Music
Press
"Though occasionally bands are sparse musically, like a box of macaroni and cheese (the four-for-a-dollar kind), Father Divine are like three or four Thanksgiving meals in one day. If the phrase "structured chaos" makes any sense to you, then you'll appreciate their sound. In some tunes, there's a bigness at hand, like a mix between a rock opera and dark cabaret music. At other times, you'll hear shades of Tom Waits, as Father Divine (aka Joe Ferrara) attacks the vocals with whiskey-tinged pipes. There's a dissonance to the music that gives it a gritty feel, as on "Time Bomb in the Rough." But the immediate inaccessibility of the music (read: you don't start tapping your toe right away) shows there's a lot to consume here, much of it is dark and meaty, but pull yourself up to the table and dig in, I say. written by Bill Ribas - NY ROCK
Belting it out with the unbridled passion of Tom Jones, the testosterone of Glen Danzig, and the woe of Tom Waits, Father Divine is a godsend. Unpredictable and often deviating for the prog-metal base-The Great American Pastime is full of entertaining surprises. It’s a voluptuous batch of strings, horns, percussion, keyboards and sound effects, racing across the map in an erratic frenzy with dazzling experimental intervals similar to the Frogs, and a lyrical journey of surrealistic and realistic wordy brainstorms. Excellent in mix and production, question is, can this act of genius be pulled off live? I’d certainly pay money to find out!- Mary Anne Christiano, THE AQUARIAN - THE AQUARIAN
There are so many "Emo" sluts out there that people tend to forget about pure musicianship and orchestration. Particularly in the Rock format, a seemingly dead art. Here’s a band from New York City that is straight up goin for it all. Prolific lyrics, crazy "walls of sound", and guys who seem to have a clear vision of how they want to be perceived. Regardless of the current "Emo" and various other boring New York slop, Father Divine truly kicks ass!-Jim Cantor- - VORTEX OF CHAOS
Discography
Discography
The Great American Pastime 2003
Recorded by Joe Johnson @ Studio 900, NYC
Produced by Joe Ferrara
The Paradigm Shift 2005
Recorded by Steve Albini @ Electrical Audio, Chicago
Produced by Joe Ferrara and Ryan Tadeo
Three For the Price Of None 2008
Recorded by Ben Elliot @ Showplace Studios, Dover, NJ
Produced by Joe Ferrara
Requiem For Intellect 2009
Recorded by Ben Elliot @ Showplace Studios, Dover, NJ
Produced by Joe Ferrara
Photos
Bio
The music of the band Father Divine is a melting pot of diverse cultures, ideals and esthetics. Founded by Joe Ferrara (aka Father Divine) in 2002, the band's sound is a bold look into the depth and potential that music truly can have. Through the sounds of World Music, Hard Rock, underground, Jazz Fusion, Classical counterpoint, and countless other influences, the elements of each song can be thought of as a sculpted menagerie layered with nuances for the listener to uncover. At times the songs are reminiscent of cinematic soundtracks, and other times more archetypical in form, but always striving toward a unique expression and outlook. With the release of "Requiem for Intellect", the band's third full length album, Father Divine has placed a premium on creating an album that is conceptually consistent not only from start to finish, but also in it's presentation. Featuring the drumming of Mars Volta founding member Blake Fleming, the album is a work of both crafty musicianship and superb composition. With painstaking time and precision and almost entirely through their own resources, Father Divine hopes to establish a paradigm fortified by the power of music and sound.
Father Divine's stage show is both a visual and aural assault, with leader Joe Ferrara prowling the stage like some demonic televangelist stricken with Saint Vitus Dance, while the rest of his musical cohorts attack their instruments with reckless abandon, at all times vacillating precariously between frenzied aggression and precision technique, all set against a backdrop of eerie projected visuals. Since 2002 Father Divine have taken their show to the North By Northeast, South by Southwest, and College Music Journal music festivals, and have booked their own regional tours.
Links
