Search - New American Farmers :: Brand New Day

Paul Knowles and Nicole Storto spent most of the last decade performing and recording as Mars, Arizona, winning fans with their original brand of cosmic Americana. Like many other American towns, Mars, Arizona recently disappeared, forced to move on after four well received albums. "Like the vanishing American family farm, it became too expensive to run the family business," Knowles says. "The town was auctioned off and we became New American Farmers. We hope to survive by embracing sustainable approaches to music production and delivery."

On Brand New Day, Knowles and Storto continue to showcase their evolution as songwriters intent on celebrating the essence of the American experience with all its contradictions and complexities. "By calling ourselves New American Farmers, we're suggesting a sense of independence and self reliance away from corporate structures. A lot of today's music and food is mostly poison and full of additives."

(The duo had their debut performance as Mars, Arizona at Chicago's Double Door in 1999. They came to California shortly thereafter and made four albums: Love Songs from the Apocalypse, All Over the Road, Hello Cruel World and High Desert before changing their name to New American Farmers in 2012.)