12.08.2019
DAVEY FARAGHER: KEEPIN’ IT REAL WITH ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS
Elvis Costello & The Imposters’ bassist Davey Farragher talks about his long standing role in the band and what it’s like working with a music legend.
Bass Magazine: Chris Jisi: December 2nd 2019.The remarkable, 42-year career of Elvis Costello has basically been split between two bands, the Attractions and the Imposters, with the latter uniformly regarded as the more versatile quartet. That speaks volumes about the foundational skills of Davey Faragher, the lone personnel change in the four-decade association between Costello, keyboardist Steve Nieve, and drummer Pete Thomas — no relation to Attractions bass great Bruce Thomas. Since joining the band in 2002, Faragher’s role has grown to include singing and vocal-arrangement duties, in addition to putting his own stamp on Attractions bass lines, and creating sympathetic ostinatos to fit the wide range of styles that flow from Costello’s pen.
Look Now, Faragher’s sixth studio recording with Costello, is inarguably his step-out moment on the fretboard with the Imposters. The 16-track double-disc finds Costello backlighting his bittersweet, sophisticated song gems with classic R&B and soul grooves, unleashing Faragher in a key countervoice role. And “sing” he does, filling holes with suitably syncopated, melodic responses, rich vintage bass tones, and a lyrical connectivity that drives the songs forward — whether pumping up the pocket from first position or peeking out from the upper register. Self-effacing despite over 200 recordings in his Los Angeles home base, Faragher is also blessed with an acerbic wit. He admits, “Sometimes I feel like I’m still trying to crack the scene at 62!” Regarding a 2010 session, he laughs, “I was called in by a major producer for a collaboration between two major artists, and afterward he said to me, ‘Welcome to the team!’ And I thought, ‘I’m in!’ And then I never heard from him again!”