An awesome lineup and an equally awesome conclusion to a quietly magical series at Monarch, Since the Devil Is Gone I Mostly Feel Lonely. Monarch hosts this time round San Francisco indie-folk rockers The Fresh & Onlys plus Chuck Johnson playing live, live, live.
‘Folk Minimalism’ is what Chuck Johnson labels his music as, whether it be his outsanding electronica work or his forays into acoustic guitar. With Chuck Johnson the creation of new musical lifeforms from one simple opening chord is just what he does and what he’s all about. Layered guitars, with each line weaving in and out of the others, american ragas, small forests of sound growing where seconds ago only one small shoot was showing.
Having been a part of soundtracking a number of films and featuring in a number of experimental music ensembles, Chuck Johnson’s got a new LP out, Crows in the Basilicabeing the title.
“Joyful yet cerebral, the new record spirals melodic phrases in and out of the depths; it’s like a gentle hurricane at sea. At eight minutes, the deceptively quiet On a Slow Passing in Ghost Town is a raga that rages moodily.”
The Fresh & Onlys are no strangers to Berlin (previously) and no strangers to the hearts and minds of indie-kids everywhere. They play a fresh, sounding, bubbly but sensible, American indie-rock that’s got a discernable country twang to it. It’s the perfect music to hear in a club, if your club were a T-Bird peeling off down a deserted middle-American highway, heading to a beach or just getting you the goddamn hell out of this two-bit town.
The Fresh & Onlys have also a newish album out, late 2012′s Long Slow Dance and the reviews were all in agreement…
“Easily the slickest album the Fresh & Onlys have made yet, Long Slow Dance subtly expands the band’s sonic palette without overwhelming the band’s appealing simplicity.”
Playing here in Berlin as part of the Since The Devil Is Gone I Mostly Feel Lonely music series, The Fresh & Onlys and Chuck Johnson will be hosted at Monarch in Kreuzberg. Tickets are available from the link below for around ten pesos and doors open at 8pm. This is the last night of a very fine americana music series, and your last chance to show some love for a very unique and ambitious set of concerts.
