Redwood Refugee: Father John Misty In Big Sur

10TH ANNUAL BENEFIT FOR THE HENRY MILLER LIBRARY

FEATURING FATHER JOHN MISTY

WITH ANNE WALDMAN AND AMBROSE BYE

BIG SUR, CA

19 SEPTEMBER, 2013

A veritable who's who of the weird turning pro have given of their time and talent over the years to help support the Henry Miller Library over the years, from Patti Smith to Marianne Faithfull to Yo La Tengo. Soft-shoeing his way on to that illustrious list is none other than Father John Misty, (Josh Tillman), who headlined Thursday night's benefit. After his appearance at Outsidelands San Francisco in 2012 sporting a "Legalize LSD Now' sweatshirt, it seemed preordained that Mr. Tillman would make his way down the coast and pop up among the redwoods. Taking some downtime after the Misty band summer tour, he's been plotting and scheming, allegedly hatching ideas for a TV show, as well as putting the framework together for a new LP.
Tanned, rested, and ready, the nattily attired Misty hit the stage, working through the core songs from Fear Fun: "Fun Times In Babylon", "I'm Writing A Novel", "Only Son Of The Ladiesman", and "Nancy From Now On", spiked with his own inimitable observations about relaxation: "Been here in Big Sur for a few weeks now: pretty fucking stressed out...", and the nature of art and beauty: "Nothing says fuck you to a sunset like an iPhone picture".
The second half turned out to be a workshop of new tunes, led off by an ode to a difficult young lady, that showcased some circa '65 Dylan venom. "I Love You, Honeybear" made an appearance, and while it missed the heft and grandeur of the band arrangement, the dense lyrics took center stage and the emotional impact was heightened. After some casual deliberation on those who 'Whoo!' at inappropriate moments during songs, Misty slid into "Hollywood Forever Sings", before heading back into the unknown, with a touching take on Dory Previn's "Lady With The Braid", and a throat shredding version of the new "Bored In The USA". Capping things off with a one-two punch, "Now I'm Learning To Love The War" gave way to a lengthy "Everyman Needs A Companion". For the obligatory call back, he rolled out yet another new song, which we'll provisionally call "The Atom Bomb And Me". On the what's next tip, Father John Misty heads out for a solo acoustic tour with comedian Kate Berlant opening, fitting in an October appearance back at Golden Gate Park for Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, and finishing up with an appearance at the Wiltern, LA in November.

Poet Anne Waldman was the perfect choice to set the tone for the evening, and lend her own special touch of gravitas. Accompanied by Ambrose Bye, she brought her work to life vividly, illustrating its innate musicality, and in pieces like "Gaza", "Did Not Serve", and "G Spot", managed to enlighten, outrage, seduce, and amuse...often at the same time.

Magnus, from the Henry Miller Library, takes his traditional bow...

Father John Misty: Further Adventures...

FATHER JOHN MISTY

WHITE FENCE

GLASS HOUSE, POMONA, CA

22 JUNE, 2013

Last time we caught up with Father John Misty, it was an intimate show at the Soho nightclub in Santa Barbara, heralding the end of his winter tour. After a break, he regrouped to perform at Coachella, and shot through a string of dates across the country. In June, he stopped in Pomona, CA at the Glass House, and put the flame to the heat with a show that kept the bar high, introduced another new song, and ended with one of his wide-ranging covers. As heard in the videos below, it was a home crowd, hooting at his lines, even on the new songs. He wasted no time getting comfortable, wading into the crowd during the opening "Fun Times In Babylon", grabbing an audience member's cell phone, and proceeding to debate the merits of different models.
One of the highlights was the inclusion of the rarely-heard 'bonus verse' to "Everyman Needs A Companion", complete with it's winning line about "matching friendship pentagram tattoos", captured in all its glory below. This I first heard at last fall's benefit for Aaron Embry.

At Soho, we were treated to two new songs from what has been confirmed as a new work in progress: the title track "I Love You Honey Bear" and "We Met At The Store". This evening gave us the gift of "Bored In The USA".

It wouldn't be a Father John Misty show without a notable encore, and this was no exception, as he cherry-picked "Happiness Is A Warm Gun", from The Beatles White Album.

 It was the perfect end to another scintillating performance, with the band hitting on all cylinders, and kind of bittersweet, not knowing when the full unit will reappear. As for the previously mentioned new project, tracking has commenced on the new LP, with info/photo courtesy of the good Father.

White Fence kicked the night off, this time the lineup was just mastermind Tim Presley and a drummer. Our last encounter was at the Woodsist Festival in 2012, and this performance was more obviously focused on Presley, than the band/jamming dynamic that held form there. It was an uneven set, with them wrestling to control the sound, but the weight of his catalogue dictates that, when they were on, everything was going to be okay, and the last half of his set more than lived up to form.

FYF '13: Sunday...Sunday...Sunday...

FYF FESTIVAL-DAY TWO

LA STATE HISTORIC PARK

25 AUGUST, 2013

Ira waves the flag...(Yo La Tengo)

On the minus side, I was only able to make on day of this year's FYF Festival...On the plus side, it was a jam-packed Sunday. The entire verbal experience is available here, courtesy of The Owl Magazine, and below is the day in pictures!

JONATHAN RICHMAN

FEAR OF MEN

 THE ORWELLS

CHELSEA WOLFE

KURT VILE

NO AGE

YO LA TENGO

MY BLOODY VALENTINE