Fair

Fair originates in the Pacific Northwest, where Aaron Sprinkle serves as its frontman after building an extensive body of credits as a producer, engineer, songwriter, and performer. Sprinkle first reached listeners while playing in Poor Old Lu, the intense yet tuneful rock outfit whose lyrics carried a pronounced spiritual emphasis; the group issued its opening full-length, Star Studded Super Step, in 1992, followed by four additional albums before the 1998 split, with a one-time reunion record arriving in 2002. He also spent a short stretch in Rose Blossom Punch between 1997 and 1999 and began issuing solo projects with the 1999 set Moontraveller. From the middle of the decade onward, however, his steadiest activity came behind the console, shaping releases by MxPx, Pedro the Lion, Kutless, Jeremy Camp, Eisley, Hawk Nelson, Demon Hunter, and numerous others. In 2005 Sprinkle launched Fair expressly to house his own material, recruiting three longtime associates: Nick Barber, the bassist from Poor Old Lu; Joey Sanchez, a drummer who had performed with Jeremy Camp’s band; and guitarist Erick Newbill, who maintains his own studio in Greenwood, WA. Under the Fair banner the quartet delivered its first album, The Best Worst-Case Scenario, in the middle of 2006, highlighting the group’s brooding yet melodic songcraft and expansive guitar textures. The record drew warm critical notices, prompting plans to track a successor the following year.