Jeremy Ferris: “The Beginning” a playground for the guitar!
Jeremy Ferris has been in several bands, and has toured Florida playing sold out shows. Soon after Jeremy started to write his own music and has been doing so ever since. His love for playing guitar developed at the ripe age of 12 years old. “One day I was at my grandfather’s house in West Virginia,” recalls Jeremy, “and I saw him playing the guitar. I was inspired to pick it up and learn. I would often listen to the radio and pick up on songs that were playing and tried to learn them.” Jeremy wrote the acoustic instrumental album, “The Beginning” in honor of his grandfather.
Purely instrumental, this is every finger-picker’s dream. If this is your type of music, than this is one album that is definitely worth tracking down. Jeremy Ferris has been blessed with lightning fast arpeggios, and right hand slap/harmonic technique that all adds flavor to his music.
“The Beginning” is a playground for him to use his repertoire of skills. If you like guitar, especially solo-acoustic, then this is a must have. The album has both softer and up-tempo songs, and it will have you listening intently. What Jeremy manages to do here, is to weave a collection of tunes that provoke the emotions as much as the ear.
It’s almost as though the record contains an anthology of songs that tell a story of a life from the guitar’s point of view, with the guitar as its own voice. Jeremy Ferris intermingles this collage with his deep recollections and reflections – in fact, every note drips with it.
This is work of a tremendous artist, at the peak of his powers, letting his instrument explore spaces at once too private and too universal for words. It is an amazing and breathtaking way to pass a rainy afternoon. And it rewards frequent replaying.
From the opening track, “Wonderland”, Jeremy Ferris masterfully crafts deeply moving and fabulously rich music without becoming ostentatious, without becoming busy or flashy. Simple yet complicated, still yet flowing, grand yet approachable, the rich acoustic rhythms offer moments of deep reflection and intense exhilaration. Listen to standouts such as “Destinations”, “Scepticism”, “Notes On Paper” “Line Of Fire” and “Driven”.
When considering the many gifts and talents of Jeremy Ferris, one must recognize that this guitarist is an artist who can capture the musical interpretation of a beautiful heartfelt emotion far better than most.
His ability to create melodic themes that seep their way with repeated listening into your conscience and linger with pleasurable and quieting enjoyment set him apart from the masses. I recommend this album to anyone who appreciates fluid acoustic guitar with infectious lilting melodies.
