Farmer Dave Scher

As a solo artist, session player, and member of numerous eclectic indie bands, Farmer Dave Scher has been a stalwart of the Southern California music scene since the 1990s. Infused with a West Coast spirit that covers everything from soft rock and psychedelia to beat poetry and country music, he was a key member of Beachwood Sparks and All Night Radio before launching a solo career with 2009's Flash Forward to the Good Times. Known for his prowess on the pedal steel guitar, Scher has also played with a range of artists including Elvis Costello, Kurt Vile, Jenny Lewis, and Interpol. In 2020, he released the solo EP, Speak of Love. The Southern California native first made his mark as a core member of Beachwood Sparks, an influential Los Angeles indie pop group known for fusing sunny Laurel Canyon psychedelia with the country-rock influences of bands like the Byrds. He later co-founded the short-lived duo All Night Radio with fellow Beachwood Sparks member Jimi Hey in 2002. The group split after their lone LP, Spirit Stereo Frequency, which was released by Sub Pop in 2004. For a time, he shifted his focus to studio and session work, collaborating with artists like Jonathan Rice and Vetiver before making his solo debut with Flash Forward to the Good Times, on the Brooklyn, New York-based label Kimado Records in the summer of 2009. An adventurous affair that melded soft rock, album rock, and indie pop sensibilities (in other words, sounding something like a cross between Joe Walsh and Beachwood Sparks), the album featured guest appearances by producer Thom Monahan (whose previous credits included work for Devendra Banhart) and members of Entrance and VietNam. Throughout the 2010s, Scher continued to broaden his catalog of credits by playing on songs by Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Kurt Vile, Tame Impala, and Father John Misty, among others. He also collaborated with Carlos Niño on the 2017 joint album Espacio Especial for the Astrollage label. Scher's later projects of this era include the duo Californiosos and the formation of a backing band called the Wizards of the West. He returned to solo work in 2020 with the EP Speak of Love. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi