Falcon! is a three-piece rock outfit grounded by a North Bay duo who created music careers by moving far afield.
Shannon Ferguson and Neil Rosen grew up together in Petaluma as the ’80s became the ’90s, playing music together since age 14. When they wanted to “make it,” the pair were among an exodus east that moved to Brooklyn, New York. They landed in Williamsburg specifically, back before that was a thing.
“Williamsburg was really supportive. It wasn’t expensive to live there at all. Neil and I both waited tables back then. It was pretty easy and pretty inspiring,” Ferguson reminisced.
Rosen agreed, saying, “New York always had a rock & roll culture. At that time, people were still in the spirit of punk rock and Velvet Underground. It was a positive environment for making music.”
“We’re pretty lucky. Kind of being inspired by that, like, time in the ’90s; that’s the language that we kind of speak together, musically. Nic Brown came to us later as a super talent. He’s a really, really great drummer,” added Ferguson.
Now, Falcon! is celebrating their new EP, Thank You Enough, their first new recording in over a decade. The six-track EP was brought to life in West Marin, at the mysterious location known only as Panoramic House. A recording studio at the edge of the continent overlooking the sandy expanse of a remote beach, the space was created for vibes. As studio owner John Baccigaluppi put it, “I just always enjoyed helping friends make records in weird places.”
The process of creating the EP was a perfect mix of meticulous planning and spontaneous inspiration. “We did have [some] half ideas on this release,” revealed Rosen.
Said Ferguson, “Yeah, my favorite song on the record [‘Living on a Radius’], we wrote in like a day. Like on the spot.”
Their new music blends vintage synthesizers, sweeping guitars and bombastic drums. Their songs, such as “Dreams” and “Thank You Enough,” uniquely intertwine layers of sonic textures.
The band is having a record release party this coming weekend at the home of many an album debut, the Big Easy in downtown Petaluma. The vibe of the room is built for it. “It’s intimate, but there’s a certain grandness, a theatricality with the red velvet curtains and old world underground feel,” said club owner Roger Tschann.
The melodic, lo-fi album is the band’s first release in a decade. The boys are happy to be back at it together.
“I don’t think we would do it if we weren’t the best of friends. Like our wives get along, and our kids get along. So it all kind of works in this moment, at this time right now, that we’d be doing the band again,” said Ferguson. “It’s super inspiring and super fun.”
