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"Smoking
In Bed With Mary Reeser" (CD EP)
amBiguous CITY! Records
Coming in Summer 2002
"We
Will Become Destination" (CD)
amBiguous CITY! Records
May, 2000
"Kitra
Vol. 3 Compilation" (CD)
Song: Private Gunther
Power Bunny 4x4 Records
Spring 2001
"Sorrows
Learn To Swim" (CD)
Opulence!/amBiguous CITY! Records
February, 1999
"The
Urban Development Series Vol. 3"
(Split CD EP w/ Moviegoer)
amBiguous CITY! Records
August, 1998
"Sorrows
Learn To Swim" (CD and LP)
amBiguous CITY! Records
December, 1997
 
 
 
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BIOGRAPHY
The Scott Farkus Affair is the result
of a sonic head-on collision between a concorde and a french hotel
that took on a life of its own in the summer of 1997. The group
morphed out of two former bands of the mid 90's Baltimore scene.
Mike Sheppard, Mike Hilton and Zakk Becker are formerly of the
band Butch. Over 5 years, Butch released one cd and several 7"s,
made two east coast tours and played with many national acts,
including Hammerhead, Mule, Gnomes of Zurich, Chixdiggit, Bracket,
Doc Hopper, and Stinking Lizaveta. Joe Haberstitch and Jay Novak
performed with 7 Mississippi, another Baltimore favorite which
also spent time touring the regional scene. Instant chemistry
spawned the Scott Farkus Affair's debut cd, "Sorrows Learn to
Swim." Recorded a mere 4 months after the band secured the line
up, this raw, powerful work was recorded and mixed by Drew Mazurek
(Jawbox, Kepone, Texas is the Reason) and mastered by Tom Baker
(Beastie Boys, NIN). Less than a year later, SFA released a split
cd/ep with another Baltimore favorite band, Moviegoer. The Scott
Farkus Affair has been amassing a solid fan base stretching from
North Carolina to Boston and have risen to the top of the Baltimore
scene. They have shared the stage with many notable national acts,
including Burning Airlines, The Up On In, Supernova, Fuck, St.
James Infirmary, Supersuckers and Trans Am. Time and experience
led SFA back into the studio this year to record their new release,
"We will become destination." This release captures a more mature,
song-focused and provocative Scott Farkus Affair, which continues
to be infused with the energy and raw intensity of their earlier
releases and ever-present in their widely attended live performances.
The Scott Farkus Affair are planning several regional tours this
coming year to support the new release, which is available on
Ambiguous City Records, Baltimore MD.
THEY'RE
SAYING WHAT?
SCOTT FARKUS AFFAIR - (AmBiguous City
Records, PO Box 31560, Baltimore MD 21207) When talking about
Baltimore's Scott Farkus Affair, it makes more sense to talk in
terms of a force of nature rather than just an ordinary band.
Think of the guitars and bass as driving sheets of rain, Jay Novak's
nimble drumming as the thunder, and Mike Sheppard's vocals as
the lightning. That leads to an obvious pun, but if any band has
earned the accolade "electrifying," it's the Farkus. This sophomore
effort serves up a tad more melody than the band's stark, more
hardcore/metal debut, but the essential elements remain: Ignoring
traditional notions of verse, chorus, and even melody, the Scott
Farkus Affair creates roiling waves of sound punctuated by Sheppard's
barking exclamations. It doesn't really matter what he's singing
about - Sheppard's diction and unique phrasing render the lyrics
all but unintelligible anyway. (Although it's worth pointing out
that the leadoff track, "Save The Patriots," may just be SFA's
most literal lyric to date, an Everyman rant against the forces
of corporate and societal conformity.) But whatever the words,
when Sheppard shouts, you know he means it, and you'll find yourself
pumping your fist in the air and screaming your lungs out along
to every teeming, tumultuous track on this magnificent release.
Unleashing fury and passion without a hint of testosterone or
ego, succeeds at every level. Boys, if you're looking for a role
model, look no further. Here are the real men of rock and roll.
Every punk-rock kid should aspire to grow up and be half as awesome
as the Scott Farkus Affair.
- Jim Testa, Jersey Beat, New Jersey
Fucking mind-blowing. What we have
here is one of the best discs to grace my CD player in a good
long time. Warm, soaring guitars and gentle beginnings explode
into a rage of screamed vocals and churning melodies. A great
sense of dynamics mean that the songs surge back and forth in
the soft/loud way that so many bands attempt but so few master.
The singer has a great screaming voice but also sings the quieter
sections beautifully. This would fit really well on Dischord as
it is intelligent, thoughtful punk - you won't find the same three
chords used over and over again here. If you appreciate emotional,
subtle, yet powerful punk rock, you have to snap this one up.
Truly stunning.
- World Wide Punk.com
"Fuck Yeah! Now this is what I'm talking
about when I use the "emo catch-phrase" in an affirmative manner.
Noisy, intricate stuff with impassioned singing and solidly, heartfelt,
honest lyrics. the sound is sort of a blend of "Bivouac"-era Jawbreaker
and "In on the Killtaker"-vintage Fugazi, but these guys definitely
have their own think going on. A great record tp out on after
a really harsh, bitter breakup." *also on Dave Johnson's Top Ten
List.
- Hit List, Berkeley, CA
The Scott Farkus Affair has an energy,
a feeling, that gets inside you and just as you get used to it,
it explodes. With catchy lyrics that aren't too pop-happy, these
guys manage to put the harmony back into hard Indie rock. They
give me the feel of bands like Fugazi and Jaw Breaker, but without
sounding like them. Scott Farkus is a music genre to intself.
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed listening to them.
- Flipswitch.com, NC
"Discrete cells of melody...dealing
with matters of affection and disaffection. Dynamics that lull
almost as often as they pound. New ways to make old gestures mean
more."
- City Paper, Baltimore, MD
"Recently risen from the ashes of powerful
postpunk fivesome Butch (with a special graft from 7 Mississippi).
SFA has tempered its raw rock impact with melody, meloncholy,
and mood-but especially melody. If you're in the habit of watching
for bands, this is a band to watch for."
- Decibel, Baltimore, MD
"A new treat for our ears...off-beats
where you least expect it, intricate guitars that answer each
other with every note. If you like early Dischord stuff like Nation
of Ulysses, Lungfish and Fugazi, you'll really dig this."
- Hyphenated American, Gatesville, TX
"They perveyed a searing, raw, and
hard hitting style of post punk mayhem that put a jolt into the
crowd and into the air. They meld their abrasive, punkish roots
with plenty of melody and songcraft and above all, energy. Another
winner."
- fAZE 3, Ayden, NC
"...they rock in the most meaty post-punk
ways...The SFA grab you by your throat, scream in your face, pound
at your chest, and poke your stomach with their clean production,
pile-driving chord changes, super power drumming, and real attitude...in
many places this attack is downright awesome."
- The Big Takeover, New York, NY
"...when I put this on I learned that
Scott Farkus rocks...this band is probably great live, keep yer
eyes peeled"
- Tail Spins, Evanston, IL
"The mighty Scott Farkus Affair rips
it up...gut-wrenching intensity, psychotic vocals, razor sharp
guitars with some killer melodic hooks...an emotional armageddon
that few bands can match"
- Jersey Beat, NJ, New Jersey
"...a lesson in dissonant postpunk.
SFA prove that you can provide melody without compromising the
honesty of music...over all meshing of songwriting really shines
through. Pure evolution at its best. This is absolutely my pick
of the issue."
- Pasadena Rock City, Pasadena, MD
"...ragged vocals and moody minor chords,
evoking all sorts of images. The final track is one of the coolest
ways I havve heard a band end an album since Eno."
- Flowonline, Holly Day, Minneapolis,
MN
"...urgent vocals, schizophrenic loud/soft
stance. Resounding guitars are the primary weapon of choice throughout,
but their strength lies in their songwriting prowess. An album
chock full of strong material. An impressive musical entry into
the Mid-Atlantics regional scene"
- Music Monthly, Baltimore, MD
GET
IN TOUCH
The Scott Farkus Affair
PO Box 31560, Baltimore, MD 21207
Email
www.scottfarkusaffair.com
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