LomoShowcase: Zac Farro and the Velvet Face
3 Share TweetHALFNOISE's Zac Farro talks with Lomography NYC's Bree Doldron about his EP, the irreplaceable character of film, and how photography is similar to women. Also be sure to check out the music video for his single "French Class" and enter to win a signed Diana F+ and record.
Bree Doldron: First of all, congratulations on your new EP! It has this incredibly unique shoegazing feel to it. Can you speak to your vision behind the sound of this EP? Where did you draw inspiration?
Zac Farro: Thanks so much! This is my favorite HN release to date. The Entire experience from writing to preforming/recording was so unforgettable and will go down in history for me as such a special time. My vision and inspiration for this EP stemmed from the same place, I was really influenced by records like The Beatles 'Rubber Soul' and Kinks 'Village Green Preservation Society’ and a ton of 60s french pop, Serge Gainsburg etc. The song writing in the 60s seemed so direct and that really spoke to me. I wanted the Velvet Face to feel like you’d already knew it and at the same time wanted it to feel current and new.
What was it like shooting with the Diana F+?
The Diana F+ was wonderful to shoot with. For me, it’s very similar to women - super hard to figure out but once you get the shot in focus there’s nothing better, haha.
Who are you currently listening to?
I still listen to a lot of 60s music - Beatles, Stones, Kinks. But new bands I’m into are Mac Demarco, The Babe Rainbow, Francois Virot.
What instruments are you playing on this EP?
Besides pals coming over and adding a few guitar lines or percussion bits here and there, the producer Daniel James and I performed everything.
Did being a one man group push you to learn any new instruments, or to significantly improve? If so, which ones?
One thing I loved getting to do was play bass on this EP. That’s become one of my favorite things to use while writing. I also bought a sitar guitar and that was super fun to play as well. It’s mainly heard on “Scooby’s in the Back.”
The photos on your Instagram have a really old school feel to them, have you been shooting film for the ‘gram?
Yeah once I started shooting film it’s become very difficult to post anything else, nothing looks as good to me.
What draws you to film over digital?
Film feels like it’s alive, the grain and the blurriness or even the focus has some sort of moving aspect to me. You can’t replace the character film has. Digital has no life to me besides funny zooms for laughs. These photos were shot on the Diana F+, behind the scenes for the music video of HALFNOISE's "Sudden Feeling":
Are you inspired, and perhaps itching to try out a Diana F+ of your own? Well, good news, we've teamed up with HALFNOISE for an autographed analog bonanza! One lucky winner will be randomly selected to win a signed Diana F+ camera as well as signed copy of The Velvet Face on vinyl. Enter the giveaway here!
Also, check out this awesome video for "French Class":
Keep up with HALFNOISE on their website , Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Can't wait for the giveaway to end? Get your very own Diana F+ from the Lomography Online Shop!
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