Ross Sings Cheree & the Animated Dark

by Ross John Farrar

A native of the Bay Area, Ross J. Farrar is an internationally renowned singer, songwriter, and lyricist for the post-punk band, Ceremony. In his debut book of poetry, Farrar conjures a narrative voice that evokes Alan Vega of the band Suicide and other New York school artists as he contemplates life outside of music. Farrar's poems glide between hazy evocations of being young on the West Coast, working at an adult bookstore, and drinking with friends, alongside layers of darker experiences: visiting the graves of friends and loved ones, leaving Cheree, the 2016 election. He mulls over the lost landmarks of his youth in San Francisco and a relationship both heart-wrenching and ultimately failing.

Genres: Poetry

120 pages, Paperback

Published May 11, 2021

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a big fan of Ross's band Ceremony for over 10 years now and I've always loved his lyrics, so I was delighted to find out that he was releasing this poetry collection when I briefly spoke to him a few months ago in relation to his previous work that he did for Heartworm Press.

If you love confessional poetry and Ceremony then this is definitely for you. I read it all in one sitting because it was that good. It was also great to see him mention Siouxsie and the Banshees, Kierkegaard, Emily Dickinson, and Ernest Becker in his writing too.

Seriously recommended. 💯💯💯

[Bob Comparda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poems connected by themes and images written by Ross Farrar, who also sings in the band Ceremony. The band was what originally drew me to Farrar, but once I read his poetry it took him to a whole different level of artist in my mind. The way these poems connected to tell the fragmented story of Ross and Cheree was something you don't see a lot in poetry books and I really enjoyed it.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book, full of voice and swerve and observations that are beautiful, painful, lucid, and mysterious. There's a sense of a real person behind these poems. Reading the poems is like talking to a friend.

[Matthew Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following Ross for years through his band Ceremony so I was super excited to read his first official poetry book. It did not disappoint!