Fiske and Herrera
Sturbridge, Massachusetts, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"Bad Dream," opens "Just Breathe." This tale of a separation showcases everything that makes this record so darn pretty. Amy Herrera and Jared Fiske's gentle voices blend perfectly. Acoustic guitars sparkle. Starting with the first chorus, two six-strings support the vocals with a steady duet. Three minutes in, a third guitar trios up, playing a lovely solo that mirrors the fingerpicking behind it. Such precision arrangements are standard for this record. "Along for the View" opens with a reference to "Norwegian Wood." The guitar solo introducing "Rough Luck" evokes early Joni Mitchell and only gets sweeter joined by a fretless bass. "The Explanation" uses cello effectively and features a counterpoint vocal duet. Co-producer Seth Connelly's piano knows where to put its quiet chords and arpeggios. The lyrics in "Just Breathe" are generally of the confessional kind. They reflect the concerns of young adults finding their way in the world: parent/child issues ("The Father"), self-doubt ("The Explanation"), freedom and limits ("Choice"). The narrator in "Choice" confesses, "I am young / I carry my dreams out in the open," but he has "seen friends go before their time / pills and guns and rope they left behind." In the end, he declares, "I will give what I have to give / 'cause I have a choice to make / I choose to live." Such drama can at times drag the lyrics over the top ("These feelings are bleeding me dry / I feel the world still suckling at my breast / this anger feels like a lie"). But always there's that pretty, pretty music washing over you.
© David Kleiner - Minor 7th (www.minor7th.com)
The locally based music duo Fiske and Herrera, known for their tight harmony and ambitious arrangements, continue to create a stir within the music world, and have been honored by the Acoustic Music Channel during a recent competition.
The group, which formed about two years ago, includes longtime friends and singer-songwriters Jared Fiske and Amy Herrera. They garnered a first place award in the Ourstage.com competition for their song "Bad Dream" which appears on their debut CD "Just Breathe". "Bad Dream" went on to place in the top ten for the cross-genre finals. Their song "The Explanation", also on the debut CD, took third place in the Acoustic Channel.
In 2006, Fiske and Herrera embarked on a two-and-a-half month tour of the United States. Upon their return, they began crafting the beginnings of what would become their debut CD, "Just Breathe" which was released in September, 2007. This was followed by a more focused tour of the Northeast. Performances feature both Fiske and Herrera on lead vocals and acoustic guitars.
"People's response to our writing has been phenonmenal" Herrera said. "We had no idea people would feel the same way we do about the songs we've written." - Tantasqua Town Common
Considered an "amazingly cool site", where anyone and everyone is encouraged to upload his or her musical material, www.ourstage.com is set up so that everyone can also judge the music. The judging includes listening to two tunes that are brought up on that site at random, and visitors decide which one they prefer - and by how much.
Last month, local singer/songwriters Jared Fiske and Amy Herrera won First Place out of roughly 550 entries for their tune "Bad Dream". "The Explanation" also nabbed Third Place, the only artists to have more than on entry in the Top-20. "Needless to say, we're very excited about this" says Fiske, who's still revelling in the positive feedback from their disc "Just Breathe".
Charlene Arsenault - Worcester Magazine
Discography
Albums:
Till the Sea Disappears: released 10/10/2010
Just Breathe: released 9/17/07
Photos
Bio
Jared and Amy met in a choral group in high school that drew from schools all over Massachusetts. Amy, spotting Jared across a crowded room, was intrigued to see someone reading a book. Trusting her instincts, she introduced herself. They became high school sweethearts, and their chemistry and comraderie only grew when they began to swap songs as well as love letters. Ten years later, Jared and Amy married. They now reside in Massachuetts as full time musicians with two children.
For their most recent CD, Jared and Amy teamed up with production wizard Lorne Entress (Lori Mckenna, Mark Erelli, Catie Curtis) The result was the album "Till the Sea Disappears", a tour-de-force of folk-pop music. The album quickly gained radio play on a number of stations, most notably the proving ground of sorts for New England acoustic musicians, WUMB.
The band has achieved 10+ songwriting awards, including the $5,000 grand prize at ourstage.com for the month of December, 2009. Often engaged in fundraisers and other socially conscious events, F & H have helped raise money for "curry kitchens" in Sri Lanka, and their song "Choice" was featured in a short film for the non profit group Planet-Aid.
Fiske and Herrera perform regularly, often touring for months out of the year. Most of their performances take place in New England, but they've been spotted in venues as far flung as Michigan, California and Texas.
Fiske and Herrera's performances feature both Jared and Amy on vocals, and acoustic guitars. They can be found playing clubs, coffeehouses, festivals and the occasional street corner or living room, in addition to ongoing songwriting and recording efforts.
About "Till the Sea Disappears":
Inspired by but not tethered to the acoustic folk music of their New England region, on their latest CD "Till the Sea Disappears", Fiske and Herrera bravely blend traditional sounds such as dulcimer, mandolin, and reed organ with instruments not often found in the acoustic genre, for instance, vibraphone, analog synthesizers, and even hip hop drum samples. Yet these disparate elements are not jarringly experimental or a forced stab at hipness, but a beautiful blending of sound that perfectly supports and envelops their gorgeous voicesthe natural outcome of twenty-somethings equally influenced by Radioheads Kid A and Joni Mitchells Blue.
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