Though Faddis is the most prolific and celebrated of the songwriters, Armstrong and Meade both contribute their own songs as well.  The Band dishes out plenty of bluegrass, with Meade on both banjo and dobro, tapping the Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin and the Seldom Scene, and there is plenty of Merle Haggard and George Jones in the mix as well.  But the essence of the FarmStrong repertoire is the mix of songs each singer brings into the fold… songs from their youth… songs that inspired their musicianship.  Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Gillian Welch, CSN, Neil Young, Pure Prairie League, Reverend Gary Davis, the Temptations, Van Morrison, the Grateful Dead and the Cars are just some of the many spices and side dishes included with the meat and potatoes of bluegrass and traditional country music…  a strange “fusion” meal that both intrigues and satisfies.  No wonder FarmStrong is known at festivals as a bluegrass palette cleanser.  

Kevin Brown, of Spokane Public Radio’s “Back Porch Bluegrass” show, described FarmStrong in their early days…
“At times reminiscent of early Seldom Scene or even The Country Gentlemen, the arrangements mine the bluer, sparser side of bluegrass that is too often passed over by younger, unweathered bands fixated on speed and pyrotechnics.  Jim Faddis and Cort Armstrong are both strong, emotional singers, but together they establish a natural, brother-like chemistry…   With a great blend of spine-tingling vocals, seasoned performers and strong material, this is a band to watch!”

Now the band has been together for eight years, and has recorded four CDs, including their latest, “FarmStrong 4”, which is the first to feature Rick Meade on banjo, and brings bluegrass back to the forefront of the band’s performances.  But sitting down to this meal doesn’t mean a big heaping pile of bluegrass on your plate… get ready for something a little different, like chocolate and peanut butter, ham and pineapple… songs you’d never expect to be played together, but which when brought together, make for a set better even than the sum of its songs.  Bon appetit!