“No longer the artist who dabbles, [Geoff Farina’s] production is enriched and amplified
by the harmonization of all the false starts, fragmentary ideas, and assimilated styles that he’s amassed in his pursuit of transcendence.” – Pitchfork
“The best artists, be they musicians, painters or filmmakers, never stop striving to learn more
about their chosen craft. In that respect, Geoff Farina is one of the greats.
If Farina has learned anything in his 20-plus years as a musician,
it’s how to turn the worst parts of life into the greatest art.” –Alternative Press
about their chosen craft. In that respect, Geoff Farina is one of the greats.
If Farina has learned anything in his 20-plus years as a musician,
it’s how to turn the worst parts of life into the greatest art.” –Alternative Press
Ernest Jenning Record Co. is excited to share a stream of Exit Verse‘s self-titled debut record, which is due on November 17. The stream premiered via Stereogum, who noted that the record “includes the most aggressive music [Geoff] Farina has released since Karate broke up, which means it’s the closest he’s come to his most famous project’s essence. Yet despite adopting some of the slinky, angular elements of Farina’s older work, Exit Verse more often deals with straightforward rock ‘n’ roll sounds captured in bright, minimal arrangements.” Exit Verse is available to stream or embed HERE.
The group is soon to embark on their first-ever tour behind Exit Verse. The outing will start onDecember 5 at Now That’s Class Lounge in Cleveland, OH and conclude on December 15 at theEmpty Bottle in the group’s hometown of Chicago, IL. The current list of tour dates is below, with more to be announced soon.
Recently, the group revealed the record’s first single, “Seeds.” A.V. Club noted that “The track sees [Geoff] Farina guiding the band into some classic-rock territory with his stomping staccato riffs, but as it moves forward and reaches its ethereal apex it shows Farina’s ability to take something gut-level and make it heady, just like he did so well with Karate over a decade ago.” “Seeds” is available to stream or embed HERE.
Singer/guitarist Geoff Farina (Karate, Secret Stars, Glorytellers) teamed up with drummer John Dugan (Chisel, Edsel) and bassist Pete Croke (Brokeback, Tight Phantoms) to form Exit Verse early in 2013. On their debut album, Farina belts out catchy rockers with more vigor than he has in two decades. The album’s concise, gutty anthems ring of the mid-90s when the guitar-driven Karate was shaking basements and DIY venues across the country. The angular rhythms of “Seeds” and the simmering “Fiddle & Flame” evoke the Karate of In Place Of Real Insight, but the new band demonstrates stronger rock roots, and resounds the classic rock radio and 70s/80s punk vinyl of Farina’s youth. Farina still delivers his songs with the urgency of Karate’s most bellicose moments, but with less self-consciousness and more determination.
Farina has kept busy since Karate’s 2005 demise: He recorded 3 records with his acoustic trio Glorytellers; toured and recorded with singer/guitarist Chris Brokaw (Come, Codeine) and with the Roman folk band Ardecore; played hundreds of solo shows in Europe and the US; taught music history at DePaul University, the University of Maine, and Colby College; and recorded The Wishes of the Dead, his first solo record in over ten years. A recent stint in the short-lived Chicago punk-improv trio Bando refreshed Farina’s appetite for loud guitars, and so, nearly 10 years after the dissolution of his last rock band, he formed Exit Verse.
The trio tracked these 9 songs during the summer of 2013 at Minbal in Chicago. Later in the year, Farina flew to Boston to do overdubs and mix with his long-time collaborator/engineer Andy Hong, and invited Thalia Zedek (Come, Live Skull) to sing on three of the album’s tracks. The album was mastered in early 2014 at Chicago Mastering Services by Bob Weston (Shellac, Mission Of Burma) Since the recording, drummer Chris Dye (Speck Mountain, Chin Up Chin Up) replaced Dugan, who left the band to meet work and family commitments.
Exit Verse tracklist:
1. Under the Satellite
2. Chrome
3. Seeds
4. Pull Out the Nails
5. The Bond
6. Fiddle & Flame
7. Perfect Hair
8. Silver Stars
9. Sparrows
Exit Verse upcoming tour dates:
12/5 – Now That’s Class Lounge – Cleveland, OH
12/7 – The Other Side – Wilkes-Barre, PA
12/8 – Great Scott – Allston, MA
12/9 – Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NY
12/10 – Boot & Saddle – Philadelphia, PA
12/11 – Black Cat Backstage – Washington, DC
12/12 – Club Café – Pittsburgh, PA
12/13 – MOTR Pub – Cincinnati, OH
12/15 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
