Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
Very nice original music from Tacoma, Washington. It is a lovely mix of folk and country and even a little Neil Young and Crazy Horse thrown into the mix. The Far Field started in the Fall of 2014 by Jon Borcherding as a creative outlet for his songwriting. Shortly thereafter, he was joined by Ted LeCompte on keyboards. Borcherding and LeCompte form the core of The Far Field, which is always evolving and changing. Their self titled debut contains a lot of very talented local musicians. In addition to the duo of Borcherding and LeCompte, there is Graham Hammond on bass; Ben Johnston on drums; Melissa Guthrie on backing vocals; Maggie Booher on violin; Bronwyn Haggerty on cello; Dave Harmonson on pedal steel; and, Caleb Baker on backing vocals. The lineup looks more like an orchestra than a folk band. But all of the players are put to good use and create a rich and beautiful album that is very listenable.
I am reminded of the joke from the Blues Brothers movie, “we have both kinds of music – country and western”. The Far Field have both kinds of music as well country and folk. But, they also have some Celtic and some rock and roll. So that would actually make four kinds of music, if my math skills are correct. They play all four genres extremely well. I am partial to the country numbers that have pedal steel, Killdeer and This Old River. However, there is a little something for everyone. If you like some Neil Young style songs, then Roses For You, Little Blue Ball, and First Frost will scratch that itch. If you are fan of the more Celtic sounding songs, you will love Fir Tree, The Flood, and Gone. There truly is something for everyone. A very impressive collection from The Far Field.