For more info please go to ChadFarran.com

Chad's latest album, Another Ride, is written in a more personal style then his other projects. The album weaves a Brazilian tone throughout all of its songs, telling the story of love and love lost. The album was recorded and performed entirely by Chad, but also features some friends performing solos and some of the bass lines as well.

"All the songs of this CD were either written in or inspired by my trips to Brazil over the last few years. I fell in love with the culture, the music, and the energy. All of these tracks, minus the first track, were written with this in mind, and ended up telling the story of finding a new love, sharing that love together, losing trust, breaking up, and finally recovering from it all and being ready to do it all again...hence the title, Another Ride.

The CD is full of Brazilian percussion and uses various rhythms to move the songs along. Bossa Nova, Samba, Samba Reggae, and Maracatu, can be heard though these tracks. Most of these rhythms are an interpretation by an American however, and the songwriting is more in an American style than a Brazilian one. Whatever I had gone though in my life over the last few years has made its way into these songs.

The first track, Like Water, was a collaboration by my friend Tim Pacheco and myself, and features the heavy percussion of Brazilian Samba Reggae. Tim's lyrics and melodies flow nicely over the music, and together create a fusion that starts off the CD with a bang. I used percussion that I had brought back from Brazil to create the bed of rhythm. Instruments like the Timbau, Surdo, Caixa, and Tama were all used to lay the foundation of the tune that was originally recorded on a sequencer.

The second track, Fallen Down, has more of a Bossa feel to it. The nylon string guitar used on all the tracks on the CD give a sound that is absent in most of today's pop music, and Davey Carano's electric guitar on this track adds a special touch not heard on any of the other tunes. Fallen Down tells the story of first meeting someone special and the feelings you get when you fall in love...never touching the ground.

More Inside is about challenges in life and the effort it takes to overcome them. My girlfriend used to say "God doesn't give wings to snakes." You have to risk sometimes and put out that last effort if you want things to happen. This song makes use of the Brazilian Berimbau and Cavaquinho to give it a special sound.

The words for Guiding Star were written by my girlfriend at the time. It was originally a poem she had given to me. The words fit perfectly over the music I had written and Jimmy Lewis' 12 string guitar solo completes the song.

At the same time I started learning about Brazilian culture, I began to study the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira. Capoeira's unique combination of music, dance, and fighting is an incredible learning journey that relates to life, love and emotion. Another Roll was written about playing Capoeira, rolling into the Roda and sharing and growing into this beautiful art form. Another Roll starts with a Cuban rhythm being led by the main instrument of Capoeira, the Berimbau, and then turns into a Maracatu with the heavy sounds of the Alfia drums that I brought back from Northern Brazil, and ends up with a nice samba for the chorus.

Growing up was written in my Mom's house in Idaho. After seeing all the pictures of my family over the years, I had an overwhelming feeling of growth and life lessons. Seeing how Brazilian culture really embraces family, it made me a little sad to think how American families can be so distant in this day and age. My friend Chris McGreal added a beautiful Dobro part on this tune, and the Bowed Bass was played by Glen Fisher. The Berimbau can also be heard in this tune.

Halfway through the album, the tone of the songs takes a little twist, and start dealing more with trust issues and breakup. It's a Shame touches on that. It talks about how people tend to play games in their relationships, hoping things will get better, but as I learned, it makes things worse.

Being in a relationship with someone from another country, I had to deal with being apart for long periods of time. Sometimes this can be good for two people, but can also lead people to drift apart. Come So Far talks about that separation and being reunited. This is another tune with a Bossa Nova feel to it. Glen Fisher plays the Upright Bass in this tune.

Everybody lies at one point in a relationship. The song Lies, talks about being caught in a lie. Nothing makes things worse that covering up the truth...they always find out in the end. This song has a Samba feel to it and is accentuated by the Cavaquinho being played by Israel Maldonado. The chorus takes a turn and brings back the Alfias playing a strong Maracatu beat.

Confess is another tune that deals with trust issues. Being lied to is a hard thing to face, and I've always been one to want to hear the truth, no matter how hard it is. My friend Fernie Apodaca played his beautiful violin to bring out the emotion of this tune.

Damned is a tune written after a friend of mine who lost his girlfriend in a car crash. It talks about losing a lost one, about growing old, and about being a slave. I have never had to deal with any of these issues yet, and I know it has been such a painful part for so many people. The Spanish instrument, the Cajon, is heard on this tune as well as most of the tunes of the CD. Being a a drummer for so long and always playing the Drum Set in so many projects, I wanted to get away from it and use more percussion. The Cajon is a great replacement for the Drum Set...and it's easier to carry around too.

Gone Again is another tune that talks about being separated by a loved one. Have long distance relationships suck. This song features the Guitar work of Israel. We were just jamming one day, him on Guitar and me on Tabla, and this song just came about. I added the lyrics later, and ended up putting on the Drum Set to get the song moving in the second half. Israel's guitar solo at the end rips.

Another Ride is the title track of the album, and basically talks of my willingness to get over a relationship, trying to stay friends, and being ready for another one. The Berimbau can be heard in this tune as well, and Jimmy's Guitar solo is genius. I think he did it all in one take.

That's it! I hope everyone enjoys the music, and can take a little bit of the feeling out of it that I put into it."

Chad