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And now, a few words
from the critics...
Southeast
Performer...Monica
Arrington ( September 2002)
Major Nelson - Twilight Promises
Recorded at Hooverama Produced by Jamie Hoover and Major Nelson
Mastered by Hoyt Dooley at Open Door Productions
This is a story of a band that plays very cool pop music. The band
was called
Major
Nelson,
which started out in 1993, producing music for the locals of
Charlotte, NC. Lead singer
Henry
Pharr
and drummer
Buddy
Dukes
enjoyed the music they made until 1995, and then they parted ways.
In the meantime, Pharr developed a new group called
World
Class Fad
with the same brassy power pop energy. This group included the
talents of
Lori
Dalton
on keyboards and vocals and
Jeff
Dunegan
on the electric bass. Together they explored and conquered the music
scene with their infectious and melodious sound. However,
World
Class Fad
came to end some time after 2001. This made their fans very sad and
left to wonder if they were to ever hear from them again. This year
the worries were calmed once they reappeared as
Major
Nelson,
with
Dukes
taking up his drumsticks and new ideas from
Dalton
and
Dunegan.
True enough this band has substance. Once you listen to the latest
recording, Twilight Promises, you can hear the layers of
mystic keyboards married to the rumbling rhythms of the drums. They
do not just make music they lure you into a dark world of thunder
and cryptic sweetness. You can hear major and minor chords waver in
a cloud of guitar jangle with
Pharr's
proud but gentle voice serving as a lamp light in the sonic storm.
If you get a chance to see this group, I suggest you take it, if
only to marvel at what forms pop music can take.
Creative
Loafing, Music
Menu...Samir
Shukla (2/20/2002)
Major
Nelson
-- Henry
Pharr
and crew have dismantled
World Class Fad
and are reuniting under the long lost
Major Nelson
umbrella. Power-pop was
Major Nelson's
credo and thank your lucky stars they've decided to regroup with a
fresh outlook. Their return debut will toast the feel of early
spring and, to top it off, a new disc is in the works for a summer
release. So pull out the strawberry lollipops and head for the juke
joint for some nice hooks-laden music. With Encaustic. Mojo
Restaurant & Spirits
Creative
Loafing...Lynn
Farris (January
2002)
Major News
Revival of local band more than a Fad
World Class Fad
have parted ways with their lead guitarist Craig Hanks, and
the remaining members have decided to revive
Major Nelson.
Henry
Pharr
and
Buddy Dukes
will assume their original Major duties on, respectively, guitar and
vocals, and drums.
Lori Dalton
will handle keys, vocals, guitar and percussion, and
Jeff Dunegan
will play bass (both are also formerly of WCF). The group is working
on new material and is hoping to release an album in the summer.
They'll begin playing shows in March. For more details, visit
www.majornelsonband.com.
Tangents...Daniel
Coston (January 1998)
"...Pop is
Dead, by far
their best and most fully realized work. With producer
Jamie Hoover
at the helm,
Major Nelson
does not bury 'pop,' but praises it while adding new twists to their
sound."
Creative
Loafing...Todd
Bowman (November 15, 1997)
"With the release of their second album,
Pop is Dead,
Major
Nelson
might just be winning the war, offering a compelling and cerebral
slice of songcraft driven by layers of distorted guitars and an
apparent love of harmony."
"Packaged with
precise layers of distortion, taut drumming and some lancing bass
work, the songs emerge as individual invitations to pop nirvana."
The
Charlotte Observer,
E&T...Kenneth
Johnson (11/14/97)
"Pop is Dead
is loaded with the groups's brainy, catchy tunes. Beatles and Big
Star influences can be heard in the luscious melodies and hummable
choruses, while the band made sure to include enough muscle to
pacify the post-punk, post-grunge crowds."
Tangents...Carl
Fulmer (November 1997)
"The simplicity of the songs belies the complex interplay between
the musicians. There are a lot of layers to these recordings which
almost demand a headset be used for listening.
Henry Pharr's
vocals and uncomplicated guitar licks command attention in the same
a cat would."
"The rhythm section
of Buddy
Dukes
and Glenn Gibson could stand alone as a band or a wall."
Creative
Loafing...Todd
Bowman (April 5, 1997)
"Our own hometown pop heros...their songwriting has taken the band
to new plateaus. They've taken a brave step away from their
influences and created a sonic landscape in which they are the sole
dwellers."
Creative
Loafing...Kevin
Morgan (April 20, 1996)
"Blustery power pop with a wistful edge, and suddenly a major player
on the local scene thanks to their just-released CD, Big Stir.
Loaded with striking moments, the collection is a smooth running
turbine of tune and craft. Guitars blare with melodic intensity
while the rhythm section boxes things along with punchy vigor."
The
Charlotte Observer...Kenneth
Johnson
"...Dollar for
dollar, pound for pound,
Major Nelson
is easily one of the best buys in Charlotte. Straight-up, catchy,
guitar power-pop, delivered with little muss or fuss. This quartet
has been aging wonderfully, too; set grow tighter and tighter, while
the group's most recent material is its strongest sofar. Influences?
Beatles, Big Star, Neil Young and a hint of R.E.M."
Further mentions of Pharr & Dukes...
Music
Comet...David Pasqale
(March 2001)
World Class Fad -
So To Speak, Self-Released
Charlotte's
own
Henry Pharr
has been under the pop radar for several years now, first with the
'80s Chapel Hill rockers The Popes, then the woefully under
appreciated
Major Nelson,
and now with his latest outfit, World
Class Fad. Granted, there's no
reason why you, or many people haven't heard of Pharr, in his many
incarnations. He's consistently been one of the more consistent song
writers in this region, so maybe it's time that you brought yourself
over to the Pharr-side. So To Speak, the Fad's second
release, and first full-length CD, showcases the band's understated
pop hooks and thoughtful lyrics. The band is solid throughout the
record, and
Buddy Dukes
(who's been on board with Pharr since the
Major Nelson
days) continues to be one of the best drummers and backup vocalists
around. If you like your pop-rock with a little brain power behind
it, check out the Fad, and this CD. And don't make me remind you of
all of this again when their next record comes out.
Creative
Loafing,
Music Menu...Ken
Johnson (2/16/00)
World Class Fad
Simply "world class" is more like it. This is far from a fad.
The latest musical offering from
Henry Pharr
and
Buddy Dukes
(ex-Major Nelson) finds the Queen City popsters further honing their
sound. Results: smashing.
Major Nelson could whip up
intoxicating Buzzcocks pop at the flip of a switch. Still in place are the catchy melodies
you've come to know and love. Give us more.
Creative
Loafing, Music
Menu...Ken
Johnson (12/15/99)
Henry Pharr's double life continues. Charlotte suit and tie attorney
by day, classy pop tunesmith by night. If Pharr's trial arguments
are as solid and convincing as the nuggets he's been bashing out at
night in the spare bedroom for he past six years, he must be winning
a lot of cases. His musical modus operandi: muscular guitars and
winsome melodies that hark back to both the Beatles and Big Star,
coupled with a lyrical wit and approach that's as in touch with the
late-90's pop culture zeitgeist as any other band in the region. It
first surfaced locally, following Pharr's stint in the early-90's
Chapel Hill pop gurus the Popes, in
Major Nelson, a quartet that
gave Charlotte scene two of its most solid rock CD's of the 90's.
Following a Nelson meltdown and a brief stint as the band Feelix,
Pharr and
Major Nelson
drummer
Buddy Dukes
return for the wonderfully named
World Class Fad.
I trust that everything that made Pharr's work cool in the past is
still in place.
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