What a difference a year
makes.
Father John Misty started his
show last week trying to explain a twitter comment and photo chronicling his
previous wild night in Chicago and apologizing for not really knowing if we
were really all there or merely a figment of his imagination. He swept back his
curls, sauntered across the stage and launched into “Funtimes in Babylon” ---
“I would like to abuse my lungs/smoke everything in sight with every girl I’ve ever loved and ride around the wreckage on a horse knee deep in blood
“I would like to abuse my lungs/smoke everything in sight with every girl I’ve ever loved and ride around the wreckage on a horse knee deep in blood
Lookout Hollywood, here I
come.”
These verses came from the
mouth of the same guy that only one year ago was singing about the bucolic
beauty of orchards and romantic love when I saw him perform as a member of the group Fleet Foxes. “If I had an
orchard, I'd work till I'm raw-
If I had an orchard, I'd work
till I'm sore- And you would wait tables and soon run the store”
It’s true that he did not
write Fleet Foxes’ “Helplessness Blues,” but with each verse from his new solo
album, I began to wonder just what he might have been dreaming about in the back of their tour bus last year.
His creative arc from the four part harmony, love and peace vibe of the Crosby Stills Nash and Young inspired music of Fleet Foxes to the darker William
S Burroughs tinged lyrics of “I’m Writing a Novel” has got me mesmerized:
“I ran down the road, pants down to my knees screaming, “please come help me, that Canadian shaman gave a little too much to me!”
He may have played through the whole album last week ( I was only familiar with three songs at the time) but his set was over too quickly. He rocked hard on his most well known tune, "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" - strobe lights, rippin' guitar solo and at one point I couldn't see all of him but I think he was writhing around on the stage. Apparently he used up all his energy by then and did not have it in him for an encore. He apologized and waved goodnight. He was the second opening act for a group I was unfamiliar with called Youth Lagoon. My trusty concert companion (daughter) and I decided to stay for the headliner, watch the crowd, talk about electronic drone music and frat bros, and wait for the merch guy to return to the table so we could buy a copy of "Fear Fun."
“I ran down the road, pants down to my knees screaming, “please come help me, that Canadian shaman gave a little too much to me!”
He may have played through the whole album last week ( I was only familiar with three songs at the time) but his set was over too quickly. He rocked hard on his most well known tune, "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" - strobe lights, rippin' guitar solo and at one point I couldn't see all of him but I think he was writhing around on the stage. Apparently he used up all his energy by then and did not have it in him for an encore. He apologized and waved goodnight. He was the second opening act for a group I was unfamiliar with called Youth Lagoon. My trusty concert companion (daughter) and I decided to stay for the headliner, watch the crowd, talk about electronic drone music and frat bros, and wait for the merch guy to return to the table so we could buy a copy of "Fear Fun."
I am curious about Josh Tillman's journey and wonder what direction he will take his music and writing next. The mom in me wants to make sure he'll be alright after he travels down this darker road.
I'm looking forward to next July.
Father John Misty - "Hollywood Cemetery Sings"
(What's April doing here?)
Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues"
