Bio
The Orange County, CA punk band Farside formed in 1989, comprising frontman Popeye, guitarist Kevin Murphy, bassist Brian Chu and drummer Bob Beshear. Upon landing a deal with Revelation Records, the quartet issued their debut Rochambeau in 1992, followed a year later by Rigged; in the wake of a self-titled 1995 EP Farside was largely silent for the remainder of the decade, finally resurfacing in 1999 with The Monroe Doctrine. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
To quote a mail order customer: "Farside may not be NYC hardcore, but they still kick ass!"
Lineup
Michael "Popeye" Vogelsang - Vocals, Guitar
Kevin Murphy - Guitar, Vocals
Bryan Chu - Bass
Bob Beshear - Drums
Interviews and Reviews
"Rigged" for perfection...
I sincerely feel sorry for anyone who's a simple fan of good music that has never heard this band before, so this is my "holiday" gift to you. (Yes, "The War on Christmas" rages on!)
Apparently formed in 1989, what would become Farside's core membership also experienced various levels of overlapping involvement in west coast hardcore bands like 411, Borderline, Collateral Damage, God Forgot, Headfirst, Ice, and Triggerman during the early-90's, and future regretfully mainstream rebel Zack de la Rocha was actually their original guitar player. But none of that has much of anything to with the fact that everything the band went on to release via Revelation Records (which comprises the majority of their discography, as well as every Farside record that actually matters) is quite solid. In fact, the label even refers to 1994's "Rigged" as "possibly the best record ever", and for once I can actually support the hype of such an exaggerated statement, because this is without a doubt one of the greatest records of all time in my opinion.
Is it melodic hardcore? Is it emo? I don't care what the fuck it is, every song on this record is an example of absolute brilliance on every level, from the inimitable vocal tradeoffs between guitarists Michael "Popeye" Vogelsang and Kevin Murphy, to the superbly layered riffs that mask their subtle complexities within a remarkable combination of tactful heaviness and overwhelming melody. Plus... the shit is just catchy as hell! When I bought this CD as a kid it didn't leave my rotation for at least three months, and the digipack is among the most battered and worn with use in my entire collection. I don't think I'll need to convince you of much more after you hear for yourself, but I have to say... if you don't appreciate this record there's a good possibility that I might hate you.
Thankfully, unlike so many other amazing records that are over a decade old, you can still buy this unparalleled masterpiece directly from the label for $11. All these kids today who go apeshit over Taking Back Sunday or whatever happenstance bands are selling hundreds of thousands of records out of sheer luck of timing should cut the shit and realize where true talent really lies. Every last one of those fucking bands could learn a thing or 5,000 from the supreme impeccability of this album. I don't know where any of these guys are today, but I've missed the hell out of this band ever since they announced their untimely dissipation, and were "Rigged" released today it would be an unforgivable crime were it not one of the most popular records in the world.
"Possibly the best record ever"? Yeah, that is a damn good possibility. So do yourself a favor and buy it.
AVERSIONONLINE.COM, December 23, 2005
