Vibrant, lyrical alt/art/indie rock -- powerful female vocals, riveting dynamics.

6 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Modern Rock, ROCK: Progressive Rock



Details:
Fermata is a four-piece rock band from Madison, Wisconsin that defies easy definition, while bringing a sincerity and tone of musicianship that is all too rare in the music world today. The band formed slowly over the course of several years, anchored by the vibrant and literary songwriting of Jon Koschoreck and the expressive and sultry vocals of Sara Weiland. The band was completed with the additions of Jared Schwertâs melodically-minded bass playing, and the solid and innovative drumming of Noah Buckley-Farlee. While band members personally draw inspiration from such diverse sources Sheryl Crow, Rancid, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Victor Wooten, John Denver, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, and Tool, Fermataâs own sound and vision are explicitly similar to none of these.
There is a striking uniqueness to Fermataâs musical approach that is not often heard in popular music today. The band approaches each song as its own entity, a one-act play if you will, that pulses into the mind and the heart of all who listen. Saraâs undeniable stage presence was developed through her background in theater, and it commands the audienceâs attention as she wholeheartedly becomes the âcharactersâ in each song.
Fermataâs lyrical topics range from fictitious crimes of passion to the real world struggles of love and loss that all of us face, but they are not limited by glib or cookie-cutter notions of heartbreak or violence that pervade much of music today. The lyrics are never banal, the melodies are never static, and the energy is always present, rushing towards a precipice of emotion. Whether it is the soothing and arresting melodies of a song such as âOn a Clearâ or the passionate and powerful vocal lines of âThe Black Key,â the emotion in each of Fermataâs songs reaches to the back of the room. The sum of these parts cannot be denied, whether it be a bluntly sensational live performance or a more nuanced audio recording.
The 2006 debut EP âThrough the Distance and the Darkâ is just a sampling of Fermataâs capabilities and musical aspirations. Since breaking out into the Madison music scene only in the spring of 2005, Fermata has played a large number of shows to numerous and very enthusiastic audiences. Quickly growing endeavors in the wider Midwest region, increasing radio play, and more media attention highlight the speed with which Fermata has attracted a following. Connoisseurs of music understand that this is a band that takes its music and its listeners very seriously. In a culture and marketplace where so much of what we listen to has been homogenized and dumbed-down, Fermata stands amongst the few who long to reenergize and remind us all why we listen to music in the first place â to feel.