Fair To Midland

Formed during 1998 in Sulphur Springs, Texas, the prog metal outfit Fair to Midland consists of vocalist Darroh Sudderth, guitarist Cliff Campbell, bassist Jon Dicken, drummer Brett Stowers, and keyboardist Matt Langley. The group first issued two independent projects, The Carbon Copy Silver Lining EP in 2001 and Inter. Funda. Stifle in 2004, before attracting the notice of System of a Down’s Serj Tankian. He placed the band on his Serjical Strike imprint in April 2006. Later that same year the label issued The Drawn and Quartered EP, a collection of demo and live recordings. David Bottrill (Tool, King Crimson) produced the full-length Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True, which appeared in June 2007. Extensive road work followed, including appearances at the Coachella, Download, Rock am Ring, and Rock im Park festivals plus support dates alongside Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Flyleaf, and Dir en Grey. Toward the close of the decade’s first ten years the quintet moved to the eOne roster and also switched both management and booking representation. Recording sessions for the dark, spectral Arrows & Anchors began in 2010, with eOne releasing the album in summer 2011.