Dodd Ferrelle is a songwriter/singer from Athens, Georgia who started playing guitar and writing songs at 12 years old in Savannah, Georgia.
He formed his first garage band, Me'an Mills, when he was 16, along with Jon Mills.
Me'an Mills released three recordings and toured the Southeast bar circuit for many years before moving to Athens, where Dodd and Jon started the band Rags. Dodd left Rags in 1998 to follow his own vision.
The critically acclaimed A Carriage on the Hill was released early in 2001, featuring members of Asa Nisi Masa, Pylon and Sugar. The Tin Foil Stars were formed when Tim Adams' (formerly of Snail) guitar was added to the mix.
Dodd and The Tinfoil Stars hit the road soon after the release of Always Almost There and only took a break from touring long enough to record the follow up The Murder of Love. Those two CDs were packed with songs written and road tested with a working band that played venues from Jacksonville, FL to New York City.
For anyone that has followed Dodd Ferrelle's music since the critically acclaimed album A Carriage On the Hill it may seem he has come full circle with the release of Lonely Parades. The new CD not only features the return of players who appeared on Carriage including Jon Mills, John Neff, David Barbe and Betsy Inglesby, but also comes closer to capturing the feel of Carriage. Dodd's familiar wail is upfront and center on Lonely Parades but with even more exuberanence. The songs on this CD come from a different place than his past two releases with the Tinfoil Stars.
Dodd has spent the past two years reclaiming a personal life, getting married, having babies and writing the songs that became Lonely Parades. The droll, dark lyrics of love lost and life challenges that always populate Dodd's songs are present on the new CD, but Dodd offers more optimism this time best personified with the hopeful roots pop of "I Can't Wait". Taking a break from touring and recording with the Tinfoil Stars has allowed Dodd more time to work on the instrumentation and sonic pallet of this new CD. Instead of being a stripped down affair with just bass, guitar and drums, the new CD breathes with all kinds of instrumentation including bells, pedal steel, trumpet and even a saw played by Claire Campbell from Hope for A Golden Summer. Kyle Spence who has played with J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. and The Tom Collins was brought in by producer David Barbe along with bassist Jon Mills to for most of the songs on Lonely Parades. Revered roots rocker Jim White adds banjo and other instrumentation to the radio ready "Miss Bliss." After listening to Lonely Parades it is quite clear this is the most complete representation of Dodd's vision for his songs to date.