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Review of Four Way Free, Deeper

Drawing from the energetic acoustic scene created by Dave Matthews Band, Four Way Free brings us a unique, fun approach to acoustic rock on its latest album, Deeper. Finding their strength in live performance, these California musicians showcase this talent right from the start on their self-produced sophomore effort. Constructed just like the great live show, Deeper starts with “Introductions,” a song complete with a catchy acoustic guitar riff and the lyric hook, “Everybody’s got a rhythm.”

As Four Way Free moves into the next song, the title track “Deeper,” the band reveals a tight rhythm section led by Larry “Boody” Boodman. His style and nuances instantly hearken the work of DMB’s Carter Beauford as complicated beats are mixed in with splash cymbals. Boodman’s solid drum work is complimented by frontman Genji Nakano’s memorable lyrics, like those showcased in “Gasoline:” “If my desire is a fire / then you are the gasoline.” What sets Four Way Free apart from its contemporaries is the personal touch Nakano gives the project – he does a remarkable job of focusing the music around the lyrics.

On “Higher Ground,” the members of Four Way Free break into a very impressive a cappella bridge, adding to an already high-energy and exciting song. Incorporating a personal and fun attitude into its music, the group effectively mixes memorable lyrics and positive feelings here with Deeper. Though Four Way Free is not necessarily a jam band, its members sure know when to jam and when to sing.(Self-released)

-Dave Boodakian

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Review of Fourwayfree Live @ The Loft, Columbus, GA July 12, 2008 and Review of “Deeper”

Not That I’m One To Gush…But….

I just can't resist.

Genji Nakano, lead singer, writer, and general front man of LA-based fourwayfree, started the band's appearance at The Loft last Saturday night with an unrehearsed acoustic set.

I started the show wearing a big, stupid grin that I couldn't wipe off my face.

A few songs later, bandmates Jeff Nunes on guitar, Boody (rhymes with 'Moody') on drums, and Cameron the New Guy on bass, joined Nakano on stage and the show 'officially' started with the announcement 'We like to keep things loose.' This task they seem to accomplish handily. These young men from Southern California have an easy, loopy, jam-band-pop flavor reminiscant of the mix cd's I used to make specifically for driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway on late summer afternoons, dappled sunlight filtering through the tree canopy as I wound my little car down the blacktop snaking along the ridgeline.

*sigh*

Happy times.

(A sampling of artists from those mixes might include Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Animal Liberation Orchestra, or Jeb Loy Nichols.)

Midway through this feast of eye-and-ear candy I got to bond with the boys during the break while buying a cd. I'd like to note here that I so coveted one of their discs that I actually spent beer money on one, which turned out to be a great idea as the next day I had rockin' tunes to dance to in the car and nary a trace of a hangover.

Turns out these guys are not only talented and hella fun, but genuinely nice, down to earth, and seemingly unafraid of embracing their inner dork. I like that in a man.

(During this exchange I learned that I look REALLY GREAT for being in my 30's, not that he was hitting on me 'cause I'm, like, married and stuff. For the record dude, I didn't figure you were...or would for that matter.)

Here are a few highlights from their most recent disc, 'Deeper' released in 2007:

(My copy is signed 'Thanks Katy -- stupid grins rule!' I also purchased their earlier cd, 'Trees to Climb', released in 2005. It is inscribed 'Harry -- we missed you buddy. Your wife rocks!' I SWEAR I didn't ask him to write that last part!)

The disc and the show both open with the song 'Introductions'. This easy, breezy, feel-good, Jack Johnson-esque diddy espouses accepting yourself for who you are and allowing others the same respect. This notion of being groovy with one's self seems to be a running theme as the title track 'Deeper' approaches this same subject from a more serious perspective. This number (mind you I may really be reading into the meaning here, perhaps projecting a bit) seems to be about overcoming personal insecurities, accepting your whole self, and as a result being able to open up and be more honest and trusting in a relationship.

One should not think tho, that this band is limited to touchy-feely, I'm-ok-you're-ok mellowness, tho they do manage to pull that off without crossing the line into simpering sappiness. Track 9 from 'Deeper' entitled 'Come Over' oozes raw sexuality. Buttery breathy vocals lazily backstroke over a fuck-me jazz bassline with a rhythm like that of a heart skipping a beat. About two minutes into the song, this groove is joined by a 70's porno movie wah-wah guitar riff that instantly fills me with the urge to disrobe. Nakano says in the liner notes, 'I feel dirty when I do this song. But not bad dirty. Good dirty.'

Genji darlin', it makes me feel good dirty too.

In my opinion, the strongest offering on the disc is track 11, 'Rebound'. (It's listed as track 12 in the liner notes, but really it's track 11. I think they're just messin' with my head.) This booty-shakin', balls-out dance party features spine-slipping, tummy-flipping percussion work including heavy Big Band jungle drums. The album version also features a delightfully funky sax. The hedonistic lyrics, a celebration of rebound booty calls, proudly announce the wearing of 'party pants' (and after repeated listenings, my 8-year-old now DEMANDS that I buy HIM some party pants!), request that the object of desire 'shake your shimmy-shammy over to me', and gleefully describe activities taking place back behind the pool house, adding that 'In the morning I hope I wake up alive.'

'Rebound' is the number that, near the end of the night, got me up on the dance floor movin' and groovin' my stuff until my tricky 30-something knees ached.

One of the advantages to achieving status as a regular at an indy music venue like The Loft is the frequent opportunity to see acts like these gents and Marshall Ruffin in an intimate setting where I also have access to the artists for conversations and merchandise signing. I consider this past opportunity particularly fortunate for me as I believe that this is another one of those bands that is going to hit the big time, and soon. I predict within a year or two they will playing Bonnaroo, and likely faring FAR better than Kanye.

And again, I get to say, 'Yeah. I saw them back when...'

*shameless sales pitch*

You can hear tracks for free on their MySpace page, or download them for your iPod (or buy the actual cd if, like me, you don't actually own an iPod) at their official website fourwayfree.com, where you will also find their tour schedule. Check it out -- they may be coming to a town near you soon! - Katy

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Wildy's World - cd review
Fourwayfree – Deeper
2008, Fill-in-the-blank

Let's get this out of the way up front: Yes, there is a definite Dave Matthews vibe going on here. Fourwayfree has the same sort of easy-going sonic chutzpah as early DMB, where the songs just take on a life of their own. Yet Fourwayfree is musically more intricate and lyrical than DMB ever attained. Lead vocalist Genji has a mellow every-man approach that makes the songs exceedingly accessible, and the songwriting is amazing. The musical architecture is atypical for rock music, and the lyrics are pure poetry. Deeper is a stunning success.

Gasoline is one of the most interesting tracks on the album. It's a song written to an insecure significant other, and is striking for the reality of the conversation(s) it portrays (You said, "When I'm in focus I'm still hopelessly a blur" / and I said, "I can't help it, that's my favorite color") Done is another must-hear, as "I'm out of here" song if there ever was one (Maybe I'll slip/slide down on my face / at least I'm out of this place). This blues/funk rocker opens with a riff reminiscent of Clapton or Hendrix as their down-and-dirty best.

I am not going to sit here and synopsize each song, although Deeper probably deserves such treatment. Fourwayfree is a musician's band; a lyricist/poet's band; the whole package. From simple ballads to lush, layered musical constructs to intricate guitar work, the songs brought forth by Fourwayfree on Deeper are musical gems. Deeper gets the highest recommendation Wildy's World can give: Yep, it's a Desert Island Disc folks! Don't hesitate. Check out Fourwayfree's Deeper, and anything else of theirs you can your hands on.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Fourwayfree at www.fourwayfree.com, where you can purchase a copy of Deeper!

Posted by Wildy at 12:03 AM

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DomainCleveland.net Album reviews
FourWayFree - Deeper

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

With a strong John Mayer vibe, combined with a dash of Paul Simon's soul, FourWayFree is hitting the ground running with their sophomore effort, Deeper - and it promises to be a good one.

Tracks like "Done" do the best job of highlighting the band's quirky, jazzy sound. It's organic and plucky with just a touch of Southern sensibility thrown into the mix with the indie vibe. "Come Over", at the other end of the scale, is a slick, soulful and (dare I say) sexy look at the poignancy of love's highs and lows. The seamless transition between the seemingly divergent sounds is just one of FourWayFree's great strengths. For a more pointedly soulful sound, there are tracks like the shadowy and stealthy "Mistake" and the melancholy "Opposite of Empty".

With vocal stylings strongly reminiscent of Sting, a lyrical attentiveness that is all too often lacking these days and an acoustic pop-rock sound that skillfully combines the accessibility of the pop sound with the passion of rock and the organic soul of the blues sound, FourWayFree develop a sound and sensibility that stands apart from most of the indie rock pack - the moods that they call up are, quite simply, deeper.

-Late
LarryMac
larrymac@domaincleveland.com

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Local band FourWayFree takes top place in radio competition
Jan 28, 2008
By Slav Kandyba

Twenty-four hours ago Jeff Nunes was six hours south, at a club in Redondo Beach, most likely at soundcheck, getting ready to play guitar in front of a bar full of 200-plus patrons.

The night before that, Nunes and his band, FourWayFree, showcased their sound - which reminds very much of the Dave Matthews Band's - to 350 fans at Sobrato High School.

All in a weekend's work.

On Monday morning, Nunes dropped his two children at school and began his work week in earnest, returning home to his wife and the marketing firm they run.

"I lead a pretty regular life," Nunes says in a calm tone.

Not quite. There's nothing regular about Nunes, once a co-owner of Music Tree - where he still teaches guitar - or the path he is on these days. He may not be a household name yet like Dave Matthews, but someone's forgot to tell that to the bevy of men, women and children that braved the stormy weather Friday night to experience FourWayFree at Sobrato. The show was sold out. Afterward, the fans swarmed the lobby to buy band T-shirts and the new CD, Deliver.

Friday's show was the first of four album release shows for FourWayFree, whose lead singer lives in Los Angeles, where the band recently made top 25 in radio station 98.7 Star contest to find the next rock stars. Although FWF didn't make it into the top four and didn't win the top prize - a record deal with Dave Matthews Band-ran ATO Records - they continue to keep pressing on with their music. They've got shows lined up in Arizona and Portland, Ore., this month, and go on a national tour in March as an independent, Nunes says, adding the band is "starting to get interest from smaller labels and more media coverage."

In March, the quartet will also trek to Austin, Texas, for the annual SXSW (pronounced "Southwest by Southwest") music festival, which features hundreds of bands from all over the world.

Not too bad for a band that has its roots in Morgan Hill's own Live Oak High School, where Nunes and Dixon went to school and played in a group. After high school, Nunes went to UC Davis and to Arizona State University, going on to earn a law degree. He practiced law for eight years before getting out because "it wasn't for me," he says.

Returning home, he partnered with Dixon to open Music Tree, and eventually sold his half of the business to Dixon, now the sole owner. The two maintained on their musical journey, playing in a band in 2004 when they met FourWayFree at San Francisco's Red Devil Lounge.

"They decided they wanted another guitar player," Nunes recalls. "They called me and asked me to go on the first tour with them as the fill-in guy. Before the tour was over, they asked me to join the band."

And just like that, in November 2005, Nunes was on board. When a bass player left, Dixon also came on board. The future has looked bright.

"We keep getting good feedback, we'll keep doing it," Nunes said.

It wasn't very hard to find good feedback at the Sobrato show. Bryan Howard and his son came down from Sacramento to watch the band they've began to follow since a state fair where they first got a glimpse. Howard got a T-shirt and asked Peter McAffrey - who flew in from Louisville, Ky. to play cello during the show - to sign it.

"They rocked out at the state fair - we had a good time," Howard said. "You can watch them on stage and see they enjoy what they're doing."

L.A. Madison, Southbound Beat Magazine “(Four Way Free’s) disk is packed with words you haven't heard put together a million times before: 'putting a lampshade on a lighthouse' or 'I'm a sucker for a pretty face, but it's usually painted on a head case'. But it's not just the lyrics that are good. The CD is comprised of quirky indie pop with just that edge of roughness one likes in a live album. This isn't one of those 'we only want two listeners and one of them is us' kind of albums. My favorite track, 'Rebound' is radio-friendly and high-libido, bearing the mark of destiny. If it hits national radio, expect universal appeal.” Music Connection Magazine "This quintet has a sensitive, organic optimism that at times reminds us of John Mayer and Dave Matthews."

Don Parker, Former National Program Director for Next Media "I've listened to this song a few times and I like it more each time...I'd like to hear more from the band." Joel Denver, President/Publisher of Allaccess.com "Nice Song. Sounds a little like John Mayer but warmer." Justin Dunlap, MD & On-Air Talent - Lubbock "I like the sound. It has a Coldplay sound to it, which is very good. It has potential. I think it sounds great." Keith Allen, Styles Media Director of Programming Panama City "I like the feel of the band...I think the band could do a very good job."

View Four Way Free's EPK