Faun Fables - Biography
At the heart of Faun Fables (and what a dark, mischievous, witchy heart it is) are singer/songwriter Dawn “the Faun” McCarthy and multi-instrumentalist Nils Frykdahl. With a background in theater and dance, McCarthy is part performance artist, part self-professed shape shifter and part myth-making songstress. She founded the project in Oakland in the late 90s and released her eclectic 1999 debut, Early Song, which was a collection of originals and traditional folk songs. Later that year, she began collaborating regularly with Frykdahl (of experimental Oakland band, Sleepytime Gorilla museum), and the duo have been the core of Faun Fables ever since. With help from other players that float in and out, they create a highly conceptual sonic world, both vaguely medieval and also curiously modern -- think twisted primeval forests, pagan sorcerers and crazed incantations sung by PJ Harvey, along with an interweaving of cabaret, American and Anglo folk with the occasional Eastern European twist.
In 1999 they released and hand-distributed 2001’s powerful Mother Twilight, which was re-released (as was Early Song) by respected Chicago indie label, Drag City in 2004. Mother Twilight is an intense listen, from the otherworldly prayers of “Hela,” to the frantic, toyland chaos of “Train” or the eerie keening in “Mother Twilight.” It’s a rich and varied record, and moments of real beauty appear in the vocally inspired “Sleepwalker” and the fragile melody of “Lightening Rods.” No less fevered and no less odd is Family Album (2003 Drag City). Replete in phantasmagorical nature imagery, this is a collection of songs that come across like little musical vignettes or mini folk operas. An Eastern European folk influence starts to emerge here (McCarthy is sometimes compared to mid-20th Century Polish singer, Ewa Demarczyk), as do other influences, i.e., the vocals in “Eyes of a Bird,” which recall the diaphanous harmonies of Linda Perhacs. The next release was the result of a 2002 theatrical production that Dawn McCarthy wrote and performed, called Transit Rider (2006 Drag City). Highly dramatic and singularly strange, this is a phantasmagorical, Technicolor ride of a record, chronicling the wanderings of a disoriented protagonist, and both McCarthy and Frykdahl shine on it. With the accompaniment of flute, strings, guitars horns and sometimes autoharp, McCarthy (with occasional vocals from Frykdahl) enlivens her bizarre cast of characters with a wild expertise, whether she’s wailing, howling, employing an authentic folk vocal approach or just showing off her yodeling skills.
The latest release is A Table Forgotten (2008 Drag City), a four-song EP that apparently marks the beginning of a conceptual series revolving around domestic themes and the role of women in the home. Even with its dark tone and rueful exploration of the loss of tradition in the kitchen, this is predominantly a joyful work. These songs are thought provoking and entertaining, and they continue to be, well, weird. McCarthy’s gutsy folk vocals along with bold, minimal, almost tribal rhythms and slightly demented instrumentation place the EP in some alternate universe — one where Fairport Convention and PJ Harvey accidentally hooked up with Ralph Records. This is highly imaginative performance art, and A Table Forgotten is a rustic, celebratory work with elements of both folk and cabaret. Every once in a while, a recording artist successfully blurs the lines between distinct art forms, and Faun Fables fits nicely into that category. Through often-tormented musings on loss, disorientation, grief and madness, there is still a capricious lightheartedness at work in these recordings. It’s a testament to the performer in her that McCarthy sees to it that such dark and impenetrable territory turns out to be so much fun. And it’s confirmation of her craft that music so steeped in tradition can still be so wildly original.
