Fast becoming a local staple, pop rockers Fairgale embrace change ahead of their sophomore album, Pillars
====
Three years have past since pop-rockers Fairgale burst onto the local scene with their undisputed triumph Own The Light.
Buoyed by a fan-led win at the first annual Rock The Block competition, amplified with a further MusicNL nomination and career-shifting opening slots with notables Trooper and Yukon Blonde, the foursome of Stephen Green, Andrew Rodgers, Gary Powers and Brad Tuck have matured not only as artists, but as a band-of-brothers united in producing soul-shaking and deeply infectious tunes.
Artistic Growth
Fairgale’s sophomore effort Pillars is the culmination of a three year evolution, one that has seen the band morph from promising upstarts with passion to spare, into polished and refined professionals.
“We’ve worked on the album for a little over a year now, since we started writing the songs and putting them all together,” shared Green in an interview with The Herald. “It’s always rewarding to get to this point. At this point I’m just anxious to let people hear it.”
Produced by the masterful Chris Kirby, Pillars sees the band amp-up their very best pop-rocker quality, combining rich harmonies with unshakable hooks that are bound to become radio staples.
“I like the word refined,” explains Tuck. “I think we put a lot more work into pre-production, which I think really helped in the end. There were songs on the record when I listened back and I didn’t really recognize the song. It’s not like we’d spend hours and hours writing and rehearsing.
“Chris Kirby really brought something out of the tunes and then there’s a certain production element you add on there, so it’s kind of fresh to us as well. It’s definitely a different record than the first one.”
An Evolving Sound
“I think we’ve put more onus on refining our sound,” adds Green. “On the first album we came out really quick. When we got together there was a chemistry from the vocal perspective, and there were certain things going on. 
“We were really fresh when we wrote the first album and went in and did it. We went in with an intent to just make things happen. The first record I’m very proud of, but this one feels like we’ve developed and worked more on songwriting.”
Fairgale released Pillars at the JAG Hotel in St. John’s on April 28th, an event that precedes a trip to Halifax and the East Coast Music Awards, and a run of local dates in May and June that includes stops in Gander, Winteron, Port Rexton and Twillingate.
“I think we made a record that we’re proud of and we can enjoy,” Tuck shares. “You just kind of hope that translates across the board and you might find a few people may like it as well. I guess you can’t make a record trying to make a record for somebody else, because then you’re just guessing. Everybody likes different things anyways. You’ve just got to follow your heart.”
With a growing reputation as a can’t-miss live attraction on the island, and an album that represents growth on multiple fronts, Fairgale have crafted one of the early gems of 2018.
Follow the Path
“For me it’s really about making music that I’m happy with. I think things happen organically if you just let things happen and you put your full efforts behind it,” says Green.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but I don’t think I need to know the path that’s happening tomorrow. I think you just need to follow the path that presents itself.”
“We know we can put out at least half sensible music, or we at least think we can,” Tuck adds with a laugh. “Let’s just write a few tunes and if we enjoy it all, we hope it’ll translate across the board a little bit.”
For more on Fairgale and their new album Pillars visit fairgale.ca. Their album Pillars is available digitally and in stores now.