They would talk to each other on thephone, and Murraysays Long was a harsh critic of some of his musical tastes, mocking him when hecalled. The two eventually found common ground in bands like Sonic Youth andArchers of Loaf. The couple has now been married for eight years and playingtogether in Fahri (pronounced Far-ee) for five.
Drummer Neil Gravander’s first meetingwith Long was over flaming curtains. He had attended a show in 2002 at a VFWHall in Lindenhurst, Ill., which featured Long’s old band, GeinRock. The band was “heavily influenced by Motorhead” and named after notorious Wisconsin grave robber and human furniture-maker Ed Gein.Part of the band’s performance featured Long breathing fire from the stage.After she accidentally lit the venue’s curtains on fire, Gravander was one ofthe brave souls who helped stomp the blazes out. Gravander confronted Long,displaying his burned hands.
“I was in a really bad mood that night,so I think I said something to Neil like, ‘Whatever, it’s punk rock, get overit,’” Long says, laughing.
Despite this rough introduction, thetwo soon became friends, and Gravander is now not only band mates with thecouple, but also their roommate. The three practice in the basement of theirRiverwest home, amid band equipment and a maze of tangled extension cords.
The band’s namesake is “kind of a joke”and comes from a metalhead friend named Fahri. Murray describes the guy as quite a character.“He had this game he used to play called ‘Fahri punches the world,’ where hewould walk around punching everything,” Murrayrecalls.
Unfortunately for Fahri, the band namedafter him doesn’t have enough heavy metal for his tastes. Long describes theband sound as “sonic fuzzy pop” and Murraydescribes the band as “noisy indie rock.” Both Long and Murray provide vocals floating above a waveof distorted sound. Most of the songs feature dual guitars, providing a veryhigh-end sound, but Murrayswitches to bass for part of their set.
The sound of songs like “Field,Factories, and Workshops” and “Scramshell” combines experimental influenceswith Sonic Youth-style feedback and upbeat indie elements a la Pavement.
After some self-released cassettes anda self-titled EP with Bionic Recordings, the band will release its first album,a seven-track CD titled Perfect Present,this fall, followed by an East Coast tour.
Fahriplays at the Cactus Club on July 24 with Wereworm and The Pills. The releaseshow for Perfect Present willbe Sept. 4 at Club Garibaldi.
