Long Island Native Mike Farley packed up and journeyed westward to northeast Ohio ten years ago, thanks to a romantic relationship. Although the relationship didn’t pan out, his success in the Greater Cleveland Area has. Farley has found his niche in the Rock and Roll Capital City and the surrounding region.
He explained, “I still love it here and the band is doing so well I have no reason to move at the moment.”
Doing well, indeed! His Mike Farley Band has one of the largest followings of any local band in the area. Local publication, Cleveland Free Times, has awarded them Best Rock Band and named Farley Best Singer/Songwriter for the past two years. In addition, the band received an Album of the Year award in 1999 from Just Plain Folks for ‘On the Edge of Somewhere,‘ and “Imagination” was named Song of the Year. Their latest release, ‘halfaworldaway’ has sold out of copies at recent performances at the Lake County Fair and the Midwest Music Summit.
The Mike Farley Band, made up of guitarist/vocalist Mike Farley, lead guitar Jeff Nagel, bassist Brian Dossa, and drummer Jim Simonian, has a sound is similar to that of bands such as Matchbox Twenty, Third Eye Blind, Goo Goo Dolls, and others in the pop/alternative genre. The strength of MFB’s music is the catchy lyrics that can get stuck in your head for days on end and are hard to resist singing along to.
The music is simple, yet solid. The band features a variety of different styles on ‘halfaworldaway’, including blues on “When it All Comes Down,” to light rock on “Comes with a Conscience.” A recent change in personnel has led to the band displaying a more edgy sound in recent performances.
Farley says his most memorable opening act gig, “…Hands-down was opening for the Pretenders at Nautica. We got to hang out with them, have dinner with them, and Chrissie Hynde (an Akron native), had so many nice things to say about us. I swear, I felt like I was dreaming the whole time, and looking back, it still feels that way.”
He also added, “It’s such a cool thing to meet all these people you’ve heard on the radio forever.”
MFB is no stranger to performing in front of large crowds. They recently played in front of many record label executives at the Midwest Music Summit, a showcase put on by Just Plain Folks. Farley also just played a solo show at the Lake County Fair (an opening gig for Michael Stanley and the Resonators). MFB has also played festivals in Boston, Atlanta, and upstate New York. They may be entertaining their largest audience yet when they make an appearance on the Jenny Jones Show.
However, when asked which was more appealing, festival or club shows, Farley replied, “Definitely the club shows. The festivals are good for making new fans, but the club shows where we headline, those are the ones where fans are really coming to see YOU. It’s a great feeling playing to a packed house and having everyone in the crowd in a frenzy. It’s such a rush.”
Mike’s favorite venue to perform at is, “Without a doubt, The Odeon. The stage, the lights, the capacity of the crowd, the sound system; there’s nothing else like it.”
The Mike Farley Band may be on the verge of breaking into the big time. They already have a solid fan base in the Midwest, and their following is constantly growing nationwide.
Singles from ‘halfaworldaway’ are getting played on radio stations throughout the country, and locally on Streetsboro’s WSTB (88.9 FM) MFB’s song, “Secrets,” is currently under consideration for use in the soundtrack for an upcoming major motion picture.
Their upcoming national television appearance, as well as their strong performance in front of big-timers in the music industry, are also great additions to their resume, and the big labels are finally starting to show interest.
The Mike Farley Band will play their last show in Northeast Ohio for several months on September 15 at The Odeon with their friends, Oval Opus. In a recent e-mail update, the band described the concert as “sort of a fan appreciation night for everyone who has helped us climb to the next level.”
This may be Clevelander’s last opportunity to catch these guys in an intimate setting!
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