The album, as well as Aaron’s live set, is a family affair which becomes truly admirable when one begins to notice the support structure subtly woven throughout. Aaron’s father accompanies his son on many of album’s finished tracks, as well as assisting with most live performances by playing lead guitar and piano. Tim Free is a man who seems to support his family in all their ventures, and this support shows throughout his family’s varied talents. Rounding out the trio of Frees involved with the live set is Aaron’s younger brother Tyler, playing a solid bass backing the bluesy tones. From the family on stage, to Aaron’s mother baking cupcakes and sincerely loving every single moment the music has to offer, one immediately gets the sense of a highly supportive family very proud of their own kind.
The unique sound of Aaron Free combined with the talent and support of his family is something I have both enjoyed and admired during the handful of occasions in which I’ve seen him perform. One can only imagine the perils that must accompany developing one’s own sound while falling beneath the shadow of so many other accomplished musicians, but Aaron sped past the struggles, well on his way to a style all his own. Aaron plays live regularly around Central Louisiana, and Galaxies will be available for purchase at these shows, as well as Hastings in the near future. The time has come for more music to move away from the fashionable noise that has developed out of so many terrible musical acts of the past, and move back to some realistic talent that can be admired, as much as enjoyed. Music needs to go back to the time when a twinge in a voice or the bend of a string meant something subtle or special, and nobody needed 10,000 watts to get their point across. Simple, unadorned, soul—that is the direction in which more artists need to go, and with Aaron Free, I smile at one more of the weathered few returning to the musical ways of old; back to the roots which made so much great American music possible.