Far-Less was a five-piece post-hardcore/alternative rock band from Marion, … Read Full Bio ↴Far-Less was a five-piece post-hardcore/alternative rock band from Marion, Virginia, United States, with members from Marion and other surrounding areas, including Pulaski and Blacksburg. They were signed to Tooth & Nail Records and Silent Uproar Records.

Far-Less began in the summer of 2001 in Marion, Virginia. The original lineup included vocalist Jordan Powers, bassist Joseph Powers, drummer Ray Felts and guitarist Jacob Murray. The quartet quickly wrote and recorded the Emerge EP, playing a handful of local shows before the exit of Murray near the end of the year, a change which prompted Jordan’s shift to guitar and the inclusion of Brandon Welch as lead vocalist. The band's name originated in a friend's last name, with an added hyphen. This lineup was stable for the following year, in which the band released the Apossibility EP and recorded their full-length debut Broken Hearts Unite for the Raleigh, North Carolina-based indie label Silent Uproar Records. Regional tours continued as the band started to garner more attention with Broken Hearts Unite, and eventually Mark Karsten was added as second guitarist.

In 2003 Far-Less started to earn the attention of larger record companies, and in 2004 was invited to perform in a showcase for Seattle’s Tooth and Nail Records. This performance ultimately led the band to sign on to the label’s roster, and the Turn to the Bright EP followed later that year. Following a long period of touring the band returned to the studio to record a second full-length album, Everyone Is Out to Get Us. The record received many positive reviews, as well as a notable 4/5 rating in Alternative Press. More touring ensued, and in 2006 the band parted ways with drummer Ray Felts.
North Carolina native Todd Turner immediately took over the reins as the Far-Less drummer, and with the shifting dynamic of the band came a renewed creative energy, which ultimately culminated in the group’s third album A Toast to Bad Taste. In the middle of the recording process the group decided a full-time keyboardist would be beneficial, and added Elizabeth “Bitsy” Pina to its ranks. Touring in the United States and Canada followed, with the record being released in 2007—again to critical acclaim, but with low record sales. Bassist Joseph Powers left the band to return to school, leaving a huge gap which was opened even more when Karsten and Turner followed in his footsteps.
2008 proved to be a strenuous year for Far-Less, yet the band pushed on with the aid of long-time friends (now current members) Brandon Hackler on guitar and Tyler Hill on drums. A national tour in the spring of 2008 resulted in the loss of Pina, but the band managed to finish the tour dates with help from Mike Schey (of The Format and The Honorary Title), Josh King (of House of Fools) and Robert Smith (of MAE and Tokyo). After a brief hiatus the band filled the empty bass slot with Brian Freeman, moved to Radford, Virginia and continued the writing process. The forthcoming Headache EP is the result, and was due to be released digitally by Tooth & Nail Records in the summer of 2009, but for unknown reasons the EP has yet to come out.

Far-Less played their final show on August 14, 2009 at the Greene Street Club in Greensboro, NC. The band ended its career with a twenty song set including songs from all past albums and EPs. The band had many special guests at the show, including Josh King of House of Fools, and they were able to reassemble many of the past members to create a Far-Less "super group" with performances by Ray Felts, Joseph Powers, Todd Turner, and Mark Karsten, along with the final line-up of the band (Brandon Welch, Jordan Powers, Brandon Hackler, Tyler Joel Hill, and Brian Freeman).

Final line-up:
Brandon Welch - Lead vocals
Jordan Powers - Guitar, vocals
Brandon Hackler - Guitar
Brian Freeman - Bass
Tyler Hill - Drums

Former members:
Mark Karsten - Guitar, vocals (2003-2008)
Todd Turner - drums (2006–2008)
Elizabeth "Bitsy" Pina - keyboard (2007–2008)
Joseph "Joep" Powers - Bass (2001-2007)
Ray Felts - Drums, vocals (2001-2006)
Jacob R. Murray - guitar (2001–2002)

Discography:
Recorded 2008 - Headache (EP) (Never officially released) - soundcloud.com/saintdopeium/sets/far-less-headache-ep-unreleased
2007 - A Toast To Bad Taste (Tooth & Nail Records)
2006 - Everyone Is Out To Get Us (Tooth & Nail Records)
2004 - Turn To The Bright (EP) (Tooth & Nail Records)
2003 - Broken Hearts Unite (Silent Uproar Records)
2002 - Apossibility (EP) (Self-released)
2001 - Emerge (EP) (Self-released)

Mike Lowrey
Far-Less Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Keep your eyes open!

If they jump, would you follow?
If they pour, would you swallow their poison?

What's wrong with our lives today?
It's like we were born to emulate
What's wrong with the way we bleed?

My heart doesn't break for your sake

You! play!
And you're so fake
Look like me, be like me, become me
Don't! say!
A single thing
The children are waiting

So they jump and you follow
So they pour and you swallow their poison

I wish you would go away
Just one more thing I would love to say
You act like it's all a game
Close your eyes
I don't see how you sleep

You! play!
And you're so fake
Look like me, be like me, become me
Don't! say!
A single thing
The children are waiting

On me!
Keep your eyes open!

On me!
Keep your eyes!

Overall Meaning

The song “Mike Lowrey” by Far-Less is about conformity and the dangers of following others without questioning their motives or actions. The lyrics start with a call to “keep your eyes open”, implying that the listener needs to be vigilant and aware of what is going on around them. The first two lines ask if the listener would blindly follow someone else, even if that person was doing something harmful (“If they jump, would you follow? / If they pour, would you swallow their poison?”). This sets the stage for the rest of the song, which criticizes the idea that people are expected to emulate others and conform to certain standards.

The chorus is a sarcastic condemnation of the pressure to conform. The singer (presumably the lead singer) states that people are expected to “look like me, be like me, become me”, but not to speak up or question authority (“Don’t say! A single thing / The children are waiting”). The use of the word “children” here is interesting - it implies that those who follow blindly are like children, unable or unwilling to make their own decisions.

The second verse takes a more personal tone, with the singer addressing someone directly. The lines “I wish you would go away / Just one more thing I would love to say” seem to indicate that there is someone in the singer’s life who they would like to distance themselves from. This person is accused of treating life like a game and not taking things seriously (“You act like it’s all a game / Close your eyes / I don’t see how you sleep”). The accusation that this person is “fake” implies that they are not being true to themselves.

Overall, “Mike Lowrey” is a powerful critique of conformity and the dangers of following others without questioning their motives. The song urges listeners to keep their eyes open and think for themselves, rather than blindly following the crowd.

Line by Line Meaning

Keep your eyes open!
Be vigilant and alert at all times.

If they jump, would you follow?
Are you easily influenced by others?

If they pour, would you swallow their poison?
Do you succumb to negative influences or behaviors?

What's wrong with our lives today?
What's the root cause of unhappiness in today's society?

It's like we were born to emulate
It feels as though we are programmed to imitate others.

What's wrong with the way we bleed?
What's wrong with expressing our emotions?

My heart doesn't break for your sake
I am not affected by your emotional games.

You! play!
You pretend and act phony.

And you're so fake
Your act is insincere and inauthentic.

Look like me, be like me, become me
You try to emulate and copy me without being true to yourself.

Don't! say!
Don't speak or express yourself.