It was a chance encounter.
After meeting as schoolmates in Philadelphia, Victor Gennaro and Evan Smoker formed a band, with Gennaro on guitar and vocals and Smoker on drums. But it felt incomplete. Then, in 2016, Gennaro walked into a bar and walked out with a new bass player. Jake Jarvis had been playing a song by The Growlers, the title of which is lost to nostalgia, and after hearing his musical stylings floating through the bar’s speakers, Gennaro knew he had to meet Jarvis. It was quickly apparent that the two had the makings of a great creative pairing, and just like that, Jarvis was on board.
The band added vocalist and lead guitarist Pete Abraham in 2017 and the quartet Fir was formed.
Together, they draw on a multitude of influences from each member of the band, ranging from psych and surf rock to folk pop. Abraham credits their democratic band style for allowing them to blend such different influences and hone their sound over time.
“We spend a great deal of time listening to one another and being clear communicators,” he reflects. “We are always open to suggestions on our material from one another.”
Though they may be a rock band, their goal is to shed the trappings of ego among band members and serve the song by working together.
“We also are very conscious of the noise that we produce,” says Abraham. “We have started to hone in our volume output, allowing us to focus in on everybody’s contributions to any one song.”
Whatever the secret sauce is, it seems to be working. They are currently preparing for a headlining show at the Doug Fir on Thursday, February 7, an opportunity that the band excitedly acknowledges is unique for a relatively new group.
In the meantime, they continue to tap into a prolific songwriting streak, with three out of four members bringing new material regularly, as they hope to release new music via an EP this year.
