Farren grew up in Portland, Maine in a home that vibrated with the harmonious grooves of country, folk, pop and R&B greats like Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Hank Williams, Jr., Elton John, Steve Winwood and Bruce Springsteen. “The first song I ever learned on guitar was The Eagles’ ‘Peaceful, Easy Feeling.’ My mother had hired a painter to work on our house when I was about 13. He taught me that song and showed me how to properly tune the guitar I had stolen from my older brother. He also passionately explained to me that music is something no one can take away from you. He told me not to hold back – to just ‘strum that guitar and sing.’” During his senior year in high school and for several years afterwards, he played keyboards in the rock group Shufflin’ Tremble, which performed at shows, fairs and clubs and opened for renowned bands including the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, God Smack, Veruca Salt and the Rustic Overtones. The power of exposed, emotional lyrics overtook Farren as a teenager. He started to put his own feelings into poetry and melodies as he soaked up expressive songs by bands like Counting Crows and the Dave Matthews Band. While studying music at the University of Maine, he never fully connected to the classical- and jazz-centric curriculum. So, he continued to learn as much as possible about blues, folk and rock music and taught himself the intricacies of digital recording by hanging out in the university’s recording facilities after closing so he could write and record his own material into the wee hours. Farren’s discovery of alt-country dynamos like Ryan Adams and The Jayhawks and contemporary country artists like Phil Vassar and Keith Urban inspired him to believe fully in his own ability to tell relatable stories through beautifully-rendered Americana music: “When I discovered contemporary country music, I fell in love. I remember the song that did it: Jason White’s ‘Red Ragtop,’ as recorded by Tim McGraw. I like a lot of the New Folk music artists like Ellis Paul, Patty Griffin, Mark Erelli, etc. But I mostly listen to country music in search of those inspiring, perfectly-crafted songs.”