Megafaun
Brothers Brad and Phil Cook and friend Joe Westerlund met at a high school jazz camp in Wisconsin, before moving to North Carolina and forming the band DeYarmond Edison. After fellow member Justin Vernon left to find solo success as Bon Iver, the trio regrouped as Megafaun, mixing rich, three-part harmonies, banjo-twanging Appalachian folk and a touch of psychedelic and avant-garde composition. This week they play the UK in support of their second album, Gather, Form & Fly: Phil Cook let FolkingCool give his beard a virtual tug by email.
So you met at jazz camp: what were your first impressions of each other?
We gravitated towards each other immediately. This was early high school for us and finding people who could scat Miles Davis’ entire trumpet solo from ‘So What’ from memory gave us a freedom few could duplicate.
How did you get from there to what you’re doing now?
We’ve basically spent that last 15 years at one another’s sides. When we weren’t practising or listening to music, we were working together or hanging out together. I could trace any number of paths from then to now, but in the end we just love being around each other.
How would you describe Megafaun to someone if you’d seen them play in a bar?
Beards. Singing. Humility.
Gather, Form & Fly is your second record: tell us what was good about your first, and why this is better.
The first album, Bury The Square, marked the first time we’d written songs as well as the first time we’d used recording equipment. It was only six songs, yet it was 40 minutes. It planted a lot of seeds for our new album. Since then we’ve played hundreds of shows. Touring helped us gain a lot of confidence to do our second album. I think that will show to anyone who’s heard both records.
Who do you see as your musical peers?
I know there’s a lot of us out there blending traditional folk music with other modern elements, but we tend to gravitate well towards other folks who grew up on jazz. One band, The Great White Jenkins, is from Richmond, Virginia. They’re an amazing blend of The Staple Singers, Albert Ayler and David Grubbs.
What’s the enduring power of traditional music? What have you found particularly inspiring?
First off, folk music is just what you say, enduring. It can’t be contained as a trend or a phase because it belongs to every generation. Look at the fact that these songs are still being played after all this time, both in living rooms and on records. That’s powerful. Acoustic music will always contain an element of timelessness which electronics can’t touch.
As far as inspiration goes, we find a lot of songs and artists through contemporary interpreters. I found Washington Phillips, Mississippi Sheiks, and Blind Willie Johnson through Ry Cooder’s early records. I found The Blue Sky Boys and The Skillet Lickers through Doc Watson. Also, old-time labels such as County and Document offer great compilations and discographies.
Do you ever get criticism from self-appointed guardians of ‘authenticity’ for the way you bring in other forms of music?
Though nobody’s offered this criticism directly to our faces, we know it exists. Again, this music can’t be owned by anyone. Although the purists help to carry the torch on to future generations, others will take the music and use it for its many traits.
What’s your favourite Appalachian murder ballad?
The Banks of The Ohio is one we learned from The Blue Sky Boys. Classic. Louis Collins by John Hurt is also a great one.
Do you all write together, or separately? How do your styles vary?
We each have our own ideas that we bring to the other guys to stretch or to focus. Brad is a walking encyclopedia of musical reference, Joe tends toward modern composers and improvisers and I tend toward old-time, blues, and gospel music.
What are your thoughts on the acclaim that Bon Iver has received, especially here in the UK? Does it get annoying being tagged as his “old band”, or do you think that it’s brought you new fans?
We’ve all been best friends since we were 15 years old and that’ll never change. It’s funny to us how many folks have a notion that we’re typically pissed about his success. We think Justin’s music rules. His band is simply phenomenal and grossly uncredited as harmony singers out there. Honestly, the whole process of his success as revealed a lot about how the industry works and we’ve learned a lot from it. We recently toured with Bon Iver in the states and found his audiences to be incredibly receptive and generous to us.
What can we expect from Megafaun live?
Beards. Singing. Humility.
Which of you would win in a beard-growing contest?
Brad would win most categories. Brad’s beard is incredibly dense and can hide objects and support some considerable weight. Joe’s beard grows really fast and is a deep red. Mine is simply a beard.
Megafaun play The Borderline, London on 1 December and The Band Room, North Yorkshire on 4 December
Trackbacks/Pingbacks