Telephone, EFARM (album review - Patrick Langston, The Ottawa Citizen)
An alt-rock band that knows the value of a good hook, Ottawa's Efarm serves up its stories of heartbreak, home-leavings and other ills in a style so infections you'll hardly notice the despair you're bopping along to. Oh, maybe the lyrics area little awkward in spots, but damn! that's a firecracker of a beat. And that Trevor May: what melting pot of pop and country and folk did he find those guitar licks and mandolin plinks in? As to Theresa McInerny on lead vocals, well, she's has been likened to Liz Phair, but never mind the comparisons. She's good, period -- direct, controlled, aware.

Ottawa XPress Spins (Steve Baylin)
EFARM TELEPHONE (Four Stars)
Capital City's own Efarm is back after a brief domestic break for childbearing, and sounds dialed-up with its sophomore release Telephone, the follow-up to the heartache of 1999's Doomed Anyway. Much like former V-Roy Scott Miller, songwriter Trevor May has found a comfortable spot between power pop and dusty twang, without shortchanging either. Vocalist Theresa McInerney clearly understands the value of precision: her voice is cool, clear and measured, the ideal counterpoint to May's grinding aggression. A significant leap from the band's debut.

Count on fun with the pop sounds of EFARM (- Jody Smith, The Charlatan)
EFARM's Dec 4 show will be a perfect antidote to those with seasonal affective disorder, 'exams-are-coming' blues. You'll have fun, and so will everyone else at the Whipping Post.
In many ways, EFARM is like those long lost bands of your wasted youth - they sound better, but the philosophy is the same: play an eclectic and extensive selection of covers, immortalize you own howls at the moon, and get everyone to dance and sing along. To this end, EFARM uses just about every Western musical tradition, drawing on their cross-Canada origins and training to blend various strains of rock, folk, and country. The songs touch on themes so familiar they are almost clichéd - heartbreak, cynicism, addiction, freaks you meet on the bus, and just what women do in the bathroom.
The voice of the band, belonging to Theresa McInerney, is lovely, deep, and always under control. Her skill is not technical, but theatrical - by using very subtle changes, she makes us listen closely. She is remarkable for a lead singer in that she is actually shy - it's clear that she likes singing, but doesn't know what to do with all the attention. Fortunately, she shares the stage with cocky band-mates, who are only too happy to grab the spotlight.
At their CD release for 'Doomed Anyway', their first album, EFARM rocked the HiFi with rollicking tunes and a modest, down-to-earth sense of their own unimportance. Trevor May, the songwriter and publicist who happens to play guitar for the band, liked putting the emphasis on their originals, saying "It's fresh, and if you screw it up..." drummer Art Castonguay chimes in at this point, adding - "no one knows."
EFARM are not, I repeat, not rock stars. They're ordinary kids, with other lives, jobs in the digital ghetto, spouses (one is even expecting a child soon, but I'll let you guess which one). They just want to play. As Castonguay, the acerbic drummer and Carleton alum puts it, "We've got to do it, whether at the bus stop or on stage."
Castonguay is forever chiming in smart-ass comments (there seems to be some competition in this area) and gives himself a decibel advantage by using his microphone. While they play, May makes some serious licks while wearing an incredibly infectious ham and cheese smile. Dasha Korycan, the earnest and endearing bassist, manages to concentrate without sticking out her tongue, very seriously, but when she looks up, she grins.
Their pet peeve? "Pensive audiences," according to Castonguay. Fortunately there is little danger of that. EFARM is making good, down home music, and having fun doing it. Don't expect any stage show extravaganzas, or introspection that will change your life. Just count on the fact that you'll have as much fun as they will. Check out EFARM Dec.4, at the Whipping Post.