Friction Farm

Artist Information

Biography

Finalist Kerrville New Folk
Falcon Ridge Fok Festival Emerging Artist Showcase
Winner, Songwriter Competition, South Florida Folk Festival
Finalist, Songwriter Competition, Susquehanna Music & Arts Festival
Official Showcaser Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Showcase
Selected artist for the Nerfa DJ Showcase.

Friction Farm is guitarist/vocalist Aidan Quinn and bassist/vocalist Christine Stay. Their strong musicianship and keen songwriting sensibilities make Friction Farm instantly likeable.

“...infectiously hummable tunes...” New Times

With just two people and two instruments, they create a lot of sound and a diverse repertoire. Friction Farm’s sound is built around Aidan’s the big jangly guitar strum. He’ll hypnotize your feet into tapping along, then snap you out of it with some intricate flat picking.

“Aidan Quinn’s skillful lead guitar licks gave Friction Farm an edge of rock...” Ink 19

Christine has a vocal and lyrical intensity that conveys a wide range of expression, intimate and vulnerable in one song, powerful and angst ridden in the next. With Aidan’s vocal thrown in the mix they recall classic 60's harmonies.

“Whether singing at a near whisper or belting for the rafters, her vocal confidence and melodic tone never waiver.” City Link Magazine

While the singer-songwriters are often described as contemporary folk, Friction Farm’s got some rock and roll roots that bring an energy to the stage. They’re a dynamic duo on stage, they might tell you a story that invites you into the depths of a meaningful song and then stomp their feet on the stage until you want to jump up and dance and forget it all.

“...a knack for writing catchy hook-filled songs and delivering them with unbridled energy...” Palm Beach Post

He’s from Berkeley, she’s from Woodstock. They met in college where he was a guitar playing geologist and she was an engineer. After graduating, Stay began to learn to play bass just to join in with Quinn’s hobby but discovered a love for performing and for writing. Together they make a formidable team with a real yin and yang approach to music, lyrics and melody and harmony.

Friction Farm’s last CD “I Read Your Book” will be released in Spring 2013. It is a collection of songs each inspired by a book.

Lots more info, photos, and music available at www.frictionfarm.com

Instrumentation

Aidan Quinn, guitars and vocals
Christine Stay, bass, harmonica and vocals

Discography

I Read Your Book (2013)
Every Miles Is A Memory (2010)
34 Degrees, 32 Minutes (2007)
Believe (2004)

Official Website

http://www.frictionfarm.com

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace

Audio

• Wide Open Spaces
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• Birmingham
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• Normal
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• These Days
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• Let It Rain
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Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• We sound like what? [+ Show ]
  

  They embrace the minimal approach to music, which allows audiences to better hear the interplay of S...They embrace the minimal approach to music, which allows audiences to better hear the interplay of Stay's vocals and Aidan's harmonies and flat-picking. Friction Farm is the rare group that can mix pop hooks with a conscience in its music. The band loves to tour, and is packing heat from an outstanding new acoustic album

• We sound like who?? [+ Show ]
  

  Though often augmented by additional players, Friction Farm is at heart the duo of singer/bassist Ch...Though often augmented by additional players, Friction Farm is at heart the duo of singer/bassist Christine Stay and singer/guitarist Aidan Quinn (no, not the actor). Stay's voice has the reflective tenderness of 10,000 Maniacs-era Natalie Merchant and the commandingly emotive range of Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano, while Quinn's guitar combines dulcet jangle, down-home picking, and chunks of stadium-rocking power chords

• Who else do we sound like? [+ Show ]
  

  Her four-octave range and dramatic delivery are reminiscent of disparate singers like Melissa Etheri...Her four-octave range and dramatic delivery are reminiscent of disparate singers like Melissa Etheridge and Natalie Merchant - meaning she's carved out an original style.

• About the live show [+ Show ]
  

  Firction Farm's live performance is full of funny and poignant stories, spontaneous diversions, audi...Firction Farm's live performance is full of funny and poignant stories, spontaneous diversions, audience participation, good music, and lots of fun.

• Comments from a DJ [+ Show ]
  

  "Friction Farm's latest CD, 'Every Mile is a Memory,' is a refreshing collection of songs that look ..."Friction Farm's latest CD, 'Every Mile is a Memory,' is a refreshing collection of songs that look at life by soaking in every detail and putting the sentiments to music. Christine and Aiden show a comfort and chemistry in working together that shines through in their performances. My one complaint? There aren't enough songs on this CD. It makes me want more. So I'm waiting..."

• A CD Review [+ Show ]
  

  For their latest effort, Aidan Quinn and Christine Stay are leaning toward something different. It's...For their latest effort, Aidan Quinn and Christine Stay are leaning toward something different. It's 60s folk with an updated message. They open the very first track with:
  
  Two wrongs for every right
  Well you've got to love the odds
  To put your money on a man
  Who says his faith will not rule
  But still puts his trust in god ...
  
  I think Baez and Dylan would approve. Once I got used to it, so did I. And you really can't lose when earth-folky artist Tracy Feldman, also reviewed on this site, contributes lovely, melancholy violin on several tracks.
  
  The music is a more consistent folk sound all the way through, sweet and cool in some places, and in the case of "Drag Me Down," almost ominously steady and deliberate. The music remains wrapped around serious lyrics; after the politically-charged title track, we get the warm, acoustic "Louisiana." This is a song inspired by Quinn's father, who turned down a good job to avoid relocating to an area where his son would grow up in a segregated school system.
  
  They can even turn a song about a washing machine into some serious introspection:
  
  I'm watching the clothes go round in the washing machine
  fourth time this week
  I hate the way it cycles and it screams but I've got to come clean
  I confess all to the trailer park priest, but he cannot save me
  I might be living with the traitors and the thieves, but this is not me
  
  Through it all, Stay's voice is as sweet, high, and quietly operatic as ever. They may be exploring new musical territory, but they remain, as always, assertive and relevant. Friction Farm is still a duo of substance in an often mindless Top 40 pop world.
  

• One more review [+ Show ]
  

  Blending country, folk, and pop into a seamless package is not easy, but West Palm Beach duo Frictio...Blending country, folk, and pop into a seamless package is not easy, but West Palm Beach duo Friction Farm has it down. The opener, "Believe," tiptoes through soft balladry before running into the twangy, pedal steel-laden bayous of "Louisiana" and the lazy waves of pop on "Gravity" and "Washing Machine." Friction Farm's strong point is gorgeous harmonies, which thread nearly every song.

• Another brief review [+ Show ]
  

  The 11-song CD tries to lie back, but always feels it's on the edge of bubbling over which gives it ...The 11-song CD tries to lie back, but always feels it's on the edge of bubbling over which gives it an odd energy. Listening is a bit of a tight-wire act, as you navigate the tension between the folky vibing laid down by guitarist Aidan Quinn and the wanting-to-be-released voice of Christine Stay. It makes for good drama, and a new life for Friction Farm.
  

Setlist

We will play up to three sets, prefer one or two. Mostly our own songs and the occassional cover - our version of whatever moves us at the moment.

Basic Requirements

Calendar