The Further Adjustments live and jam in Minneapolis, and have been a unique part of the vibrant Minneapolis music scene for almost three years now. The band draws from an eclectic assortment of musical influences: from classic roots-rock a la Neil Young and the Band to the cosmic country of Gram Parsons, to more modern rock influences like Jack White, My Morning Jacket and the Alabama Shakes.
Founding members Reilly Partridge (guitar/vox) and Josh Wiederin (drums) hail from neighboring small towns in Iowa. After their respective, heavier-geared high-school groups (Misabel and Bleached Black) split, with members heading to college, Partridge and Wiederin decided that they weren’t ready to stop making music. They began experimenting in with different sounds in Josh’s garage.
“Playing in those heavier bands showed us how fun creating playing live music was, but we’re getting into some different stuff,” says Partridge, “We’re getting really into stuff from the 60s like Bob Dylan, the Doors, Jefferson Airplane and CSNY which of course opened some musical doors we hadn’t even considered yet.”
Meanwhile, in an equally small town just on the Minnesota side of Fargo, guitarists Zach Olson and Alec Albright were experiencing a similar musical upbringing. Olson and Albright were a part of their own angst-y high-school group Without A Doubt. But, thanks to Albright’s father’s extensive collection of vintage vinyl, the boys were being introduced to everything from Neil Young to Jerry Jeff Walker to Atlanta Rhythm Section.
Fate would bring them all together in Minneapolis, in the fall of 2009. In a small pink shack in a back alley by the train tracks in Dinkytown, the Further Adjustments as we know them today took form.
Fast-forward to 2012. After a few solid years of finding their sound, gigging around the Twin-Cites and Mid-West region, the Further Adjustments have released their first full-length album Foxfire.
The album was recorded with Partridge’s father, Todd, as sound engineer at his “old school studio”, which is quite literally located in a converted high-school in small-town Auburn, Iowa (drum tracks were recorded in the old gymnasium).
“It’s been great growing up with the studio” says Reilly. “As I was growing musically, dad was growing as an engineer. I think this album his best recording work yet, as well as our best musically as a band.” The songs on the album reflect the Further Adjustments coming into their own; both as people and musicians. Foxfire has already garnered praise both here in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
Jon Schober, local music writer, says of Foxfire, “The arrangements are strangely mature, especially for a band that hasn’t really received as much exposure compared to similar counterparts and veterans of Minnesota music. If these songs are any indication though, The Further Adjustments are about to gain a much larger audience.”
Abbey Simmons of the Seattle music blog Sound on the Sound comments, “Partridge sings of 'broke-hearted people going all the way down' like he’s wallowed in the gloomiest depths and of 'long nights and short bright days' like a road-weary traveler.”
The Further Adjustments plan to continue their musical pursuits, building on the success of Foxfire. Partridge reflects: “We were really happy with the recording. We feel like the album was the culmination of several years of playing together; like we finally made sense of all that. But at the same time, we hope to continue to grow and mature as a group.”
Listen in to “Live From Studio 5!” tonight on 90.3 FM in Minneapolis, 106.7 in St. Paul, or stream online at www.kfai.org from 10 PM to Midnight to hear The Further Adjustments’ in-studio performance.
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