“The hustle and bustle of this busy world, people coming and going in a fabulous whirl. We all have something to do; we all have places to be; we all have something to say, but do you see me?” Farris Hallaj song See Me
Farris Hallaj brought down the house at the Loudoun County Social Collective’s Annual Christmas Tea in December with his rendition of an original song called See Me. Now that song along with a full slate of his original music has been compiled into an album called California Dream that he’ll release this month with the help of producer Stephen Smith, MT-BC, with The Same Sky Studios. “See Me” appeared on an earlier compilation album from Same Sky, a label created by A Place To Be.
The studio and label of the same name is an offshoot of “The Same Sky Project,” a series of inclusive touring shows starring the non-profit’s clients and performers that features a cast of individuals with an array of differing abilities and life challenges. See Me has become a kind of unofficial anthem for the music therapy organization, Farris says proudly.
Farris, now 30, was born with limited eyesight. He started playing piano when he was five and has since mastered nine instruments. Farris plays all the instruments on the album and laid down the drum tracks with metronomic precision, Stephen says. Farris graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in voice from Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. The only real challenge he says he has faced in his musical career is when he needs to sight read with a chorus. “All that means is that I basically have to have the music memorized beforehand,” he explains.
He himself is blessed with both perfect pitch and Synesthesia, a condition where music often triggers an overlap of two or more senses, so he’ll “see” colors and even some numbers and letters of the alphabet in combination with certain musical tones, for example. He also says many of the songs he’s written have appeared to him in dreams, so he keeps his phone handy on a nightstand so he can record himself singing melodies and lyrics while the inspiration is fresh.
His musical style is eclectic, exhibiting a love of folk, country and blues. See Me may evoke James Taylor, but he’s always been a huge fan of Whitney Houston and the Kelly Bell Band which combines elements of hip-hop, blues and funk electrified. Farris loved Kelly Bell Band’s first album, Phat Blues Music, saying, “Some of my singing style and my tone of voice has been impacted by their music.”
Farris is part of a group of musicians with A Place To Be called Pathfinders that does outreach performances for businesses and schools to help raise awareness about how to make workplaces more accessible to everyone. He also hopes to perform more locally when the album is out.
For a quick listen, you can hear two of Farris’ songs from the album on our Leesburg Lifestyle Vimeo Channel, https://vimeo.com/leesburglifestyle, or stop in for a regular listen at his own YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/@farrishallajmusic7801. The album will be available on all major streaming channels or you can follow www.facebook.com/aplacetobeva for specific information on its release.