worked so hard on my skills, my cardio, and
my strength. I loved every second.”
While his parents grudgingly supported
his fighting, they insisted he remain in
school. “It was really hard for them to watch
it,” said Farmer. “My dad would lose sleep
all week worrying about my well-being
before a fight.”
He participated in cage fighting for five
years and wound up with a 7-1 record. As he
finished college and hit his 23rd birthday,
he realized that it was time to move on. He
was well-known regionally, and still loved
mixed martial arts as a sport, but he knew
hitting the elite – and most profitable – level
of the sport was probably not in his future.
Farmer emerged from the sport relatively
unscathed, “Other than the fact I can’t breathe
out of my left nostril now. I’m otherwise OK,”
he laughed. He graduated and worked for
Jasper Engines and Transmissions, running
their wellness programs initially, and later,
moving into a supervisory role on the factory
floor. He currently works for Cintas as a sales
representative.
But Farmer knew he had to follow another
lingering passion. Music and theatre had
always been a part of his narrative, with
stage appearances as early as 10 years old.
He sang in the choir. College karaoke was
great fun. He loved people, he loved music
and he loved to entertain.
A fateful evening out with friends to see
the Louisville Crashers band in 2010 led to a
conversation with his friend, Jordan Rajchel,
and the birth of The Juice Box Heroes.
“We were having a great time, and I said,
‘Man, we could do this better than anyone,’”
said Rajchel, who was the band’s drummer
until 2016. “I’ve loved seeing this thing we
built grow into something pretty amazing.”
“We said, let’s do it,” added Farmer. “We
put together five friends, and we were
terrible.”
They practiced in a garage, though, and
soon landed a few gigs in early 2011. Then,
an opportunity arose to play at Louisville’s
Hard Rock Café, and the band with no name
faced a conundrum.
“We didn’t have a name,” Farmer
laughed. “Everyone brought a list of names
MUSIC NOTES
WITH DAN
FARMER
SONG OR BAND THAT MADE YOU WANT TO SING:
Seeing Coldplay in concert made me want to be in a band.
The Louisville Crashers made me think it could be a reality.
SONG YOU LOVE TO PLAY: “Bust A Move” by Young MC
SONG YOU WISH WOULD GO AWAY:
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
ONE HOUR. NO LIMITS. WHO WOULD
YOU LOVE TO TALK MUSIC WITH
BACKSTAGE BEFORE A SHOW: Prince
BIGGEST “ROCK STAR” MOMENT:
Performing in front of 5,000 people at the
Jeffersonville RiverStage in 2018
WHAT’S YOUR DREAM BACKSTAGE
RIDER INCLUDE: Blue M&Ms, sushi,
caviar and a pedicure.
IF THE JUICE BOX HEROES IS STILL
AROUND IN 2040, WILL YOU HAVE
THE “MOVES LIKE JAGGER”?: Yes! I’m
already been called the Jagger of
Jeffersonville, so it’s a guarantee!
WHAT LYRICS WILL BE ON YOUR
TOMBSTONE: “Here I go again on
my own!” (Whitesnake)
WILL YOU EVER PLAY THE ‘HOKEY
POKEY’ OR ‘CHICKEN DANCE’
AT A WEDDING: NEVER.
MARTIAL ARTS ON STAGE:
I throw the occasional
high kick and pray that my
pants don’t tear.
THE JUICE BOX HEROES
REALITY SHOW TITLE: “The
Definition of Weekend Warriors”
EXTOL : JUNE/JULY 2019
65