On the Road with American Slang
Ellington Dorr (‘26), Arts/Entertainment Editor
JC Farmer ('26) is a lifer here at Casady, as well as a guitarist for the band American Slang. American Slang covers some older rock, and some country at their concerts. But, they also have released six singles that are available on streaming services. The band got together in June of 2020 and has been together ever since.
JC met all but one of his band members at music lessons in 2020. His future band members, Boston (drums) and Preston (guitar), approached him about forming a band, and he replied with a yes, “it all went up from there," JC shared. I wanted to get back to the source of where his interest in playing came from, and he said that it all started when he “couldn't figure out what I wanted for Christmas my third grade year." As his dad later mentioned a guitar, he decided on such an instrument as his gift. He "played around on it a bit," but really didn't really get into it until spring of 2020, when the pandemic occurred. A big moment of inspiration, he said, was when “I heard a song called Dreams by a band called Van Halen, and I immediately decided I wanted to play guitar like Eddie Van Halen." JC went on to learn more songs and really started to fall into his passion for the guitar.
As he had found this passion for guitar, his positive response to being in a band was only logical. He said that by being a member of his band, "I get to do what I love, which is playing the guitar, and I get to play it for other people." American Slang travels all across the country, and this allows JC to see all different kinds of places. When I asked him what attracts him to being in the band, he responded that "I've made many friends and been places I probably never would have never heard of if I hadn't have done this [...] Music is to me what sports are to most kids." From the experiences created by this band, one would never have expected them to be a group of high school kids. JC says that the memories he makes are his favorite, and it's interesting to note the progress and change within each of his band members, over the years.
JC still is a highschool student, however, and has to manage his time. When the band first started, he said that he found it "very difficult to balance them." But, once he adapted and planned his time out, it wasn't as bad. Farmer shared that "it's not easy by any means, but it's manageable." Although he still expects to attend a university, JC definitely wants to pursue a career in music. He says that as the band is extremely close, and they work really hard His ultimate goal is for American Slang to succeed and for him to be able to stick with it as his full time career.
Although the band has traveled to so many places, Oklahoma City is his favorite city to perform in, as it is "always the most fun." They always have good supportive crowds and perform at venues such as Beer City, and he always enjoys it when his friends are there. Other than these performances, he really likes Nashville. When talking about it, JC said that "it is a music city for a reason, and there are so many people and so many things to do. The times we've played there, we've had a great time."
When I asked him who his biggest inspirations are, he said that "Van Halen is my top because I probably wouldn't be in this band if it wasn't for them." But, his general top five favorite artists and bands, in no particular order, are Van Halen, George Strait, Jason Aldean, Bon Jovi, and Hardy. JC is still currently touring this year, heading to states such as Arizona and Arkansas which they recently visited. American Slang’s concerts are a bunch of fun, and it is great to see a Casady student out there pursuing their passion as their career.
