Troy Faid
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Troy Faid

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"Hyde Park Cinema - Album launch Review"

Cosied up among the velvety cinema seats at this special little album launch, the group of patiently waiting audience members shuffle up to accommodate the smokers as they step quietly in from the chilly outdoors. Troy Faid has a substantial following in his hometown of Leeds, and tonight the turnout was far from disappointing. Seated comfortably with glasses of complimentary wine, the murmuring faces look up at the stage where tonight's compere exclaims his love for Faid's supporting musician, Elizabeth Nygaard. "We're half an hour late in starting," he apologises, but nobody seems to mind.

Elizabeth Nygaard commands a room's attention the only way a voice like hers can. Plucking her guitar strings angelically, she sings sweetly of stormy emotions and falling in love. Her cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" shows off her razor sharp voice to its full potential by being both sparse and beautiful in equal measure. Some songs might lack a little lyrical depth, but in “Majesty”, a newer addition to the set list, she sings dryly of an emotionally-damaging relationship, showing a definite progression in her style.

A quick ten minute break sees the enthusiastic host take to the stage again to assure the crowd that Troy will be playing for us very soon, and urges everybody to buy his newly-completed album “Last Week’s Tune”. Recorded in a church on Cardigan Road and showing the bluesy charm he’s so good as pulling off, it really is worth getting excited about. He steps out in front of the audience behind his guitar, and despite sporting a newly-shaved head and a smart suit, he looks shy - awkward almost. “I got told to speak more when I’m up here,” he says. “So I’m talking.”

Watching him play, it’s easy to see where Troy’s appeal comes from. His eclectic mix of old blues stylings and his own strong grasp of the music he clearly loves instantly engages the listener. On the cinema stage his introverted presence changes dramatically once his guitar begins to ring out around the room, and through every intricately detailed song his mannerisms became more relaxed. It’s rare to enjoy somebody’s performance as equally as the songs they play, but it’s also rare to see somebody play so intently merely because they enjoy doing it so much. The audience are treated to songs from the new album, but part-way through Troy strides purposefully offstage to sit behind an old over-strung piano. Jazz-blues that wouldn’t be out of place in a 1940s speakeasy playfully fills the room, showing that perhaps Troy might not like to chat between songs, but he certainly likes to have a laugh with his music.

At the end of the show, Troy and his compere make one final ad-break, and the audience begins to file out, suitably impressed. Impressed not just with the choice of venue, or of the skill of the musicians, but of the immense love and enthusiasm both artists had for their work, and the raw talents that they were sharing. Troy deserves to sell every single one of those albums, and Leeds deserves to hear them. He is undoubtedly a local talent to be immensely proud of. - No Title Magazine


"Album Review"

'Last Weeks Tune' is a full length CD by the supremely gifted folkster Troy Faid. He played our local cinema the other week and kindly sent us a ticket so we could attend his show. I'd like to see the 5-6 of us trying to stoop in there dressed in one hugely overlength raincoat, keystone cops style. He's got a rustic yet young & charismatic style, see; Northern troubadour, sprightly finger-picking skills, a keen ear for melodic tradition yet the variety of hardy tune to hold his own in a climate spilling with pretty, smirking young things armed with a Bob Dylan album and a trust fund. Anyone with an ear for earthy, passionately executed singer-songwriter folk & acoustic blues, ranging from Drake to Jansch, Benjamin Wetherill to Charlie Parr should cock an ear towards this prodigious young talent! - Norman Records


"Rotherham Arts Festival"

Leeds based guitarist Troy Faid's reputation is steadily growing at the moment and there is really little wonder. Once you see Troy live there is no doubting his command of the guitar. His easy going laid back approach to country blues and his understated vocal delivery puts him right up there with the leaders in the field. His influences read like a who's who of important exponents of this style of playing, including Lonnie Johnson, Skip James and Robert Johnson as well as more recent 'keepers of the faith' Kelly Joe Phelps, Eric Bibb and Martin Simpson, who incidentally will be sharing this very same stage later today' - Alan Wilkinson


"Demo Review (2007)"

'Troy Faid" is one of a stream of great guitar picking songwriters that's releasing material at the moment. Troy has managed to catch the essence of southern folk blues and then overlaid a sixties England feel. It gives the music a timeless quality. It also gives it a sense of wanderlust. It's not out of place anywhere, but it doesn't quite belong. It has the delicate strength of lace, but not pristine wedding dress lace, more a doyle that's absorbed the passing of life and bares the stains, but is too beautiful to tuck away in a draw' - Neil Fatea


"Demo Review (2007) (2)"

Normally, demos tend to be a pain in the ass but this one's bristling with leashed passionate blues and folk from a young cat on fire with a slightly understated vocal and instrumental ferocity that loses nothing for its refinements, whether tempered or momentarily pyrotechnic. The opener, Talkin', for instance, is prime for its 70s Alexis Korner / Savoy Brown individuality. Faid's on the mellow side, with marvelous fingerstyle lines, but the edge of eruption is obvious. The guy isn't just singin' his lines, he's fully into the minds and hearts of the actors in each small drama. Doctor Doctor heightens the tension in a more breezily swingin' cut, this time astonishing for its guitar presence, far more lively and complicated, 100% as soaked in soul and long woodshedding as the gentleman's singing.
The Emperor's New Coat is an instrumental and trots out the composer's mastery with never a question asked, a catchy rondo of root theme and variations. This guy's another player you'll swear has a second guitar or bass in accompaniment, but you'd be dead wrong, Buster, and delighted for it. Necessary Ills rings loudly of the moodier aspects of the old Spencer Davis / Peter Jameson duet of many years gone, decidedly English, wistful, modern troubadorish, loaded with a set of change-ups perfectly realized and forming a flawless narrative.
Carried Away continues on Coat's flavor, more streetwise but just as philosophical, bittersweet in tone and content. There's a bit more Al Stewart here, though Stewart neither waxed this laconic nor dove down into the bluesier base in Faid's blend of jazzily folked laments. Last Week's Tune treats the listener to another instrumental, a short one, sprightly, warming up the chill of the melancholy informing the vocal numbers, dancing from the speakers with a pint in one hand, a cheroot in the other, mischievous in the absorbed grin on its face.
And I'm afraid that's all. With this demo, the sole disappointment is its brevity. By the time you read this review, Faid plans to be working on his first full CD; hence, this is where I must reverse my opening statement: I'm nervous the boards, pads, and equalizers will strip away some of the immediacy, warmth, and authenticity displayed on this release. However, I'm equally anxious to hear the result, as a well-engineered sympathetic documentation could flesh out every corner of nuance Faid possesses, and that would be a very very good thing. - AcousticMusic.com - Mark S. Tucker


Discography

Last Weeks Tune (2009)

Photos

Bio

“bristling with leashed passionate blues and folk from a young cat on fire with a slightly understated vocal and instrumental ferocity that loses nothing for its refinements, whether tempered or momentarily pyrotechnic... streetwise, philosophical, bittersweet in tone and content“
– AcousticMusic.com

“Anyone with an ear for earthy, passionately executed singer-songwriter folk & acoustic blues, ranging from Drake to Jansch, Benjamin Wetherill to Charlie Parr should cock an ear towards this prodigious young talent!“
– NormanRecords.com

“On the cinema stage his introverted presence changes dramatically once his guitar begins to ring out around the room, and through every intricately detailed song his mannerisms became more relaxed. It’s rare to enjoy somebody’s performance as equally as the songs they play, but it’s also rare to see somebody play so intently merely because they enjoy doing it so much”
- No Title Magazine

More songs, video, radio play, info etc...@
www.myspace.com/troyfaid