Sights & Sounds: The Foxery

Last night I had the pleasure of helping out with my good friend Jake’s show up in Sidney, OH.  About half of the show was run of the mill metal or pop rock, but a couple bands stood out.  One of those bands was The Foxery:

Now this video is obviously not the performance from last night but it was no less heartfelt, I can assure you of that.  Lead by guitarist/vocalist Calvin Fackler, this band’s passion and honesty was obvious right out of the gate.  Fackler’s voice is full of raw, honest, heartfelt passion.  Periods of low key music gave way to the powerful cries of his voice reminiscent of Andy Hull or even Cody Bonnette at times.  His guitar playing certainly wouldn’t rival Clapton or B.B. King, but it is the perfect guitar work to compliment his vocals and the combined talent of remaining members: Mike Stewart, bass; Joseph Humphrey, Drums; and Travis Beck, percussion. 

Since I’ve seen this band before and loved it, I did have some high expectations of the performance. I certainly was not let down.  Stewart is a new bassist since the last time I had seen The Foxery and I was pleasantly surprised by the addition.  His playing was precise and smooth while also being passionate and sloppy in all the right places.  You can not talk about the drummer without discussing the percussionist (or auxiliary player as fellow band members affectionately called him).  They played so well off of each other, it was as if they had one mind.  Humphrey’s playing, while having a more traditional set, was anything but traditional and laid the framework so well for Beck’s offbeat additions.

Overall each musician added to the overall element, which is really how music should be.  It really irks me to see a band full of talented musicians all trying to prove each of them are the best rather than add to the overall sound.  This is certainly not the case with The Foxery. Their passion, creativity, and musicianship is sure to take them to a professional level.  I know they recently recorded at Glow In The Dark Studios which has pumped out it’s fair share of gold albums, so I am very pumped to hear these recordings.  To sum it all up: In an age where real, raw, honest rock and roll is hard to find, The Foxery do a great job at filling in some of that void.

-Adam Bender
Shticks & Stones