What's not to like? Honest opinions needed please...

[Farpoint Kevin]

Hey all...I wonder if I could take a moment to ask for some honest opinions on something...

As some of you know, my band Farpoint has been around since '97, releasing 7 albums and playing a bunch of shows over the past two decades. If you know that much, you probably also know that we've never really "clicked" with the majority of the prog audience. Granted, there are a few of you out there who have picked up a cd or two here or there, (and for that we are grateful beyond words) but somehow there was apparently just something missing for most of you. I can honestly say that I've poured my heart and soul into this music from the beginning, and while I'm proud of my influences, I always set out to do something different rather than derivative. And again, while I'm truly grateful for the support we have received, I would be lying to say I'm not a bit disappointed by the continued lukewarm response we've gotten from most proggers.

Having said all that, today I revisited our 2008 album, COLD STAR QUIET STAR, for the first time in a LONG time, and I've gotta say, I'm a bit stumped. Of course I'm biased, but I think it's good prog. I can listen back to all of our albums and hear things I don't like, and things we could have done better, but overall I really don't understand why this one in particular wasn't more warmly received...So I'd like to ask, from anyone who has a few minutes to listen and respond...what did we do wrong? What could we have done better? Are there things in these songs you do or don't like?

At this point, while we do have a couple more songs in development, I'm not sure if there will ever be another full length Farpoint album. But it would be wonderful, for future reference, just to know what we did wrong, and what, if anything, we did right.

Below are a few songs from the aforementioned album. Thanks in advance, for any opinions or feedback, positive or negative.

[Ken Baird]

Hi Kevin,

Looking at Progarchives listing for you guys, it looks like Cold Star Quiet Star went down quite well among those that heard it http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=1455 "Paint the Dark" also has a very good rating, so I think you guys are maybe going down better than you think.

I wasn't able to hear the links that you posted--I don't think they're available to Canada for some reason, but I did find another link to Darkness here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSeEvUw3yD0

I think maybe you're being a bit hard on yourself/the band and think you should ignore what the perceived opinion is (in this case I think people probably like this a lot more than you might see)--"just make the music that makes you guys happy" would be my advice.

I liked the tune, especially the Flute and guitar parts. The vocal section was good too and reminded me a bit of Jethro Tull. I can't really see why people wouldn't like it, the only "personal taste" kind of criticism for me I can think of is maybe that section could have used a few more chords or changes? But, then again, that kind of thing can turn people off as well---see "Tony Banks/A Chord Too Far" lol. Overall sounded good to me though. I'll look around youtube and try to find links to the other two songs as well.

[Rarebird]

Alas the videos aren't available in The Netherlands. The link Ken published did work and I like the song. Perhaps I need to give it a couple of more spins.

I can only agree with what Ken says about making the music, that makes you happy.

[Farpoint Kevin]

Thank you so very much for the responses, and for taking the time to listen. I'm very sorry that the links didn't work for you...I had no idea they didn't work outside the US. Apologies. I do know that some more songs, including "Solar Wind" and some stuff from different albums, can be heard at our Soundcloud page.


I appreciate the thoughts...I do hope to get more feedback though. As both of you said, I do of course first and foremost make the music that makes me happy. But there's just no substitute for the feeling when someone "gets" it. For me music has always been largely about communicating, connecting with people. I listen to music by other artists in order to feel that connection...to feel not so alone in the world. And it works. And one of my goals in music has always been to attempt to offer the same things to others that my favorite musicians have offered to me. And on those few occasions when someone has let me know that I have been successful, well...that makes all the hard work and expense worthwhile.

Also, as someone who makes their entire income from music, the financial reward of selling an album every now and then is nice! But it's not my primary purpose in making original music.

P. S. Ken, we do get the Tull comparison quite a bit. It was never something intentional, but I think having a flautist in the band, plus Dean's vocal delivery, we are destined to get that comparison. I remember hearing Dean sing "Cross Eyed Mary" once and he sounded exactly like Ian Anderson.

[Sputnik]

For what it's worth, here's my take.

I gave the three tracks you posted a listen, plus a couple of others from this same album that also came up on YouTube. For my tastes, and my tastes only, I consider your stuff a little "lightweight." It's not anything I'd go for, because it just doesn't have quite enough dodginess in the compositions or instrumental firepower to really attract me. There are others like me, so you're probably losing some fans in this regard. But more objectively, your stuff is clearly aimed at the "neo/melodic" end of the spectrum, where it seems the majority of the fans are. So losing people like me probably isn't your problem, and probably isn't hurting you that much. The question then becomes, why hasn't your stuff hit better with the neo/melodic crowd?

I think there are two possibilities. First is that your vocals are a little bland. They aren't bad, but to me they seem a bit flat and lifeless. The singers have no real vibrato, and seem to lack a strong personality and sense of real conviction in what they're singing. For music like this, I think the vocals are a pretty important factor, and while I'd hardly say your vocals "kill" your music, I don't think they are actively winning you any fans. I think of a band like Magenta, who I personally detest, but I think a huge part of their appeal is Christina doing her Christina thing. She's a strong personality, and a good singer. To me, your music lacks that strong vocal presence, even while the vocals are passable.

The second thing I think of really has nothing to do with the music, per se, but rather with promotion. I don't know the extent to which your band has played out or if you played any Prog festivals. This is really the way the most successful bands have built their fanbase. I'm not a big fan of Izz, but man those guys paid their dues for a while. They played A LOT, and they played in the upper East coast, where there's a concentration (if you can call it that) of Prog fans. I think this helped them tremendously, and I can't really think of a band with a fairly high profile that hasn't played a lot of gigs at one point or another in their career (Anglagard may be the lone exception). So it may be that there's nothing wrong with the music, but that not enough was done to build and grow your audience.

Out of curiosity, how many copies did Cold Star Quiet Star sell? I'd say if you did in the 500 - 1,000 range, you did well for an independent prog band with limited touring and no festival exposure (that I know of). I think it would have taken a real commitment to get it much beyond that point, regardless of the music.

Bill

[Farpoint Kevin]

Hi Bill, and thank you so much for taking the time to listen and comment. I really appreciate it!

I can definitely see where you are coming from. I love all the folks that have sung in Farpoint, but I also realize that there is something very special about the very best singers out there, and that vocals are probably the area where people first connect with the band. So thanks for those comments!

As for the festivals, we tried and tried over and over to get on board with ProgDay, Nearfest, ROSfest, and 3 Rivers. We even offered to play ProgDay for free. I know that a few times we were considered, but apparently never quite made the cut. I think if there had been more buzz or hype associated with the band, we probably could have gotten on the main stage for a festival. But alas, it was not to be. We did play the ProgDay preshow one year, and we played at a smaller prog fest, Roguefest in Atlanta, 4 years running. The response there was usually really good but the crowd was unfortunately pretty small. I have also had vendor tables at ProgDay 5 or 6 times, Nearfest twice, ROSfest once, and 3RP once, and usually sold a decent amount of product. We were definitely willing to travel and promote.

Beyond that we played out more locally (in the Carolinas) as much as we could for several years, in clubs and at fundraisers and festivals. In total we played just over 100 shows from about 2000-2011. Pretty decent I guess for a prog band in SC.

As for sales, CSQS has sold just over 500 hard copies, plus maybe a few dozen downloads. That's about average for us, with the first 3 albums selling slightly more, I'm guessing because folks just bought a lot more CDs back then, and the newer ones selling slightly less. In total my best calculation is that we've sold just over 3500 hard copy CDs out of 7 releases.

Thanks again for the comments!




'

[Sputnik]

Well, that's a sizeable amount of playing and promotion, far in excess of what my band has done. Admittedly, much of that playing was local, and SC isn't exactly a hotbed of Prog, but it seems you'd have been well prepared to play a festival. Part of me is surprised you never got an invitation, particularly to ROSFest. Perhaps the most useful feedback would come from the organizers of this festival, and perhaps ProgDay, about where they perceived you came up short. That's hard feedback to give, but if you're really curious I think that would give you a sense of how you "stack up" against other bands in the opinions of people who are hearing a lot of bands and making a lot of choices based on a lot of factors.

Gotta say, you're brave for asking, feedback like this is often as hard to hear as it is to deliver. I hope you get some perspective on your question out of this search.

Bill

[rickawakeman]

Hey Kevin, I will try to revisit CSQS and comment afterwards, as iirc you were kind enough to offer copies gratis to interested ears, including mine. I was one of the purchasers of "Paint the Dark", which I reviewed here upon release. "From Dreaming to Dreaming"('04) was my introduction to the band and thus far (assuming there will be future releases) my favorite of the catalog I've heard. I'm a big fan of male/female intertwining vocals.

[Farpoint Kevin]

Gotta say, you're brave for asking, feedback like this is often as hard to hear as it is to deliver. I hope you get some perspective on your question out of this search.

Bill

It's tough, the thought of hearing what we did wrong. But I feel like it's important if I am going to improve my craft. So I'm willing to give it a shot. I may not always feel that way. We'll see.

[Farpoint Kevin]

Hey Kevin, I will try to revisit CSQS and comment afterwards, as iirc you were kind enough to offer copies gratis to interested ears, including mine. I was one of the purchasers of "Paint the Dark", which I reviewed here upon release. "From Dreaming to Dreaming"('04) was my introduction to the band and thus far (assuming there will be future releases) my favorite of the catalog I've heard. I'm a big fan of male/female intertwining vocals.

Thanks! I remember your very kind review of PtD. That's actually my other favorite of our releases, along with CSQS and FDtD. I look forward to your thoughts on CSQS.

[izz_brian]

Hey, Kevin! IZZ has the same questions you do (or at least I do). Here's my take on where things are in "the scene" right now, which I think has much to do with the type of response you are currently getting for Farpoint.

1) The Porcupine Tree effect. While Bill makes a valid argument for the ROSfest contingent, I think a lot of focus in the prog scene in the PIA (post "In Absentia") era has been on the dark, heavy and dissonant prog sound. Much of the stuff I hear on the Prog Magazine samplers seems heavily influenced by Porcupine Tree, Opeth, and prog metal. A band that wears its more pastoral and melodic influences on its sleeve has to work extra-hard to rise above the din. I think this is one of the reasons IZZ' last CD met with less enthusiasm; it was lighter, jazzier, and featured less crunch and dissonance than the two CDs before it (or really since I Move). Heavy and dissonant bands seem to be having their (extended) moment.

2) There are fewer festivals. We live in a post-NEARfest world, and most of the large crowds are now only found on the prog cruises. If you're not on one of the cruises, there's not a lot you can do to garner attention. There are still crowds for ROSfest and ProgDay, but little by little the festivals are going away. All of the smaller bands are hurting from this. If you haven't already, I'd reach out to the New Jersey Proghouse. Their venue, Roxy 'n' Dukes Roadhouse, is small, but it's often packed and the place is very good to proggers. You would get a good Northeast prog crowd there.

I know Farpoint and IZZ were coming up around the same time, when grassroots promotion and the boost of some festival gigs could really help raise your profile. Unfortunately, I think it was a moment in time, and we have to adjust our expectations. The prog landscape changed drastically.

[Yodelgoat]

It could be that there is nothing at all wrong with your music. It sounded quite good to me. It could be that you are appealing to an ever shrinking market, and without having some kind of mass appeal, you are only reaching people who have heard of you. Not everyone wants to own everything put out by a band. I for one try to get a complete collection, but sometimes its just not all that appealing.

I sincerely hope you are not basing your personal success based on sales. You have to really love what you are doing to release anything these days. If somehow your music takes off, thats great, but you need to have your head in the right place. Release music because you love it. If you rely on sales to base your opinion of your work, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. No one loves the music I write more than I do.

I appreciate your contribution to the world of new music being released. Its getting harder and harder to justify. Its too easy to steal, its an ever decreasing market, and very very few are getting out of music what they put in. If you can convince someone in your band to do something totally bizarre and stupid, you may get a little bump through catching the public's attention, but other than that, You have to be prepared for your music to be largely ignored. We just arent into music that much any more. In fact some may come on this thread and accuse you of trying to get free advertising out of raising this issue. I wont, but some may see it as a plea for people to "check you out".

Every so often we get someone signing up on PE, then posting something like "Hey, come check out our music, we're going to be the next .... Thanks! Rock on!..." And we never hear from them again. I'm sure that's not the case with you though.

Chin up, keep creating music, not for your fans, but for yourself. I for one cannot help but create music. I do not, however rely on sales to make me feel like its worth it. Its tough to sell fresh air to stingy people who live in the mountains. There is no shortage of music out there.

[Rarebird]

Chin up, keep creating music, not for your fans, but for yourself. I for one cannot help but create music. I do not, however rely on sales to make me feel like its worth it. Its tough to sell fresh air to stingy people who live in the mountains. There is no shortage of music out there.

You're quite right. I make music, because it's inside me. I still have ideas and I have the disadventage I don't play any instrument good enough to record my music and don't know any musicians, so I have to do everything with the help of a computer. I can take a break from creating music, but in the end I always return to it. The idea of selling my instruments is really beyond me and I don't really understand musicians, who do.

[Big Ears]

Why should you be doing anything wrong? I had certainly heard of Farpoint, but I do not think I had heard anything by the band before encountering this thread and it prompted me to explore a range of tracks from across the albums (on YT). Call me shallow, but I think Farpoint is a great name for a band and the album artwork is compelling, especially for From Dreaming to Dreaming which reminded me of Rodney Matthews. When I was young, band names, album art, long tracks and a certain mystique was what drew me in.

As suggested, I listened to tracks from Cold Star Quiet Star and the frequent changes in time signatures and instrument sounds was definitely my cup of tea. Did I hear phased drumming? These tracks included the title tracks, in the plural, as well as Red Shift. Next I listened to Universal Light from Dreaming to Dreaming, which is more direct and guitar-based. I loved the track and have played it over and over. The video works well too. Sojourn from the same album is a lengthy piece, with Dana Oxendine's singing and playing against the guitars and keys being just wonderful. The contrast between the two successive albums, shows an admirable willingness in the band to vary and experiment across releases (as well as within songs).

It was important for me to hear Paint the Dark because Jennifer Meeks replaced Dana Oxendine. The promo video was promising with more variety and heaviness. Stand from the album bore out the latter, but with surprising (at least, to me) folk-style vocals. There is some nifty bass playing here too. It is clear that there are lots of nuances in Farpoint's music and the listening requires diligence. But the effort is rewarded. The more I hear this band, the more I like them.

Apologies for the rushed comments - I will hate my writing when I return, but my opinions will remain. Not being a musician, I can only comment on what I like. Ozzy Osbourne refused to criticise upcoming bands and his advice was ignore the critics and keep doing what you are doing. But, I suppose this may be difficult financially for professional musicians. I came to Farpoint through PE and this thread, so maybe you should keep doing what you are doing.

After posting, I noticed Yodelgoat's comment on not basing personal success on sales. I hope he doesn't mind me quoting him as he is spot on.

[Jon]

I don't care how good the music is, whether it's Neal Morse, Edensong, or you guys, I don't want to hear any Christian stuff. That's just me and I have no idea how many others feel the same way.

[Farpoint Kevin]

Wow...so many great and detailed responses. Thanks so much, y'all...I'm going to try to respond to everyone...

Brian: Thanks man. Yeah, I think you hit on some great points, especially the festival thing...But I guess you also hit on part of my question. Yes, Farpoint and IZZ were in that same generation of prog bands, but you guys definitely seem to have been more popular. I've happily watched IZZ perform from my vendor table many times! Now I'm not saying that Farpoint is as good as IZZ, because y'all are incredible...But IZZ got all those festival shows, and certainly a lot more hype. And I guess those 2 things can be kind of self perpetuating to an extent. I'm certainly happy for you and your band...There's not a more talented, creative, and just overall nice bunch of folks out there, and y'all deserve every bit of success you've had. Interesting about the PT effect too. I hadn't thought of that, but I think you are on to something.

Yodelgoat: Thanks for the comments and kind words! I certainly agree that the market is shrinking, for prog music and for music sales overall. And I'm really not basing my perception of success just on sales, just on a sort of overall acceptance. The IZZ example is a great one. Sales is a part of it, but I think anyone would agree that IZZ had more acceptance, hype, festival appearances, sales, the whole package. So obviously, they did something better than we did. Now, I'm a big fan of their music AND of them as people and friends, and I'm also my own worst critic...so I can point to a ton of things that I think they did better than us...But I'm truly interested to see what other folks think they, and other bands of our era, did better. And while I DO make my living from music, Farpoint is only a very small portion of that... It's primarily a labor of love. If I had to depend solely on Farpoint for my income, I'd be a lot skinnier! But again, thank you for taking the time to comment!

Rarebird: Again, I agree. I can't imagine NOT doing music, and if the day comes when I can no longer make a living from it, I'll surely still do it as a hobby like I used to. But I'm still interested in opinions of what I'm doing well, and not so well. Not that I will necessarily change anything based on the responses, I'm just interested. As a side note, I remember hearing something you composed a few years back, and I thought it was well done and quite interesting...So I'm glad you will keep on doing what you do!

Big Ears: I really appreciate those kind thoughts, and I'm thrilled to hear that you like what you have heard of our music! While I am certainly open to hear "what we did wrong," I am of course MORE happy to hear what folks think we did right! This whole thread overall has begun to make me think what Ken and some others said early on has merit...that perhaps we were more well received than was my perception. Thanks again.

Jon: Thanks for the comment, and I certainly respect and defend your right to that point of view. But it does bring me to another interesting facet of the conversation, and it's a delicate one. I certainly don't want to offend anyone, or violate the policy about discussing religion here...but I am curious. We once got an album review that absolutely destroyed us, I mean just tore us to shreds...without ever even really talking about the music. The reviewer was so angry at us for being Christians, that he trashed our cover art, our website, his (incorrect) interpretation of our beliefs, and our songs, based only on their titles, even though the vast majority of them were not "Christian" themed. It's true that for most of Farpoint's history, some or most of the members have been of the Christian faith. But we've also had Jewish and agnostic members, and we've rarely (by rarely I mean like maybe 4 or 5 times over the course of 7 albums) included anything that could remotely be called specifically "Christian" content in our lyrics. And the entire COLD STAR QUIET STAR album is actually a half instrumental, science fiction concept album based on a short story that I wrote years ago. And over the years, we've mostly just written songs inspired by life..."Nevermore" was inspired by a Stephen King novel. "O Lost" inspired by Thomas Wolfe. "Another Day" was a love song written for my wife, and "Water of Life" as a thank-you to my parents for the sacrifices they made in raising me. "Circles" is about the innocence of childhood, "Sunset" about the inevitability of death, "Vacant Halls" about what's left behind after the death of a loved one, "Power" about the power of music, "Up to You" about how our choices affect those around us, and "Still Water" about the beauty in nature. I could go on...But I shan't. Anyway, I do sincerely thank you for taking the time to comment.

[Big Ears]

I don't care how good the music is, whether it's Neal Morse, Edensong, or you guys, I don't want to hear any Christian stuff. That's just me and I have no idea how many others feel the same way.

I would be interested to know. A while ago, Bondegezou made a comment along the lines of British progressive rock musicians being brought up with church music, which defined their sound. I, for one, want to hear this music. I know Farpoint are not British, but I like their Christian elements.

[Sunlight Caller]

Kevin, I have always enjoyed your polite and erudite posts, but I have to confess I have never once heard a note of your music. There was nothing wilful in my lack of attention, there is just so much music to hear out there, and you have to draw the line somewhere.

My tastes are not really to the Neo end of the spectrum, although I adore Magenta who were compared in an earlier response. I count them as friends and have seen them 30 + times, and so it's easier to find affinity. I think the US to UK distance is a factor for me. I love live music and seeing bands tearing it up on stage is a determining factor in sales to me.

I will spend some time to listen to those tracks you recommend though, and will give my feedback to you.

Above everything don't be disparaged, it's a hugely competitive market out there. I only wish I had the chops to be part of it: I noodle about on my guitars for fun and wonder at those with the talent to take it to the next level.

Chris


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[izz_brian]

Brian: Thanks man. Yeah, I think you hit on some great points, especially the festival thing...But I guess you also hit on part of my question. Yes, Farpoint and IZZ were in that same generation of prog bands, but you guys definitely seem to have been more popular. I've happily watched IZZ perform from my vendor table many times! Now I'm not saying that Farpoint is as good as IZZ, because y'all are incredible...But IZZ got all those festival shows, and certainly a lot more hype. And I guess those 2 things can be kind of self perpetuating to an extent. I'm certainly happy for you and your band...There's not a more talented, creative, and just overall nice bunch of folks out there, and y'all deserve every bit of success you've had. Interesting about the PT effect too. I hadn't thought of that, but I think you are on to something.

I really don't think there's any distinction from a talent or songwriting perspective between IZZ and Farpoint. You all are an amazing band, too. Both bands scratch some of the same musical itches (male and female vox, harmonies, juxtaposing heavier and softer moments). I can't honestly say why IZZ was able to get festival appearances. I suppose we were in the right place at the right time (Northeastern coastal US in the late 90s, early 00s). It seems to be where a lot of the prog gigs were at the time. I really think it was a combination of perseverance and luck, rather than something we were doing musically. However, I don't feel like there is any current advantage that time and attention gives us. In many ways, it feels like we're back to the way things were before our ProgDay 2002 appearance. We haven't been invited to play any of the cruise gigs, and we're hustling for club gigs again. I think that's more or less where all of the bands of our tier are these days. Perhaps being in SC makes things even tougher, but there aren't that many prog venues around here, either. We've returned to doing 45-minute sets at NYC clubs to keep our live show sharp, but Progtoberfest in Chicago will be our first proper festival gig since 2014.

I would say to just keep plugging away with small gigs, but try to get a NJ Proghouse gig to get people here buzzing about you. Know that live, grassroots US prog is in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment, as nothing has yet filled the void left by NEARfest's departure. I have faith that something will come along, but we have to be patient. I know you gig with other (non-prog) projects, too. Keep that up; as people get to know you in those projects you can introduce them to Farpoint. Maybe see if you can sneak some Farpoint tunes into a set, and let the crowd know where those songs come from. Get a high-quality live recording (with a board mix) on YouTube. Whatever you do, don't despair! You are an incredibly talented band with a solid sound and great tunes.

[Farpoint Kevin]

Kevin, I have always enjoyed your polite and erudite posts, but I have to confess I have never once heard a note of your music. There was nothing wilful in my lack of attention, there is just so much music to hear out there, and you have to draw the line somewhere.

My tastes are not really to the Neo end of the spectrum, although I adore Magenta who were compared in an earlier response. I count them as friends and have seen them 30 + times, and so it's easier to find affinity. I think the US to UK distance is a factor for me. I love live music and seeing bands tearing it up on stage is a determining factor in sales to me.

I will spend some time to listen to those tracks you recommend though, and will give my feedback to you.

Above everything don't be disparaged, it's a hugely competitive market out there. I only wish I had the chops to be part of it: I noodle about on my guitars for fun and wonder at those with the talent to take it to the next level.

Chris


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, thank you! I appreciate that. And I certainly understand about not being able to listen to everything. I used to try to keep up with every band I liked and explore every one I heard of that sounded like something I'd like...needless to say, I failed miserably. But I appreciate you giving us a listen, if you do get a chance to, and I look forward to any feedback or opinions you may offer.

[Farpoint Kevin]

I really don't think there's any distinction from a talent or songwriting perspective between IZZ and Farpoint. You all are an amazing band, too. Both bands scratch some of the same musical itches (male and female vox, harmonies, juxtaposing heavier and softer moments). I can't honestly say why IZZ was able to get festival appearances. I suppose we were in the right place at the right time (Northeastern coastal US in the late 90s, early 00s). It seems to be where a lot of the prog gigs were at the time. I really think it was a combination of perseverance and luck, rather than something we were doing musically. However, I don't feel like there is any current advantage that time and attention gives us. In many ways, it feels like we're back to the way things were before our ProgDay 2002 appearance. We haven't been invited to play any of the cruise gigs, and we're hustling for club gigs again. I think that's more or less where all of the bands of our tier are these days. Perhaps being in SC makes things even tougher, but there aren't that many prog venues around here, either. We've returned to doing 45-minute sets at NYC clubs to keep our live show sharp, but Progtoberfest in Chicago will be our first proper festival gig since 2014.

I would say to just keep plugging away with small gigs, but try to get a NJ Proghouse gig to get people here buzzing about you. Know that live, grassroots US prog is in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment, as nothing has yet filled the void left by NEARfest's departure. I have faith that something will come along, but we have to be patient. I know you gig with other (non-prog) projects, too. Keep that up; as people get to know you in those projects you can introduce them to Farpoint. Maybe see if you can sneak some Farpoint tunes into a set, and let the crowd know where those songs come from. Get a high-quality live recording (with a board mix) on YouTube. Whatever you do, don't despair! You are an incredibly talented band with a solid sound and great tunes.

Thanks once again, Brian. We really probably should look into the NJ Proghouse show at some point. Truth is, after the CD release for the KINDRED album back in 2011, we took a long break from playing out. We didn't play live again until earlier this year, when we were asked to do an acoustic show for the House of Prog internet radio. ()Although we have all stayed musically active with other bands, church gigs, and studio work.) And we had so much fun that we decided to get together and record a couple of songs in the studio, which we have just finished and I plan to release over the next couple of months. If we did happen to end up with a festival offer, I'm sure we'd put something together. And I do actually play a couple of Farpoint songs with my duo, From the Morning. (We even put 2 on our recent CD release.) They sound really different as an acoustic duo as opposed to a 6 piece prog band, but some of them still come across pretty well. In fact, at a show last month, I began strumming the intro to one of them and someone in the audience yelled "Farpoint!" So that was kind of cool.

EDIT: Now that I think of it, there is a video on Youtube of my duo, From the Morning, with a couple of friends helping us out, doing a live cover of a simplified version of one of Farpoint's LEAST prog songs. This one won't win us any prog fans, but it was fun to play!

[Zonefish]

The problem with asking for such advice is there is such a wide swath of opinion. What works for Brian doesn't work for Sunlight or Yodelgoat, etc... I consider myself your general target audience. With that said, I think the constructive criticisms offered are quite close to my opinions. I can honestly say I like your material. You have a definite talent and I hope it brings you joy when you create. As for the music, there is nothing you are doing wrong per se...to my ears. I have similar issues with the vocals. However, my biggest issue (and this is my problem not yours!!) is I feel the compositions are too sedate---even when you get "rocking" you seem held back by pastoral roots. I get that's probably what you are going for, but (to me) it sounds constrained. I am a big fan of IZZ, and if I had to qualify the biggest difference is that their compositions are injected with a bit more drama (for lack of a better term).

Please, please please accept these comments with my gratitude for your work and the insistence that you keep doing what you're doing. In the end, you don't really have to worry about pleasing the likes of me, but rather write and produce what moves YOU.

And, if you are ever to tour the Pacific Northwest, I would gladly pay admission to see you!

scott

[Farpoint Kevin]

The problem with asking for such advice is there is such a wide swath of opinion. What works for Brian doesn't work for Sunlight or Yodelgoat, etc... I consider myself your general target audience. With that said, I think the constructive criticisms offered are quite close to my opinions. I can honestly say I like your material. You have a definite talent and I hope it brings you joy when you create. As for the music, there is nothing you are doing wrong per se...to my ears. I have similar issues with the vocals. However, my biggest issue (and this is my problem not yours!!) is I feel the compositions are too sedate---even when you get "rocking" you seem held back by pastoral roots. I get that's probably what you are going for, but (to me) it sounds constrained. I am a big fan of IZZ, and if I had to qualify the biggest difference is that their compositions are injected with a bit more drama (for lack of a better term).

Please, please please accept these comments with my gratitude for your work and the insistence that you keep doing what you're doing. In the end, you don't really have to worry about pleasing the likes of me, but rather write and produce what moves YOU.

And, if you are ever to tour the Pacific Northwest, I would gladly pay admission to see you!

scott

Hi Scott! Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and comment. You make some interesting points...First of all, you are certainly correct about a wide swath of opinion, and that's really what I was expecting to hear...But what's really interesting so far to me is that the opinions, for the most part, are actually pretty similar up to this point. Another interesting point, about even the more rocking selections still being fairly sedate. Don't worry, I'm not at all offended by your comments. But I do find it interesting, and it tells me something about myself that I guess should really not come as a surprise to me, but something that I've never really thought about in depth, and it is this: I love a good rocker as much as the next guy, but the music that really MOVES me is generally music that is, to put it plainly, beautiful music. To use my favorite band as an example, I absolutely adore YES, particularly from THE YES ALBUM through GOING FOR THE ONE...and while I love the rockers very much, it's the lovely, pastoral sections that resonate with me the most...The more pastoral parts of "And You and I," the "Leaves of Green" section of "The Ancient," and songs like "Turn of the Century." To me these are just sublime. Perhaps part of it could stem from the love of slow, beautiful folk, Celtic, and classical songs that my mother imbued in me from the very beginning of my life. Who knows? But it makes sense that the music I create, or have a large part in producing, would lean in that direction. Also, to go a bit deeper...when I listen to Farpoint songs like "Crying in the Rain," "Darkness," "Solar Wind," "Stand," or "Up to You," well...to me they DO rock. But the consensus from listeners for years has shown that, um...no they don't, not really! And that's OK with me, I guess it just reinforces what you said about a wide swath of opinions. And helps to make sense of the fact that, among my fairly extensive CD collection, I'm more likely to pull out a Moody Blues or Renaissance CD than I am Dream Theater or Queensryche (although I do love a lot of music by those bands!) And that's OK too. So thanks again for your comments, and if we ever get up your way, I'll certainly let you know!

These responses have all been so very interesting to me. I really debated over whether or not to even make this post, but I'm glad I did. Thanks to everyone who has contributed!

[HoldYourFire]

Kevin, you know I love your stuff and still hope to someday get to perform Universal Light with you. Are you guys ready to play out? I'm digging around for a gig here in Richmond and I THINK I have at least one hot lead who wants to know if we would do a show with a second band, and with the little bit of norotiety we finally achieved after ten years of trying, I think we will get a decent crowd here. Let me know if you want to come up here and I will try to make it happen.

[Farpoint Kevin]

Mike! Thanks man. We could be ready to play in short order I think, after woodshedding so hard for that internet show earlier this year. Let me run it by everyone and see how they feel about it. We need to talk details, like when, how long of a set, etc. I'll be in touch with you soon about it. Thanks for thinking of us! I've always wanted to play a show with y'all too. Would be cool to finally make it happen. Thanks again!