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The University of Utah's Independent Student Voice

The Daily Utah Chronicle

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The Daily Utah Chronicle

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New Music Monday: Father John Misty

New Music Monday: Father John Misty

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If whatever cultural and musical influences you surround yourself with haven’t led you to Father John Misty by now, worry not! There is hope. Many people are still unaware of the lyrical genius and caustic wit of the one and only Father John. For a limited time only, you can still impress your coevals by introducing them to this preacher of love and critical thinking (although, be careful, the more people who know about him, the less cool you seem for knowing about him).

Joshua Tillman, a.k.a. Father John Misty, has a long and illustrious musical history. He’s consistently produced solo material for about 10 years, but along the way he’s been apart of such bands as The Fleet Foxes and Saxon Shore. His latest album, I Love You, Honeybear, was released in February of this year.

Misty’s music abounds with a splendid display of melancholy, satire and curiosity, all encased in rolling melodies and soulful wailings. There is a raw, unfiltered quality to both his lyrics and his voice that serves to create an incredibly authentic connection between the artist and his art. Misty seems to be intensely aware of himself and of his art’s relationship to his audience. Nowhere was this more evident than in his performance at The Twilight Concert Series on June 23. During his set, Misty developed an impressive rapport with his audience. Several times he came down to the crowd, shaking hands as he sang, taking audience member’s phones and recording himself singing during the song. During certain lines in some of his more angsty songs he would sort of shrug to the audience, as if to say, ‘Maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but it’s also kind of true or we wouldn’t be here.’ It felt at times that Misty was orchestrating some sort of large-scale joke, and he let us in on it for a few moments as he performed. His performance of Bored in America on David Letterman illustrates this intriguing aspect to Father John and his music. (Take note: When it appears the audience is laughing, that is actually a laugh track inserted into the song.)

Another aspect to Father John Misty is his ability to rock. He has several tracks where he taps into some deep reservoir of primal humanity and unleashes a current of pure musical fury. Throughout the Twilight Concert Series he would fall to the floor, throw his guitar, climb on top of the drum kit and wield his mic stand like it was made of Valyrian steel. Several times in the midst of these songs, audience members looked at each other in awe, eyes wide with disbelief and glee. Misty ended his set by jumping off the drum kit, slamming his mic stand to the ground, and walking off the stage without a word, to deafening applause.

Whether or not indie/folk rock is your genre, it would definitely be worth your time to check out some more Father John Misty, if only to brag to your friends once he becomes more popular that you heard of him first.

[email protected]

@ChronyArts

 

For more music discovery, read last week’s New Music Monday here, or visit http://kuteradio.org/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_empty_space height=”32px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_facebook type=”standard”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_tweetmeme type=”horizontal”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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