Since their formation in 1997, South Carolina's Five Way Friday has toured extensively up and down the East Coast, from Maine to Miami. Through hard work, the band sweated its way to become one of the Southeast's top bands. In 1998, FWF released their debut album, Moon Driven World, and received regional exposure when their song "Dreams of Elvis" was picked up on Columbia station 93.5. The group continued their rigorous touring schedule through 1999, gaining converts wherever they played.
In 2000, the band released its second full-length, Run Like This, recorded in Memphis at the legendary Ardent Studios. The band brought in veteran producer Jeff Powell for the session, who's worked with a wide variety of artists ranging from The Afghan Whigs to Bob Dylan, and the album brought the band significant national exposure. Following its February 2000 release, Run Like This, achieved Top 5 status in Internet album sales in Billboard magazine (behind such notables as Shania Twain and Celine Dion). Two of the albums songs were featured on the WB hit series, Dawson's Creek, with one of the tracks, "Homecoming," being voted the second most popular "song of the year by an independent artist" on the Dawson's Creek website. By the end of 2000, the band seemed to be gaining momentum, but things were about to change.
In early 2001, guitarist and founding member Michael Helmly, weary of road life and the struggles of "making it" in the music industry, announced that he was leaving the band. Faced with the decision of dismantling the band or trying to continue as Five Way Friday, the rest of the band members continued to play scattered shows, assisted by guest guitarists, while they pondered their next move.
That summer, producer and Hootie and The Blowfish guitarist Mark Bryan approached the band about a potential project, urging the band to keep on playing live and working on new material. The guys then recruited Charleston native Rivers Pearce to play guitar and piano with the band. Pearce had built a following in that city's indie scene, and he brought his own influences and distinctive musical style to FWF, rejuvenating the band.
After nearly a year of preparation, FWF arrived at Bryan's summer house/studio Stone Point (located on the intracoastal waterway in Awendaw, SC) in late July 2002, to begin work on a full-length album. The band members had one common goal--to make the best record of their careers. After six weeks of recording, heated arguments, fishing, The Last Waltz, and plenty of brown liquor and beer, the band finished the album in an all-night session that left them tired as hell, but with a sense of accomplishment.
Through the persuasion of Bryan (and perhaps divine intervention), Los Angeles engineer/mix wiz Nick Brophy, who's been paired with the likes of The Rolling Stones and Avril Lavigne, signed on to mix the record. Brophy spent a week mixing the tracks at Columbia's Gothic Studios, putting the finishing touches on the album back in L.A. The band's songs, coupled with Bryan's vision and Brophy's smooth touch and sharp ear, culminated in a finished album that exceeded everyone's expectations.
The result of all this hard work was Wrecked, which was released on the Redeye Label on February 11, 2003.
With thoughtful and honest lyrics and their pure rock 'n' roll sound, Five Way Friday's solid well-produced heart-on-the-sleeve pop and sturdy rock carry a lot of 'made for radio' flavor. But contain enough passion and breathing room, unlike their radio counterparts, to make even a stubborn indie rocker sit down and at least walk away with an appreciation for what they do.
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