid the cover for last night’s release were treated to a copy of the CD as well, warranting the influx of well-wishers on the band’s website. Opening up at the Curtain Club were three local Dallas groups, The Timeline Post, Upside, and Record Hop. With great performances from all four groups, the night still belonged to FTM.

At times growling, while others melodic and piercing, Sudderth’s vocal range is nothing short of captivating. He has the ability to pull the audience in, often gesturing and pointing directly into the crowd, before he completely checks into his own world in the music, clearly carried away by the songs, flailing limbs and erratically moving himself to the beat, only to quickly regain composure to belt out another verse. He’s also not averse to singing from the ground if so inspired (or, if say, that flailing puts his ass on the ground). That same passion is felt from each member of the band, no doubt as a result of their ownership over every song FTM creates.

Suffice it to say, no person can watch this band’s live performance and not be instantly converted into a huge fan. The same went for Serj Tankian when looking for the newest addition to Serjical Strike Records. For those unawares, Serj is the lead singer for System of the Down, a.k.a. pretty freakin’ big deal. After listening to inter.funda.stifle, Serj checked out a couple of their shows in California and was reportedly as entranced as we all were at the Curtain Club Tuesday night.

When asked about being involved with Serjical Strike as opposed to being an independent, unsigned act, Sudderth responded, “I don’t think it makes it any easier or harder either way. I think we face a different set of problems whether we’re an independent act or a signed act.” He continued, “We developed ourselves in the local scene until we were like the seniors, and then we get introduced to the international scene and we’re freshman again; it’s kind of starting over.”

It’s not always easy being associated with an already established name in the music industry. System of the Down, like Fair To Midland, has a very unique sound and there’s considerable disparity between the two. It’s possible that some fans may be confused at first by the association. “We run into the problem of people expecting a SotD record from us, and obviously that’s not going to be the case,” Sudderth explained, “People going into it with those expectations are going to be disappointed” (he’s being humble).

But Sudderth and Dicken are quick to point out that any cons are wildly outweighed by the pros. Even though the cash hasn’t been rolling in yet, (they’re set on doing things correctly by hitting the road/air and winning fans by exposing them to FTM’s music, not to some clever PR campaign; a route that ultimately takes time and patience), to have someone with experience in the industry who has faith in them leading the way, is fairly invaluable. “More than anything he’s helped us [with] the business aspects and [has] kind of held our hand… being a baby band, there are a lot of people [who want] to take advantage of us. Having him to go to, to let him know if we’re having problems, or how to deal with those” is where Serj’s influence has largely made the difference.

Most importantly, however, is the advice they’ve gotten throughout the process. “[Serj’s] whole thing is ‘just keep doing what you’re doing,’” Dicken noted, “That’s helped us… being able to do what we want, having all the say that we need, and keeping the integrity to do what we do.”

For the nearly two weeks leading up to the show, Fair To Midland was on their first international tour, hitting locations through the UK, Germany, and Amsterdam. Of the experience Sudderth said, “The crowds were more receptive than we expected. Just getting to see the countryside for the first time at such a young age, we can‘t complain.” Just as his reference earlier to becoming “freshman” in the international scene, the trip reaffirmed for them how this stage in their careers was akin to starting over. “So [now] it’s trying to build a following [there] the same way we did here; it will be a slow process, but it will pay off.”

There was no rest for Fair To Midland as they headed right back out on the road following the CD release show. For the next month they will be hitting various locations through the U.S., sharing the stage for the bulk of the tour with 69 Eyes, Wednesday 13, and Night Kills The Day, stopping through the House of Blues Dallas on July 2. Getting a couple weeks in July to recoup, they will once again travel overseas to play shows in various European countries.

Fables From A Mayfly can be found online and at most of your usual CD buying locales.