Free Music Fri...turday: The Late, Abbreviated Version

Don't tell your parents, but i'm late.

Yesterday afternoon, i received two tracks that merited an instant Free Music Friday, even though i had already done the Tobacco/Junk Culture/Dreamend review. But i fell asleep early, so the instant part went out the window. Still, i don't want to be the last site of what's sure to be many posting these, so here we are.

You'll see both Meg and i together again at Those Darlins next week (9/15) at the Black Cat, and it appears that the girls found out and released a 7" in honor of the occasion. At least, that's the story i'm sticking to. Regardless, it's an intense track, showing a side of the ladies not apparent on their debut. More menacing and sexier, with a bit less twang and a lot more tits (that's the female equivalent of balls, right?). If this is the new direction of the band, i likey. i likey a lot. What's more, you can listen to both sides of the 7" here. B-side, "Funstix Party," has the same sinister edge, but, as the name clearly states, this is a party track, plain and simple. Better still, there's apparently a new full-length with a TBD release date of early next year. Which is nice.

mp3: Night Jogger (Those Darlins from Night Jogger 7")

LET respects facial hair. Which isn't even a tenth of the reason why we dig Megafaun, but it's still in the DNA of the relationship somewhere. So we probably would have posted this gem from their mini-ablum, Heretofore, even if it hadn't been a rollicking, good time, breezily singing about their home state. Fortunately for all of us, it is. The boys, too, have a full-length in the works, apparently heading into the studio this fall, which also is nice.



mp3: Carolina Days (Megafaun from Heretofore)

The Untitled Interview #43: Starring Brad Cook (Megafaun)

Megafaun: great band, great people. You’ve possibly already noticed my gushing review of their show here in DC not long ago, and I can say with confidence that Megafaun is definitely one of the best live bands around. They’re also at the top of the in-gig banter heap, so musicians, you better step up your game. Affable and ridiculously entertaining? It doesn’t get much better, friends, it really doesn't.

Laker-living Brad of the Brothers Cook (nice balloon, sir) took up the Untitled Interview challenge, and you can read his thoughts on Airheads, The Band (and the covering thereof), and which record stores are worth your while below. You might, in fact, wish to read it while a) listening to Megafaun (new mini-album coming soon!, and in the meantime there's plenty of other Megafaunian goodness to keep you sated) and b) while getting ready to go see the band live. They’re touring the land as we speak, so make sure to get out there and see one of the finest live bands around.

Les Enfants Terribles: How the hell are you?
Brad Cook: Fantastic!!! Lakers are in the finals and looking good and we have a great tour coming up!

LET: What was the last song you listened to?
BC: "Joke or a Lie" by Sharon Van Etten.

LET: Playing music is: __________
BC: Humbling.

LET: What album most made you realize you wanted to make music?
BC: Probably Bill Frisell's Good Dog, Happy Man.

LET: Beatles or Stones?
BC: Beatles for this group (although, we get behind the Stones as well!).

LET: Top 5 albums (of now, of this month, or of ever):
BC: Right now:

1. Hammer No More the Fingers (Untitled as of Yet. Durham, NC band that we are all constantly floored by)
2. Abner Jay - The Original Folk Song Style of Abner Jay
3. Oval - O
4. Menomena - Mines
5. Drive-By Truckers - Big To Do

LET: Favorite music-related movie?
BC: Airheads. (By a landslide)

LET: Half-full or half-empty?
BC: Half Full.

LET: Which of your peers do you think is making the best music these days?
BC: Wow. Loaded Question. I am taking the peers comment and interpreting it as friends' bands. We have been so unbelievably fortunate to be surrounded by so many talented friends. I would say I was really floored by Menomena's new record. They sent it over a while back and it brought us all to tears. The new Hammer No More the Fingers did a similar thing. I know everyone is probably dying to hear what the next Bon Iver record is gonna sound like. After the few songs I've heard, I can confidently say it will blow people away.

LET: What’s the first thing you think when you wake up in the morning?
BC: Sports. My daily ritual is to wake up and read sports news.

LET: The greatest record store in the world is:
BC: Well, online is it EASILY Mirmaroglu Music which is run by Keith Fullerton-Whitman. Walk-in store would have to go to Harvest Records in Asheville, NC.

LET: Shaken or stirred?
BC: Stirred.

LET: Little-known Megafaun fact?
BC: Joey is funniest dude alive.

LET: If you weren’t in a band you’d be:
BC: In culinary school or trying to be a sports reporter.

LET: Your boots were made for:
BC: Post-Moves.

LET: What’s your favorite watering hole in the greater Research Triangle area?
BC: The Pinhook in Durham, NC.

LET: If you were so inclined, whom would you form a tribute band in honor of?
BC: Uh, without a question The Band.

LET: What do you most enjoy about heading out on a tour? And, are there noticeable differences when you’re touring as headliners?
BC: I enjoy the camaraderie. With each other and with our friends all over the place as well as the food. God, I could write an essay on the differences. I will say, we are still not fully in control of what it means to headline.

LET: Best song ever written?
BC: Well, perhaps I should go with the one tattooed on my arm. It is a song called "That Was Then" by Bill Frisell. It is between that and "5D" by the Byrds.

mp3: Volunteers (Megafaun from the forthcoming Heretofore)

100 Shows of 2010 - #10: Megafaun/Sharon Van Etten @ Black Cat, 3/31/10

In my humble opinion, sometimes the best shows are the ones that sneak up on you, the ones that you might not have expected to be one of the best you've seen all year, the ones that are so full of sheer awesomeness that you just can't believe what you just saw. Friends, I'm hear to tell you that the Megafaun/Sharon Van Etten show at the Black Cat was one such show. I went in sans expectations, and left with one hell of a smile on my face.

MINI RECAP: Sharon Van Etten = Delightful! Megafaun = Just plain fantastic! Overall score: A.

When I arrived, the fabulous Sharon Van (not Von, mind you!) Etten was already doing her thing. She has this great sweet yet sassy thing going on, with really top-notch folktastic songs and a killer voice. She told us stories, including my favorite one involving her playing an all-day metal show. Sharon has a disarming stage persona that totally draws you in and makes you totally comfortable, and then she wows with her big, haunting voice and her solid songs. By the time she was done she had totally impressed me, and judging by the constant stream of people going to talk to her at the merch area, I wasn't the only one she had under her spell.

And then it was time for the wonderfully bearded trio of Megafaun (having lived in Richmond, I defintely have a fondness for beards). I wasn't at all prepared for how good they were going to be, or for how much I was going to love them by the end of the evening. "We're Megafaun, we're really thrilled to be here," they began, before launching into a lengthy set of beautiful, rustic, inspired folk. I was so impressed with everything about Megafaun; how their voices compliment one another so perfectly, how they played their instruments just so, and how they totally win the best banter of 2010 award with their amusing little anecdotes and trivia questions. My probable favorite song of the night, "Kaufman's Ballad," was even lovelier than on record, with the soaring harmonies and delicious pickin' on the banjo. They can go from making exquisitely fragile, delicate sounds to steamrolling some loud as all get out noise, and somehow it's all equally gorgeous. There's an overall rhythm in their music that makes me think of a backwoods version of The Band, both in terms of skill and the textures of the music. As with The Band, music seems effortless coming from them. And they're so dang humble and endearingly silly. "We've been accused of talking too much, I don't get where that happens," was just one of the little asides that engrained them into my heart. And then there was the encore. People, take note. The best way to do an encore is to have a singalong in the middle of the venue, not on the stage, surrounded by happy, singing fans. It was a fitting, glorious end to a just-about-perfect show.

I kept chiding myself during the course of their set, for not already being a huge Megafaun fan. But I'm gonna fix that, I can guarandamntee it. I'll tell you this right now, compadres, I loved everything about their set. No lie. When they moved from the stage to the floor, that was awesome. The way they built up a total lovefest between themselves and the crowd. That too, was awesome. Megafaun pretty much came out of left field and bowled me over. Go see this band. Frequently. That's all there is to it.

mp3: Kaufman's Ballad (Megafun from Gather, Form and Fly)