ENJOY THE RIDE: Freeway Releases Debut Album After Decades of Collaboration
former Crossroad Books owner, bandmates' recent reconnection results in 12 original songs
Music and friendship aren’t a sprint, they’re a marathon. Freeway, a three-piece band consisting of keys player Scott Daniels (Orrville, Ohio), Jim Molde on the guitar (Bemidji, Minnesota), and bass player Mark Patterson of Eau Claire. just released their debut album, The Ride. The 12-song album is the band’s first original recording, though the trio initially got together in the mid-70s.
Freeway was originally a cover band based out of Minnesota. They played for about 6 years in the Rochester area, performing at area schools and bars before disbanding in the late '70s. The members of Freeway lost touch afterwards and moved to different parts of the country, with Patterson running Crossroad Books in Eau Claire for over 20 years.
“It’s really enjoyable doing this with old friends,” Patterson said. “These guys are the best friends I’ve ever had. We lost touch for a long time, so it’s great to get back together again and make music purely for the fun of it.”
Over the past few years, the band members reconnected and began to record original music remotely to make the most out of their remaining years together. This rekindling birthed The Ride, an album full of catchy, melodic, and downright rockin’ tunes akin to the style of Jackson Browne, The Beatles, and all things '70s country/rock. The title of the album is an ode to the long journey the trio has been on together for over half a century.
“We like our songs to tell a story,” Patterson said. “A lot of the music is based on real events, things that happened to us and some are made up. There are fun pop melodies mixed in there, but our overall goal is to take the listener on a journey and tell a complete story with each track.”
Freeway has no expectations for their music. They do it purely for the love of the craft, and each other. At the end of the day, that’s all anyone can ask for.
The Ride by Freeway CD is locally available at Revival Records (128 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire) and be found on all major streaming services. You can keep up with the band on Facebook.
