Woodsist: 2014, Day One: Sights and Sounds

WOODSIST FESTIVAL 2014

HENRY MILLER LIBRARY

BIG SUR, CA

05 AUGUST, 2014

Returning to Big Sur for the annual Woodsist Festival is more and more like coming home. Nestled in the redwoods along Highway One, the Henry Miller Library opened its doors to a two-day long celebration of the Woodsist label and various fellow travelers. With a permanent stage now fully in place, the Library is pretty much institutionalized as a music venue, and given the small cap on the venue, and their experience, it made for a joyous day out, with no chance of the vibe being harshed. Highlight wise, Angel Olsen came out to grace the fest, perrenials White Fence threw a Ty Segall-sized curveball at the audience, and gracious hosts Woods brought things to a noisy climax.

ANGEL OLSEN

WHITE FENCE

WOODS

 

the scene...

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...

A Word On Behalf Of The Henry Miller Library

Peaking Lights, Woodsist 2012, Henry Miller Library, Big Sur

 One of the divine spots on the Central Coast of California, the Henry Miller Library is a familiar name to anyone who's spent a chunk of time on these pages.  It's a special place, just off Highway One in Big Sur.  A tall order to get to, but one that repays the effort in spades.  Over the years I've had the pleasure of many and varied shows there, and on those occasions when the Library needs the public to step up, (i.e. the new stage!), you can always count me in.  These days the stakes are a bit higher, and at this point I'll defer to someone far more eloquent:
 
Greetings from Big Sur!  This is Magnus Toren, Executive Director of the Library.
It wasn't too long ago that you joined us in Big Sur for an incredible night of music, mystery, and magic.  I would personally like to thank you for making the trip; we exist as a venue thanks to people like you.
But the reason I'm writing is that this existence is, well... somewhat in doubt.  
As you may have heard, we need to upgrade our water and bathroom facilities to meet country standards and ADA compliance.  Failure to comply means we may no longer have events like the one you enjoyed.
Thankfully, there's good news.  We're getting additional help from Monterey County Gives, a local fundraising campaign.  This is where you come in.
Monterey County Gives will partially-match any donation made to the Library until Dec. 31st.  Better yet, you can get great rewards for donating, like free tickets, books, t-shirts, and more.  (Rewards expire on the 31st!)
So with that in mind, I'd ask you to please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Library.  Any bit helps - even $5! - and your donation's impact will be immediate: it will help build a sustainable future for the Library.
Click here to see the rewards: http://www.henrymiller.org/donate-2/
Click here to donate:  https://www.montereycountygives.com/Donate.aspx
And click here to read a blog about this, which you can forward to your friends!   http://www.henrymiller.org/are-you-35-or-younger-then-your-donation-to-the-henry-miller-library-is-extra-important/
From all of us at the Library, thank you for your continued support and happy holidays!
Sincerely,

Magnus Toren

Executive Director
Henry Miller Memorial Library
www.henrymiller.org

Here's some memorable moments from the past:

 

Woodsist 2012: Sights and Sounds (day two)

WOODSIST FESTIVAL

HENRY MILLER LIBRARY

BIG SUR, CA

06 AUGUST, 2012 (day two)

Day two of the Woodsist Festival commenced in the bright of sun that the previous day lacked, and sonically headed for the outer fringes, before coming back to anchor with an earthy rock closing.  Ducktails, (Matt Mondanile from Real Estate), started the afternoon with ambient guitar loop goodness, giving way to Sun Araw, who took that theme and ran further out with it.  Peaking Lights entranced the crowd with their dub-informed soundscapes, quickly bringing down the sound system.  The duo paced out the awkward time 'til restoration, and once the issues were in check, gave what was my favorite performance of the weekend, totally entrancing.  Fresh and Onlys brought the rock back to the stage, unveiling a healthy dose of their upcoming LP, Long Slow Dance, due in September.  They were lean and wired, and the crowd ate it up.

Ducktails

Sun Araw

Sun Araw

Sun Araw

Peaking Lights

Peaking Lights

Peaking Lights

Fresh and Onlys

Fresh And Onlys

The Fresh and Onlys took my final dregs of energy, and I called it a weekend as Thee Oh Sees came on, knowing I would catch up with them on their home turf at the Outsidelands Festival in San Francisco a week later.  They made a hero's entrance-the crowd making more noise than anything heard that weekend.   

It was an amazing weekend, and thanks go out to the Woodsist family and the Henry Miller Library for not only putting this together, but for keeping the vibe so special.  Shouts are due, of course, to all the bands who made the trek up or down Highway One, as well as the awesome food and fashion vendors, including Vacation, from San Francisco.  Until next year...

Woodsist Fest 2012: Sights and Sounds (day one)

WOODSIST FESTIVAL 2012

HENRY MILLER LIBRARY

BIG SUR, CA

DAY ONE-05 AUGUST, 2012

Brooklyn based Woods throws the backyard party known as the Woodsist Festival at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur.  Now in its 5th year, it's still a family affair in feel, but a truly a festival in talent and execution, celebrating the Woodsist label.  This year's lineup featured Real Estate, Pierced Arrows, Woods, White Fence, and Mantles on day one. Despite the gray gloom lurking overhead, the consistency of bands carried the day, with each band standing out in their own way.

Highlights of the day included hearing cuts from Woods forthcoming LP, Bend Beyond.  The always engaging White Fence set one of the day's higher bars with their guitar interplay.  Mantles was new to me, but utterly enjoyable, with concise, rocking songs.  Pierced Arrows drew the day's first crowd to clog the main stage, battering the ears beautifully with a well-placed stack of Marshalls.  Real Estate, fresh off of headlining the Fonda Theater in L.A. the previous night, brought things to a close with a well received set that included drawn out versions of their songs that captured the audience.

Real Estate

Real Estate

Pierced Arrows

Pierced Arrows

Woods

Woods

Woods

White Fence

White Fence

White Fence

Mantles

Mantles