Press Kit | Will Faerber and John DePatie
Few acts deliver the raw musical talent, dynamic stage presence, unique style, and overall swagger as Will Faerber and John DePatie. Absolute monsters in the studio, they have no less than six critically acclaimed albums and hundreds of recordings between them.
Will’s musical success began very early. At the age of only sixteen he signed his first Nashville record deal with his band Kentucky Mountain. Two years later Will completely changed directions and was hired to tour and record with the Steve Getz quintet in Denver Colorado.
They would go on to be recognized as the Best Young Jazz Band at the 50th anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival. Will toured with Getz for 5 years before he then decided to take his career in a different direction focusing on singing and songwriting.
Will’s solo career took off in 1997 with the release of “No Small Comfort,” which was referred to as “One of the best of the year” by David Allen of the BBC. He then went on to sign a record and management deal with legendary agent and producer Lee Magid, with whom he began working on what would eventually become known as “Walking My Elephant.”
While he was well on his way, Will still felt he needed a true collaborative partner. He auditioned nearly every available session player in LA without finding the right fit. The person responsible for setting up the auditions told him that there was only one guy left, but that he played in “kind of out there style.” John DePatie came in the next day, and by the time they got to the end of the first song; they both felt they were experiencing the beginnings of something special. They have now been collaborating for nearly 20 years.
After spending his early years honing his technique, John went on to tour with both Nancy Sinatra and Leif Garrett, and has been collaborating with legendary Wrecking Crew pianist Don Randi since 2008.
Over the years, John has shared stages with the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley, Little Steven, Greg Walker and Tony Lindsay of Santana, Frank Sinatra Jr., Richard Street and Dennis Edwards of the Tempations, Air’s Beth Hirsch, The Coasters, Richard Bean of Malo, Merrilee Rush, Connie Stevens, Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, Johnny Lee, Eric Burdon of the Animals, The Marvelettes, America’s Got Talent Finalists Ronee Martin and Will Champlin, and many others.
After officially joining forces, Will and John released their first two albums in 2010 with their band Cathouse Thrusday, “Nashville Baby,” and “Till Death Do Us Party.” The first single, Nashville Baby, was released to radio stations in Europe and Australia Via Hotdisc Promotions and rose to number six on the chart in only four weeks. The second single, “Make A Little Heaven,” also charted to #21. Several songs from the CDs have been licensed for use in feature films and covered by other successful artists.
In 2012, after a lengthy court battle with their previous record label, they were finally able to release “Walking My Elephant,” and did so to critical acclaim, and in 2013 they were commissioned by German Producers APM Music (also known as Sonoton Music in the United States) to create songs for their film and television library. The result was the 2014 CD “Jezebel,” released on APM’s new label, Sure Fire Records. Tracks from “Jezebel” have been used in 5 different motion pictures including “The Hunting Lands,” and have been featured in numerous commercials worldwide.
When not in the studio, Will and John are crushing it in the live scene. Before partnering with John, Will rolled the commercial success of “No Small Comfort,” into a three year UK and Europe tour where he headlined such notable festivals as The Jacksonville and The Americana. He was even fortunate enough to perform twice at London’s famed Wembley Arena.
Once Will and John began performing together, things really got moving. Together they have won awards such as “Best Band” in the 2011 Rockfest Film Festival at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, and they were semi-finalists in the Emerging Artists Competition at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. They have also headlined several concerts including Jamfest at the Santa Monica Pier in April of 2014, and were the headliners for the opening night of the 2012 San Diego County Fair where the were subsequently invited to play again in 2014.
The past few years have been very busy for both Will and John. In addition to a full performing schedule, Will has been building the next phase of his musical legacy, the Plus Tone Entertainment record label. Operating out of the stunning Vortex Ranch facility in beautiful Vista, CA, he has turned his copious skill and meticulous attention to writing his next studio album as well as producing several other rising stars such as The West Woods.
In 2017 John completed his first solo tour, playing shows on the East Coast and in Norway. He then spent the early part of 2018 performing several live shows, both solo and with his trio/quartet in New York City, Bristol Rhode Island, and Los Angeles. In August, he was invited to perform in Oslo, Norway at an event honoring Legendary Norwegian guitarist Marius Muller. While in Europe, John also played as part of an all-star band backing for Geir Olafsson during his December tour of Iceland.
John’s first full-length solo CD featuring his original instrumental guitar oriented music that is set to be released on the Plus+Tone Entertainment Label later in 2019.
Discography
