Interview with Jared Farrell

Tell us about the key contributors to this project.

My name is Jared Farrell. I'm a songwriter/producer currently living in Virginia Beach. My latest album is a concept album called “The Lunatic Messiah." It marks my third full-length LP and was entirely produced, mixed, and mastered out of my home studio. This truthfully was not by choice. I sent the songs to multiple producers but they could not get the sound I was chasing. I ultimately got it over the finish line after 2 years of working on it.

Who influenced this release?

“The Lunatic Messiah” is a concept album that tells a cohesive story from start to finish. Clear hat tips to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” weave through the record but the genre melting creates a modern soundscape that’s hard to pin down. It’s rock, it’s cinematic, it’s even got hip hop influences.

What's the story behind this release?

The initial idea started in 2023 at the very end of Covid. I wrote the song "I'm not Insane." It was a very successful release and even included my first fully animated music video. The idea of creating a concept album that told a story from start to finish started taking shape. It's ultimately about the battle of good and evil that happens within each of us.

Tell us what makes this release stand out and why it's significant.

It's definitely the most experimental and risky thing I've released. To get a feel for the record you can listen to "The Verdict" Track 7 and then "I'm not Insane" Track 8. The contrast between the two creates a really intresting dynamic in my opinion.

Where did the recording take place?

I built a small and humble home studio and the entire record was recorded there. The theme gave me a lot of flexibility to get creative with the production as well. I added clocks ticking, angels singing, building exploding, people laughing. Anything to help tell the story.

What was unique about the recording process?

The most unique aspect about the creation of this record was the process. I would have creative bursts where I was super inspired and excited about what I was creating followed by months of the record sitting on the self. In those periods of down time I often forgot about the record and was convinced it would never see the light of day. Then, something would happen that would draw me back it. The initial rough drafts of the songs are quite comical looking back but slowly the ideas matured and something I felt very proud of took shape.

Do you have any recent or upcoming performances to highlight? 

On January 11th I'll be performing the album in it's entirety at Riffhouse Pub in Chesapeake, VA. Magg Dylan will be opening and the entire show will be carnival themed.

Could you share a memorable quote about this release or your journey as an artist? 

There's a lyric from the song "The Lunatic Messiah" that says... Everything you’ve heard Is the holy truth as far as I’m concerned. It's my truth, my experience and my expression of that. Hopefully it's a piece of art that resonates.

Is there anything additional that would be valuable for curators to know? 

I realize this record is not for everyone. It's bizarre and almost swims upstream intentionally. I hope somewhere there are people that respect and embrace that.